Advance program has new look for 60th birthday
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The Advance for Christ and His Church, the
designated mission giving program of The United Methodist Church, has
helped people worldwide during the past 60 years, including recovery
assistance in Banda Aceh following the 2004 tsunami.
A UMNS file photo by Mike DuBose.
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By Elliott Wright*
Oct. 22, 2007 | NEW YORK (UMNS)
The Advance for Christ and His Church, the designated mission
giving program of The United Methodist Church, has a new structure and
staff and will have a new look in coming months.
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Shawn Bakker
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"We have gathered a strong, talented professional team that can build on
the rich history of the Advance while positioning us for bold new
steps," said Shawn Bakker, who became director of the almost 60-year-old
program in 2006.
The Advance is the "second-mile" giving channel for mission, meaning
giving beyond mission support that comes from congregational
apportionments. It includes disaster relief through the United Methodist
Committee on Relief, supplementary support for missionaries, and
ministries in evangelism, church development and human services around
the world. The Advance is lodged within the United Methodist Board of
Global Ministries.
In a typical year, the Advance receives between $30 million and $35
million for missions, and the number goes much higher when catastrophic
natural disasters occur. However, giving through the Advance is not
keeping pace with mission needs.
A revised structure designed to strengthen Advance operations and
increase income was approved a year ago by the Advance Committee. One
major change replaces field offices in each of the denomination's five
U.S. jurisdictions with direct links to the annual (regional)
conferences. The new arrangement follows recommendations made by a study
that included many segments of the church.
"Our new staff team represents a new structure of accountability
designed to improve internal communication and fortify relationships
with the broad mission constituency," Bakker explained.
She and the Rev. Christopher Heckert, the executive in charge of
marketing and promotion, are working with United Methodist
Communications to develop a visual identity that will carry the Advance
into the future.
Birthday observance
The United Methodist Church will observe the Advance's 60th
anniversary in 2008. Plans are under way to introduce a new logo,
promotional materials and a Web site at the 2008 General Conference
April 23-May 2 in Fort Worth, Texas.
 A
15-minute presentation will highlight the role of the Advance in
mission over the past six decades. It will use video and first-person
stories about lives changed by Advance-supported projects around the
world. Following the General Conference, a year-long celebration will
take the Advance anniversary into annual conferences, district mission
events and congregations.
Advance projects are selected through a review process that includes
approval of the bishop of the area where the applicant is located.
Advance income reached $120 million — its highest level —
in 2005 with record giving in response to the killer tsunami in South
Asia and the devastation of the hurricanes along the Gulf Coast in the
United States.
"We are not looking for a repeat of 2005 with regard to the reasons
for the outpouring of support, but we are hoping for significant
increases in voluntary, designated mission giving," said Heckert.
Contributions through the Advance can be made through congregations,
online giving or by mail. Each Advance project is assigned a number that
can be located online at http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/advance/donate_select_project.cfm.
*Wright is the information officer for the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.
News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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