MISSIONS CELEBRATION WEEKEND
Across the Street ~ Around the World
2025 Faith Promise
HANDS-ON SERVICE PROJECTS
Serving Our Mission Partners
Saturday, March 1
Magnolia Ministries
Make women's hygiene kits to hand out for street ministry
Habitat for Humanity in Loudon County
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Paint at a Habitat house
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Organize donations at the Habitat ReStore
Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries (KARM)
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Make blessing cards
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At KARM in Knoxville: Serve snacks and drinks, pray over beds
Cold Hands ~ Warm Hearts
Prepare and/or serve meals for those in need in Lenoir City
The Good Samaritan Center of Lenoir City
Organize, pack and deliver donated items from food drive
Blessing Bags ~ Central UMC
Assemble bags that Central members can use to bless people in need
UTK Wesley Foundation
Bake cookies for college students and outreach
Keynote Speaker
Bishop Richard Looney
Bishop Looney is a master storyteller. He has preached all around the world and been involved in missions in Peru, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Bishop Looney was elected Bishop in 1988 and served the South Georgia Conference from 1988-2000 until he retired. He’s the Episcopal Director Emeritus of the Foundation on Evangelism, Lake Junaluska, NC. He is also author of “The Fun of Being Looney,” which is available on Amazon. We look forward to his message!
MISSION PARTNERS
Sunday, March 1 // 9:30am
choose two 20-minute presentations
LAUR LILLEOJA // TAAVI HOLMAN
Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary (BMTS)
In Eastern Europe, the Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary (BMTS) trains pastors by supporting the Methodist Seminary. On Sunday, March 2 we’ll have a live Zoom call with leaders from BMTS to give us an update on their work and ministry.
MARY BRIGGS
UT Welsey Foundation
The Wesley Foundation at the University of Tennessee strives to be an open, diverse Christian community, promoting spiritual growth and extending God’s love on campus.
AMANDA FRANGU
Habitat for Humnaity
One of our long-time mission partners, Loudon County Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope. As a nonprofit, Christian housing ministry, they work to eliminate poverty housing in Loudon County.
MICHELLE GARCIA // STEVE RODIER
"How Mission Work Changes You" (Africa Missions)
Join Michelle and Steve as they share about their trips to Africa and how God worked in them creating change in their lives as well as the lives of those they served.
MARK ROBERTS
Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries (KARM)
Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries works to restore lives of our homeless neighbors through Christ-centered support.
DAVE HENDERSON
UMCOR US Disaster Relief
When responding to a disaster in the United States, UMCOR provides training, financial assistance, expertise, and community collaboration to churches and partners making them more resilient to disasters.
WILL BOGGS
Magnolia Ministries
Magnolia Ministries seeks to build relationships and serve vulnerable and exploited women in East Knoxville. The Magnolia Womens Center is a space where women in our community can come to have their basic needs met, build community and start thinking about taking tangible steps forward.
FAITH PROMISE MISSION FOR GIVING
At Central UMC, we recognize and accept our role in spreading the gospel and love of Jesus Christ across the street and around the world. Over the last 30 years, many congregations have moved to Faith Promise Giving for Missions. In other words, they have taken their giving for missions out of their operating budgets. Why? Three reasons:
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Often when times were tough financially in the life of the church, often mission line items were reduced.
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Churches wanted their mission efforts to be more relational than simply a line item in the budget.
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Many attendees wanted to give to missions above their current level of giving.
The Faith Promise Missions Budget is funded by money given through the Faith Promise gifts made each year during our annual Missions Celebration. Many congregations have found that more laity have enjoyed increased excitement and involvement in missions through Faith Promise Giving.
What is Faith Promise Giving?
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A Faith Promise is simply a covenant between God and you. “I promise to trust God to give me ‘extra money’ that I can direct to missionary causes.” In a sense, you are simply making yourself a channel through which God can send money to missions. You dare to let God use your faith and your life to bless others on the mission field.
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Faith Promises do not tie to the church budget. This is entirely “extra” giving. “I have made a pledge to our church which I intend to keep, but this is over and above that. I am not taking money away from the church budget to give to missions. I am trusting God for extra money for missions.
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Faith Promise is very personal. It is not a pledge. There will be no names on either sections of the card. You will never be asked for your Faith Promise gift. If you make a gift by check or offering envelope and mark it Faith Promise of course you will see that amount show up on your giving statement as Faith Promise for Missions.
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Faith Promise is a means of growing in faith. When you see how God works in this venture of faith, you learn to trust Him even more in ALL areas of your life.
“...and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth” - Acts 1.8
