North Georgia Netraisers: Sending Nets, Saving Lives
Scroll down to read stories of how North Georgia Churches and the North Georgia Conference are supporting the anti-malaria initiative Nothing But Nets. Then share stories from your church!
What has your church done to support Nothing But Nets? Do you have a creative or inspiring idea from a Sunday School Class, Vacation Bible School, or other church group that is supporting Nothing But Nets? How will your church raise money to make the pledge you made a Annual Conferece? We want to hear from you! Just e-mail sdavidson(at)ngumc.org.
A Bed Net and A Challenge from Jennifer Davis
Oak Grove UMC in Decatur involved children and adults in its Nothing But Nets campaign. During Vacation Bible School in June, Nothing But Nets was designated as the beneficiary of the children's offering. In August, when Bishop and Mrs. Davis were at Oak Grove, the congregation again lifted up the Nothing But Nets campaign.
In addition to showing a video about the mission, Mrs. Davis told the children the story of the Nothing But Nets campaign. She brought an actual net purchased by our gifts and placed the net over the children as they gathered for children's time. She provided each child a one dollar bill and asked them to raise another $9 or more from family and friends for the Nothing But Nets campaign. The children learned that a $10 net could save a life!
During children's time for each of the next two services, the children will be reminded of their promise to raise $9 more dollars. Meanwhile, a designated offering was received for the Nothing But Nets campaign. To date, Oak Grove has raised about $3,500 for Nothing But Nets!
"Show Me the Money to Save a Life"
Helen Boone, Children’s Minister at Wesley Chapel UMC in Villa Rica, chose Nothing But Nets as the mission project for Vacation Bible School. During VBS the children responded to the challenge and raised $100. On VBS Sunday church pastor Frank Boone explained the life saving ministry to the congregation and challenged them to “show me the money to save a life.”
The congregation held up the cash offering and the children collected the money and deposited it into a large net. By the end of the service the donation to Nothing But Nets was $400.
"It was a wonderful sight watching the children leading the congregation in this life saving ministry," wrote Frank Boone.
Exceeding Expectations
The Sunday following Annual Conference one of Glenn Memorial UMC's lay delegates told the congregation about the generosity that broke out in Athens, and about the $2,000 pledge to Nothing But Nets their pastor, David Jones, made on behalf of Glenn.
He explained the purpose of Nothing But Nets and then simply asked the congregation to give generously. The next Sunday the lay delegate stood before the congregation again and reported that they had given $3,751 to Nothing But Nets.
That's 186% of the pledge made on Glenn's behalf at Conference!
A Little Luck, A Little Skill and a Lot of Generosity
Nothing But Nets got an assist (or three) from Trinity UMC in Rome this year.
In a recent sermon, David Campbell told the story of the challenge issued by Jamie Jenkins to Bishop Davis at Annual Conference. "I was not trying to raise money," said David. "I was telling the story. (Our VBS was already planning on giving their offering to Nothing but Nets)."
As a result of that story, a Sunday school class made a similar challenge. They would make a pledge provided their pastor could hit a free throw.
Thanks to a little skill and a lot of generosity, that pledge plus the VBS donations raised over $1,500 dollars for Nothing But Nets!
That $1,500 is in addition to a fundraiser the church aready does each year around the NCAA Basketball tournament, "March Madness for Missions." A $20 contribution lets you fill out a bracket completely and turn it in. Every first round win gets one point, second round win gets two points, etc. After the championship game, the one with the most points wins. The winner gets their name on a plaque and bragging rights. The money goes for Nothing But Nets.
VBS Inspires Adults to Give Big
The mission project for VBS at Pine Log United Methodist Church was Nothing but Nets. VBS Director Nancy Stone announced the project at the closing on the first night and that gave the children four days to bring in their offerings. About 40 children brought in their change each night and raised $234!
The Sunday following VBS, church pastor Nathaniel Long challenged the congregation to match the children's contributions. Not only did that happen, but Pine Log collected $1,400 and is still getting donations.
"We are a small church and our delegates to conference did not make a big pledge from Pine Log because they did not feel we could meet it," wrote Nancy. "But we are still taking in donations and it was all inspired by the children of VBS who brought in their change. I am very proud of each child who attended Bible School and of our church for stepping up and giving to such a worthy cause. I will let you know when we get a final count."
