Multiply Missions Offering

Greetings in the powerful, hope-filled name of Jesus.

God always works to redeem things when they seem difficult or discouraging. Today, as the world struggles against a global pandemic, we are hearing stories of God’s redemptive work in some unexpected places and some unusual ways. Hearts are more open to Jesus in places where our workers serve. These unprecedented times are bringing unprecedented opportunities, and our workers are telling stories of hope and new life among peoples where the gospel has not taken root before now.

One such story comes from South Asia. When the country instituted a national lockdown, there were six Hindu boys living at the student boarding house our workers recently opened in a city there. Three of the six were unable to return to their distant villages for the lockdown, so day after day they’ve been studying the Bible with Liton, a gifted young leader and recent convert himself. All of them are becoming serious followers of Jesus and are preparing for baptism. The boys who went home want to return as soon as possible, and their Hindu parents are asking whether we might consider opening a similar hostel for their daughters, who rarely have educational opportunities. More recently, a former RI worker in the region has begun having weekly online Bible studies with Liton and a couple of other leaders, all from his home in Columbus, Ohio. These are opportunities none of us anticipated a few months ago. As RI board chair Merlin Miller noted recently, “This is not a time to shrink back!”

Since we are unable to gather in person with many of you this summer at CMC’s Multiply conference and physically receive our annual Multiply Missions Offering (MMO), I am writing to invite you to participate as we forge ahead. The fields are ripe, ready for harvest!

In case you are not familiar, we rely heavily on contributions from the MMO offering to fund our agency. Our Ride for Missions event has raised an average of $93,000 per year since it began in 2006. We also have “Touchstone Donors,” a group of RI friends who each contribute a minimum of $2,500 per year, averaging a combined $125,000 per year. Then there’s the offering that is traditionally received during the Sunday morning session of the annual conference. These together make up the Multiply Missions Offering and provide a significant portion of our annual operations budget.

Because we are not meeting in person this summer, we are inviting you to participate in the MMO from a distance. Ride for Missions has been adapted this year to take place individually or in smaller groups in local communities. We are also creating a new opportunity we’re calling One for Missions, inviting any and all of you to support and celebrate missions. More information on this new opportunity is included in a separate insert. We also continue to believe, in faith, that God will call leaders within our conference to become Touchstone donors and invest heavily in the work being done around the globe, despite these uncertain times. I invite you to ask God how he is calling you to unite with us around the cause of taking Jesus to the world’s least reached communities.

There is much to be joyful about in this time, and we look forward to watching the Holy Spirit at work.

Our God reigns!

Joe Showalter
President

GIVE