Have you ever felt as if you're putting your money
into a black hole
when you give your weekly Mission offerings?
Maybe you should think about it more
as dumping your offerings into the river,
not to get rid of them
but to help Mission flourish around the world.
Mission offerings don't seem to get as much attention anymore,
yet they're still vitally important to supporting work around the world.
Think of your Mission offerings as a river
flowing through the entire world,
providing life-giving water to help sustain the mission fields.
You probably know countries and projects
that are supported by part of your 13th Sabbath offering.
But what about the regular Mission offerings
you give each week?
Where do they go? What do they support?
And what do they achieve?
You may be surprised to learn that your weekly Mission offerings
help support the work of about 400 missionary families around the world.
In fact, 70% of the weekly Mission offerings each quarter
helps to support overseas missionaries
and the international work of the church.
Appropriations from the General Conference to World Divisions,
the Middle East-North Africa Union Mission,
and the Israel Field help these regions
build and sustain mission activities in their territories,
like water irrigating fields when there's not enough rain.
The remaining money helps various institutions and agencies
that serve the World Church.
For example, it helps the compassionate medical mission work
of Loma Linda University,
the outreach of Adventist World Radio,
and the humanitarian ministry of ADRA,
the Adventist Development and Relief Agency.
In recent years, millions of people from challenging areas of the world
have found salvation in Jesus
and have joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
In 2018, every 22 seconds,
someone became an Adventist,
and every four hours, a new church was organized.
Thanks to your offerings and the global mission focus,
thousands of new congregations have been established in unreached areas
and among new people groups.
But after these new believers have been baptized,
how are they nurtured?
How do we make sure that their new faith is strengthened
and they grow as disciples?
Your River of Mission offerings
helps grow and sustain new work throughout the world.
Please, keep this live-giving river flowing.
Thank you for your faithful weekly Mission offerings
and your continuing prayers for Adventist Mission.