Friends,
The Alabama-West Florida Conference is excited to join other annual conferences within our connection and announce the 2014 Imagine No Malaria campaign to save lives. Imagine No Malaria is an effort of The United Methodist Church to eliminate malaria deaths in Africa by 2015. Achieving this goal will require a comprehensive approach to fighting this disease, on a larger scale than all previous efforts. To truly overcome malaria we must continue to support the most effective prevention methods, but also improve education about the disease, help establish community-based malaria control programs, conduct communications outreach through radio, and revitalize hospitals and clinics to improve treatment across the African continent.
Our conference has a goal of saving 100,000 lives, or raising over one million dollars. Just $10 saves one life! To achieve this goal, we have divided up the commitment among our eight districts. The goals are as follows:
Baypines District: 10,000 lives
Demopolis District: 5,000 lives
Dothan District: 14,000 lives
Marianna-Panama City District: 10,000 lives
Montgomery-Opelika District: 18,000 lives
Montgomery-Prattville District: 12,000 lives
Mobile District: 10,000 lives
Pensacola District: 21,000 lives
Each district has formed a leadership team to help promote this campaign. These teams have identified specific events and ideas to reach persons within your district. Please watch for more information from your district about how you can be involved and the timeframe for your district campaign. This campaign is not limited to United Methodists. Feel free to explore giving options through local businesses, schools, and leaders in your area.
Many resources are available both through our conference website and through www.imaginenomalaria.org. Please visit these sites and find the best communication tools for your local church. Should you need a specific resource not available on these two sites, please contact marycatherine@awfumc.org or 334.356.8014 about your specific communication request.
Your church may send its collective totals by check to the conference fiscal office or they may be submitted online. If submitted online, please make sure you utilize the AWF Imagine No Malaria donate link so that your local church receives credit. Individuals may donate through imaginenomalaria.org but we have no way to track the giving. The AWF link will have a way to credit churches for individual giving.
The deadline for this campaign is June 1 during the Opening Worship service of 2014 Annual Conference. Because this is a significant priority to the Alabama-West Florida Conference, this will also be the missional offering at annual conference.
Imagine No Malaria is an extraordinary effort of the people of The United Methodist Church, putting our faith into action to end preventable deaths by malaria in Africa, especially the death of a child or a mother. Please join us and help our conference have 100% participation from every church. We thank God for the work you do for His Kingdom and for His people.
In Deep Appreciation,
Bishop Paul L. Leeland
Resident Bishop
Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church
