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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
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January 2007 |
United Methodist agency to restructure Advance giving program
The nearly 60-year-old Advance is a channel for mission and relief support. |
The Advance for Christ and His Church, the designated mission-giving program of The United Methodist Church, is being restructured to better equip it to reach donors now and into the future.
One major change is the reconfiguration of professional positions within the organization. Most current positions, including jurisdictional representatives, are being phased out in favor of a new network of staff coordinators and specialists. Five jurisdictional offices will be closed by March 8, 2007. Employees may apply for the new positions.
The nearly 60-year-old Advance is a channel for the support of missionaries, mission projects, and emergency relief and rehabilitation. It is "second mile" mission giving, that is, contributions above the funds from the basic World Service fund of the Church. One hundred percent of each gift goes to the cause designated.
The General Board of Global Ministries, the international mission agency of the denomination, pays the Advance's administrative costs.
The Advance has a new director as of Dec. 1. She is Shawn Bakker, a woman with proven ability in fund-raising and non-profit marketing.
In the new plan, the director will have general oversight and serve as the Advance "ambassador" to the Church and beyond. She will be assisted by an executive secretary for marketing and promotion, and staff dealing with gift coordination, project coordination, and annual conference relations.
The Advance was established in the late 1940s both to assistant with post-World War II humanitarian needs and to reflect the religious revival of that period. In a typical year, some $30 million is given for a wide range of mission opportunities. In years of dramatic natural disasters, such as the South Asia tsunami in 2004 and the Gulf Coast hurricanes of 2005, much more is received for emergency relief and rehabilitation.
Last updated on 25 Apr 2008