Taking it in "Bits and Pieces"
Philadelphia UMC in the Atlanta-Decatur-Oxford District has a special offering the three Sundays preceding Palm Sunday each year that they call "Bits & Pieces." This year Michelle Brooks, the children's sermon presenter, gave the children plastic pint milk bottles and stickers and told the children to decorate them and then use them to collect "Bits & Pieces" (change or bills) for Nothing But Nets. She told the children about malaria and how $10 buys a net that protects a family of four for years.
Rev. Dan & Kathy Wilson's 6-year-old granddaughter, Savannah, was there that morning and after decorating her bottle she took it to her mother's and aunt's workplace, Moye's Pharmacy in Hampton. Savannah told her mother the Nothing But Nets story she had heard at church and they made a card to put with the bottle by the register in the pharmacy. She directed her mother and aunt to point it out to their customers. Savannah was at the store several days a week after school and she would tell customers about Nothing But Nets and ask them to donate.
Savannah raised $143 in that bottle! That's a lot of bits and pieces!
Working Together
Gary Glenn, a member of McEver Road UMC in Oakwood, read about Nothing But Nets in Sports Illustrated. The magazine is a founding partner of the anti-malaria initiative along with The United Methodist Church, the United Nations Foundation, and NBA Cares.
He asked his Sunday school class, the PAGES Class, to designate part of their weekly offering to the anti-malaria initiative and they agreed.
"We did this for a specific time period awhile back, and got a nice letter from the U.N.," Gary writes.
Lay Leader Lays Down the Challenge
Nanon Wiles, the Lay Leader and Lay Delegate to Annual Conference from Bethel/Morganton UMC in the Northwest District, spoke to her church June 22 and gave an Annual Conference report. At the end of her message she again mentioned "Nothing but Nets" and the spontaneous offering taken at Annual Conference. She stressed that $10 would save a life.
She laid a $10 bill on the communion table and challenged everyone to match her offering. Bethel/Morgantown UMC, with an avearage attence of 25 in worship, raised $200 that Sunday.
He Shoots ... And Nothing But Nets Scores
Excitement for Nothing But Nets ran high at the North Georgia Annual Conference session last week. It all started when the delegation to General Conference presented Bishop Lindsey Davis with a basketball and issued a friendly challenge. If Bishop Davis could shoot the ball into the basketball goal—which had just been rolled onto the floor — they would give $20 to Nothing But Nets. Soon people across the conference floor were waving cash in the air to match the challenge.
Bishop Davis stepped up to the free throw line and took his first shot. The ball bounced off the rim and onto the floor. He regrouped and shot again. Swoosh! This time the conference went wild. He sank the basket. Rev. Richard Winn of Ben Hill UMC stood up and made a $1,000 pledge from his church to Nothing But Nets. Inspired by his generosity, representatives from churches large and small began stepping up to the microphone to make pledges.
By the end of the week, the conference had collected more than $10,000 in cash and $115,500 in pledges for Nothing But Nets.
"Just Give What You Can And We'll Put It All Together"
Fifteen-year-old Chris Higgins is a big supporter of Nothing But Nets. He says he heard about the anti-malaria initiative from his dad, Rev. Jim Higgins, senior pastor of McEachern Memorial UMC (his mom, Pam Higgins, is in the executive administrative assistant in the Connectional Ministries Office).
Chris began promoting Nothing But Nets in his church youth choir. He collects donations every week and has even made a video on his home computer to show at youth choir practice to encourage other youth to give.
“I tell my friends, you don’t even have to give $10,” Chris said. “Whatever we give, we can put together and it all goes to nets.”
T-Shirts: Make a Statement and a Donation
Athens First United Methodist Church got involved with the Nothing But Nets program during their "Great Month of Service" (which included a Great Day of Service) last year.
“Every year we wear T-shirts and go out into the community,” said Carol Rymer, Director of Missions and Outreach at the church. “This year we wanted to add a global initiative, so we put the Nothing But Nets logo on our shirts and sold them for $15 or $20. That covered the cost of the shirt and we sent $10 per shirt to Nothing But Nets.”
For more information ...
Find out more about Nothing But Nets, plus download sermon starters, get a free poster, start a fund raising team, and more at www.nothingbutnets.net or www.umc.org/.