Global Mission News

Global Missions Annual Report 2006

The Committee

• The Committee consisted of the following members in 2006:  Sue Farrell (Chair), Kimberly Nugent King (Chair), Tom Cox, Marilynn Cox, Marynell Wallace, Jim Wallace, Allison Medrano, Lynn Fleming, Jessica Haines.  We added two additional Members in December Karen and Kevin Clark

Budget

• We have refocused the budget for the next fiscal year.  Bob Velthuis, chair of Missions Council, asked us to reexamine our programs in order to focus on involvement by the congregation in the missions.  Also to see if it might be better to narrow the list of those we support in order to add more personal involvement.  If we have lost touch or personal involvement with a missionary or the mission focus is no longer relevant to Neelsville’s mission focus we might consider discontinuing support.  

Visits from Missionaries:

·        Armbrister Visit - Raoul and Karen of Island Encounter in the Bahamas visited Neelsville on February 26.  They reported at all three services and attended an all church potluck after the last service. 

·        Grussendorf visit – Mark and Sue Grussendorf visited Neelsville on July 9.  Mark is a seminary student with a missions emphasis at the University of Dubuque.  Neelsville supports him with a small scholarship.  A reception was held in their honor.

·        Sawyer visit- On July 23, Will and Barbara of Interserve gave a Minute for Mission all three services.  The Coxes held a reception at her home on Thursday July 20 for the Sawyers.  Many members of the committee as well as other members of the church attended.

·         Sheppard visit – Gary and Pat Sheppard of SIMUSA were at Neelsville on June 4.  The committee held a potluck dinner on June 3 at the Wallaces’ home.

·        William Addai visited November 12^th.   William gave an update at the 11 am service.  In addition, he presented a seminar: Teaching Africans to Fish: Challenges and Opportunities.  William also attended a dinner at Kimberly Nugent King’s home with members of the Committee as well as the Ghana Missions on November 14.

·        Frasier visit- Fraser and Liz, of Wycliffe Bible Translators,  are planning to be at Neelsville on April 29, 2007

Projects

·        Into the World Booklet.  The committee has spent the entire year obtaining current biographies for the missionaries featured in the booklet.  The book has been updated and is ready to go to print in early 2007.

·        Alternative Gift Market.  Headed up by Marilyn Cox this year.  There were 19 booths.   Donations as of November 19, 2006 were $12,000. 

·        Coffee Sales.  The Congregation was given the opportunity one Sunday a month to purchase Equal Exchange Coffee and other Equal exchange items throughout the year.  The Coffee was offered on a weekly basis from Thanksgiving through Christmas.

·        Blanket Sunday.  – Held on January 22 with the assistance of the 3rd/4th grade class at the 9:30 service.  Total collected was $1894.20 to support the Church World Service Blanket and Tools of Hope Program. 

·        Letters to Ghanaian Children – This is a new project for GM this year.  Kimberly Nugent King has a collection of letters from the children in William’s village in Ghana.  These letters were written when the team from Neelsville went to Ghana in 2005.  The committee had some of the children from our church write back to the children in the village.  In December a package of letters from children of Neelsville were sent to William to deliver to the village children.

·        Video Project  - Raphael Mbelli is preparing a video of Neelsville Church.  He videoed the Sheppards when they were here and we will ask him to include other missionaries when they visit.

·        Operation Christmas Child-  94 boxes were collected this year and sent all over the world through the Samaritans Purse program. 

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