Church campaign sends phone cards to soldiers
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Children from St. Timothy on the North Shore United
Methodist Church of Mandeville, La., display handmade greeting cards
being sent to military personnel deployed to the Middle East. A UMNS
photo by Bill Householder.
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By Kathy L. Gilbert*
April 9, 2007
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The United Methodist Church launched the denominational phone card campaign on Veterans Day 2003. A UMNS photo.
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A United Methodist church more than 7,000 miles from the Middle East has
shortened the distance for U.S. soldiers there to call home and speak
with loved ones in the United States.
St. Timothy on the North Shore United Methodist Church of Mandeville,
La., collected $10,700 during a churchwide campaign in March that will
purchase 2,140 phone cards – almost triple its original goal.
Meanwhile, the children of the church made hundreds of greeting cards
to send to United Methodist military chaplains for distribution to
service members, along with the phone cards.
"This church has always been very supportive of our troops," said the
Rev. Scott Adams, executive pastor at St. Timothy and an Air Force
reserve chaplain.
"For service members, being able to call your family is a huge thing. It can make a world of difference in morale."
The United Methodist Endorsing Agency of the Board of Higher
Education and Ministry started the phone card campaign on Veterans Day
2003 to pay for long-distance telephone minutes to help military
families stay in touch with each other.
United Methodist Communications teamed with the endorsing agency in
2004 to design special phone cards featuring the United Methodist cross
and flame and the message "Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors. The
people of the United Methodist Church."
When soldiers use the cards, they hear a recorded prayer: "The people
of the United Methodist Church are praying for your safety and sense of
peace. Our hearts, our minds and our doors are always open to you."
Since 2003, more than 10 million minutes worth of phone cards have
been sent to United Methodist chaplains to give any soldier in need of a
kind word from home.
"For service members, being able to call your family is a huge thing. It can make a world of difference in morale."
–The Rev. Adam Scott
The 3,900-member St. Timothy congregation originally aimed to collect
enough money to purchase 835 cards, said Bill Householder, chair of the
church's mission team. A $5 donation buys one card with 120 minutes.
"The missions team decided in November 2006 to promote purchase of
phone cards for our service members and started to plan a program to
generate enthusiasm for the project that would involve all congregation
members," Householder said.
The team’s three-pronged plan included setting aside Sunday, March
11, to pay tribute to anyone in the congregation who was serving or had
served in the military; promoting the purchase of United Methodist phone
cards; and inviting children to make greeting cards.
"A key point was we had the support and encouragement of the church
ministerial staff," Householder said. "I was very excited and proud how
everything worked out. The missions team worked hard to make it
successful."
For more information on the phone card campaign, contact the United
Methodist Endorsing Agency, Board of Higher Education and Ministry, P.O.
Box 340007, Nashville, TN 37203-0007 or visit www.gbhem.org/chaplains. The agency also can be reached at umea@gbhem.org or (615) 340-7411.
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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