Fund Raising

What are your ideas for fund raising? Email me or respond with a comment. The goal is to provide supporting funds for those who need them most. Any money we can raise will help, especially since we have several youth who would like to join us. Part of the challenge is that we don't want to squeeze all of our funds from our own congregation. We will be more successful and support the church at large if we focus on external fund raising. Here are some ideas:

• Donut sales
• Car washes
• Auctions (E-Bay or other)
• Family & friend sponsorship

We'll take any ideas you have. This will be the primary topic during our 6 Jan meeting, as well as getting others to sign up for committees.

Planning Committees

We'll start with the following planning committees. Let me know if you wish to join or change groups. Assume I'll be a part of all of them, but my goal is to let others run with their talents & I'll advise as necessary.

Fund Raising
Will lead the efforts to raise support for the trip through events, outreach, solicitation & just plain begging (if required) to get the necessary funds for all to travel. Reality check: We are using $3,000 per person as a planning figure. Are you ready to commit to that?

• Patty Crabbe

Team Building
Responsible for recruiting, training, and coordinating the mission team. Duties will include approaching other churches & groups to come, as well as providing personal training to the team. Coordinating other church teams will also be required.

• Robert Brown
• Charlie Loften

Travel
Arranging all aspects of the trip to include ground & air travel, lodging, tickets, schedules, etc.

Publicity
Getting the word out about our Mission: Eradicating HIV/AIDS through partnership with churches in South Africa. Assists the Fund Raising & Team Building teams as required. Audio/Visual skills, web-savy, & techno-geeks are highly encouraged!

16 Dec 2007 Planning Meeting

Notes:
We had a great introductory meeting. Can you believe that we already have 17 pledges to go on our trip next year! Praise the Lord!

Now the work begins. As mentioned first step is to get your passports up to date. The process takes 4 months, so best to start now. I'll forward on the links once I get them sorted out. In the mean time, you'll need 2x2 pictures to submit later. It doesn't have to be portraits. I'm guessing Walmart can do them from a digital photo for a couple o' bucks.

Check the blog (left side) for prayer list. I'll get those started shortly. It will be the power of prayer & the blessings of the Holy Spirit that will see this trip to completion. So we'll work as if it depended on us & pray because it all depends on God!

Im Dienst Christi,
Nate Allerheiligen

Agenda for 16 Dec Planning Meeting
1015-1045, Fellowship Cabot, Yukon-Ho room (5-6th graders)

1. Introduction & sign-in
2. Give introductory presentation
3. Demonstrate blog/documents
4. Committee brainstorm:

• Fund Raising
• Team Building
• Travel
• Publicity

4. Next meeting: 6 Jan, 1015-1045

Visit to Cabot

The visit of our brothers from South Africa concluded on Sunday. We had an awesome worship (thank you Jason et. al.) and then spoke to the elementary age kids during the second service. That evening, we had another gathering to allow others to meet Jeremiah and Sebastian.

We shared with Sebastian a long-standing Allerheiligen tradition: Sunday-night pancakes. They were delicious (thank you Susan!). Sebastian left our home this morning, and after a day trip to Memphis, will begin his journey home tomorrow (Tuesday, 11 Dec).

God has blessed us with the friendship of these two great men. They have great visions and have made huge personal sacrifices to address the basic needs of the lost in their community. As we tell of their story, I get the feeling that my initial estimate of 20 will be far too low! We already have 10 interested and we haven't even had our first planning meeting! God is good!

My brothers

My brothers came to visit! Can't you see the family resemblance? We all have the same father--that makes us brothers!

Sebastian April is from Bronkhorstpruit/Ekangala, South Africa and he has been working with Jeremiah Zulu from Witbank. I met both of them this past July while on my first mission. I'm the third guy. Robert Brown is the one who introduced me to South Africa and the needs there.

Sebastian and Jeremiah came to visit 6-10 Dec 2007 while on a trip to the US. They went to an AIDS missions conference at Saddleback church in CA & visited some other friends there. Friday, they went to Conway, AR and met with others who were with us in July, as well as met some new people from New Life in Conway. Today, I took them on a touring trip of Little Rock. We saw Little Rock Air Force Base, the East Gate projects, south-central Little Rock and the Central High School Museum. Then we did some Christmas shopping.

Tonight, we had a party at our house. We ate, laughed, and prayed. It was awesome being in their presence as they prayed for healing of a baby (Eloise) who has a heart condition. What a marvelous evening with marvelous brothers. Praise the Lord.