Participant Funding Guidelines for Mission Trips

Participant Funding Guidelines for Mission Trips

(Read and keep for future reference)

I. General Expectations

Thank you for your interest in serving our Lord and Savior through an AUMC sponsored mission trip. Bringing others to the saving knowledge of Christ is our highest calling except for loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and strength. Is there anything greater than knowing your actions and words here on earth will echo through eternity as the voices in heaven for which you had a part in their presence there? Just as Christ sacrificed part of His divinity to be among and to serve us, following Him and His example takes great sacrifice. Being a part of this mission trip will take sacrifices on your part. You will sacrifice of your time to attend meetings, trainings and for the trip itself. You will sacrifice in the area of comfort by being in unfamiliar surroundings and primitive conditions. Perhaps, the biggest perceived sacrifice to those considering a mission trip is the financial sacrifice. Yes, there will be financial sacrifices both on your part and on those who are supporting you. Serving God is costly and mission trips are expensive, especially for multiple family members. By joining an AUMC trip you are agreeing to earnestly sacrifice all three of these things for the success of the trip and ultimately the success of God’s mission. AUMC Missions believes there is no limit to God’s resources for those who are doing His will.

Participants are encouraged to pay (or raise) the entire participants cost of the trip, with a minimum of half. If you are unable to meet this request of paying or raising at least half of the cost, scholarship assistance is available.A Scholarship Assistance Formcan be obtained from your Team Leader or the Mission Director. The minimum requirement of half of the cost of the trip, or a Scholarship Assistance Form, should be received 6 weeks prior to departure date. Please do not be reluctant to ask if you are having trouble raising funds. Many in your church family that are not able to go on mission trips are eager to help those who can. Your team leader will be able to inform you of your trip balance and guide you through the funding options available to you. No one who has volunteered to serve on an AUMC trip has ever been unable to participate due to financial reasons.

II. Guidelines for Fund Raising

Fundraising for mission teams provides not only the resources for the trip but also increases overall awareness of the project and prayer support for its success. Individuals cannot solicit funds through fundraising events on AUMC campus church wide. All team fundraising efforts must obtain prior approval from the AUMC Fundraising Committee. The main expense in most trips is the cost of the individual participating. In-country expenses include lodging, meals, transportation. Airfare is the expense getting you in-country. As previously stated, as a team member you are requested through personal means or support letters, to cover the entire cost of your mission trip, but are required to pay half. Additionally, each person is also personally responsible for preparation expenses which include stateside items needed to prepare you for your journey (passports, shots, visa, etc). If circumstances prevent you from raising the required funds please contact your team leader or Missions Director to arrange other options.

In order for your donations and payments to be considered charitable contributions, the IRS recognizes these mission payments/donations as going to benefit the entire team. Therefore, if you are able to surpass your obligation, the “excess” will be applied to the entire team to supplement those not able to raise their full amount or to cover additional expenses of the team. In the event that an entire team has a surplus, the excess funds will remain in the Adult Mission Fund to assist future teams.

Support letters should include the following:

A.The team is being sent from Auburn United Methodist Church (AUMC). You may

include the coordinating ministry or agency such as SIFAT (Servants in Faith and Technology) and UMVIM (United Methodist Volunteers in Mission) etc., but the local church is the sending body inaccordance with Acts 13:1-3.

B.The Letter should indicate that the participant is raising support for the entire mission team of which they are a part.

C.Letters should be reviewed and approved by the Team Leader before being sent.

D.Letters should not be sent to members of AUMC unless the recipient requests a letter from

the participant or the recipient is a member of the participant’s family. Our reason for this

is two-fold:

1. To prevent overwhelming the congregation with requests for financial support

from our teams.

2. To use the support raising process as an outreach to family and friends.

E.Parents must be involved in sending out support letters of their children.

F.The recipients of support lettersshould be from that group of people who would logically

receivea Christmas card or a wedding invitation for the children in the family.

G.Contribution Guidelines included in each letter:

1. Checks should be made out to Auburn United Methodist Church Missions or AUMC Missions, with trip and missionary name marked clearly on the memo line.

Ex: Bolivia, Keith Foster

2. Donations may also be made online. Include our website, in your letter. Then direct family and friends to the missions tab, mission donations, and they can follow the online directions from there. It is important to include the missioners name in the memo field for online gifts.

3. All checks should be sent directly to Auburn United Methodist Church. An

addressed envelope should be sent out with each letter using this address:

Auburn United Methodist Church c/o Mission Ministry

P.O. Box 3135

Auburn, AL 36831-3135

4.Upon request, AUMC will provide participants with the total amount of support the individualhas raised and a list of donors who contributed to their support in order to write thank you notes, which are encouraged.

H.If a team member must remove themselves from a mission trip due to health issues, family issues or other appropriate reasons (must be approved by team leader and WAM), any payments they have made, above the expenses incurred by AUMC at that time, may be applied to a future mission trip. For example: If a team member must drop out after airline tickets have been purchased, but another member is added to go in their place, then the only expense the church would incur is the cost to change the name of the airfare ticket, which would be deducted from the amount the participant had paid (or had donated) and the remaining amount may be applied to a future trip in which the member desires to participate. Likewise, if the church is not able to utilize the airfare ticket then the member with be responsible for this expense the church incurs for the full amount of the ticket which will be deducted from any payments/donations received prior to calculating any remaining amount which may be applied to a future trip. Due to the charitable contribution nature of mission payments/donations, no payments or donations are refundable, except under the rare situation that AUMC is responsible for cancelling a trip, thus not fulfilling their obligation in which the payment/donation was given. If the team member withdraws for an unapproved reason, as determined by WAM, the mission committee reserves the right to not apply any of the member’s payments/donations to future trips.

January 2013