SUPPORT. Overcoming hurdles Those mountains are not as big as they seem, we just need to keep our hearts focused. Page 4

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1 SUPPORT g e t t i n g S e n t Why raise support? Find out why Project is funded by support from both a ministry and a Biblical perspective. Page 2 Overcoming hurdles Those mountains are not as big as they seem, we just need to keep our hearts focused. Page 4 Brainstorming The goal is simple: remember the name of every person you have ever met. Page 6 Popping the question The point of all of this is asking people to be a part of what God is doing. Page 10 I HAVE TO DO WHAT?! So you ve decided to spend the summer in southern Africa serving the Kingdom, and you re realizing that raising support may pose a bit of a challenge. No worries. Most, if not all, other missionaries have felt the way you do now. The trick is in not allowing that fear and anxiety to keep you from fulfilling the call that the Lord has placed in your heart. There are a few support raising questions that are common to almost all missionaries. Is it okay to ask others to support me? Am I worthy to receive support from others? Is it even Biblical to ask others for support? How is this going to affect my relationships and what on Earth am I going to tell my parents? And the list goes on and on. If you find yourself asking these kinds of questions, then you re in good company. Elijah, Paul, the disciples, Jesus, even Matt Carpenter all raised support, and all asked those questions... Jesus may have been the exception to the asking questions part, he was omnipotent after all. The bottom line is this... If the Lord has called you to go to Africa, then He has also called people to send you. Your job is not to convince people to give you money, it is to find the people God has called to send you. The process of finding those people is called raising support. Over the course of the next few pages we re going to look at some of the common questions asked about raising support, we ll talk about the Biblical basis for being supported by others, and we ll walk through all of the processes involved with building a support team. Get ready... Project starts now! How will they... How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! - Romans 10: 14-15! 1

2 Project 222 WH Y RA IS E S UP P O RT? Support Raising is a Ministry Before we go any further, let s get something straight... raising support is about much more than money. In asking someone to join your support team, you ask them to partner with you in reaching the mission field that the Father is sending you to. Seen that way, building a support team is just as much a ministry as your outreach. Consider this... In Romans 10 (see the inset on page 1) Paul is describing what it takes to reach people with the gospel and he talks about two different groups: those who go, and those who send. What he explains is that there is a partnership that exists between those who do the work of the ministry and those who enable them, and that both groups have to be doing their part in order for ministry to happen. Each and every believer is called to play a role in God s command for us to make disciples of all nations. By asking others to send you, you are presenting them with an opportunity to play a part in fulfilling the Great Commission. What does it look like to send someone? Sending is, in a nutshell, enabling someone to do ministry by supporting them with prayer, finances, and other resources. You ll notice that prayer is the first thing on that list. This is because prayer has to be the foundation of any missionary endeavor and your supporters will make up the core of our prayer team while we are overseas. Before your budget is raised it seems like it would be so much easier to work and save for a year in order to get to Africa. The thing that is missing in that mind set is that finances are a relatively small part of support raising. At this point, there are 50 people who have a vision and are invested in God s dreams for southern Africa. If each person on the team finds forty people to send them, there are an additional 2,000 people who are a part of Project 222. That s the heart we need to hang on to as we begin building our support team. We are not simply looking for money, we are looking for people to be a part of what the Father is going to do in Africa. Think through these questions: How do you expect God to stretch your faith through support raising? How do you see support raising as a privilege? As a ministry? How can God use you to call others to missions? What are some of the attitudes that might hinder your support raising? People Need to Give: To be obedient... To be blessed... To be a part... The Father has asked all of us to give and The Word says that it is better to give than Remember that asking someone for support be generous with our finances and other to receive, and that those who give will be is inviting them to be a part in God s plan resources. Raising support offers people an blessed in return. The people you know for reaching the nations. It s a good plan opportunity to faithfully sow into the need to experience God s faithfulness and and everyone needs to be a part of it. kingdom of God. provision for those who give.!2

3 WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? The Old Testament Pattern Numbers 18: the Lord said to Aaron, You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the israelites. I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting. From now on the Israelites must not go near the Tent of Meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die. It is the Levites who are to do the work at the Tent of meeting and bear the responsibility for offenses against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites. Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord that is why I said concerning them: They will have no inheritance among the Israelites. God has just finished dividing up the promised land among the 12 tribes of Israel. Eleven of the tribes were given land and a trade to earn a living with. The twelfth tribe, the Levites, was not given any land. Instead, they were to do the work of the ministry and would be supported by the tithes of the other eleven tribes. Elijah Raised Support 1 Kings 17: Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to [Elijah]: Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in the place to supply you with food. So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink? As she was going to get it, he called, And bring me, please, a piece of bread. As surely as the Lord your God lives, she replied, I don t have any bread - only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die. Elijah said to her, Don t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land. She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food everyday for Elijah and for the woman and her family. The jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah. The New Testament Pattern Luke 8: After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. Here s something to think about... In Matthew 17: 24-27, Jesus miraculously caused a fish to cough up a few coins to pay for taxes. So, he could have miraculously produced money to meet any need. However, Jesus thought it was better to partner with people. Paul Raised Support 1 Corinthians 9: Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who sit in judgement on me. Don t we have the right to food and drink? Don t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord s brothers and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living? Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn t the Law say the same things? For it is written in the Law of Moses: Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn t we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. Don t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the alter share in what is offered on the alter? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. 3!

4 BUT WHO AM I? 99% of support raising is mental and spiritual. Start praying now and begin speaking these things over yourself: Man is not my provider, God is. If he has called me to go, then he has called people to send me. But Who Am I? In looking at the long heritage of support raising, it is easy to question our own worthiness to step into that tradition. The thing to remember is that on multiple levels, it is not about you. All of Project boils down to one thing; raising support, prayer in the mornings, discipleship, evangelism, humanitarian aid, soccer camps, teaching english... it s all about one thing. God s kids being closer to their Father. In raising support, you are not asking for yourself, you are asking for them because the Father has asked you to go and tell them about Him. The people who give to you do so because they believe in you, but more importantly because they believe in what God can do in the lives of those kids through you. The months before we leave for Africa are an amazing time of preparation, and raising support plays a very significant role in that process. The Father will use this time to build your faith in ways that you can t even imagine right now. Remember that he didn t ask you to go on Project because you are ready, or because you know everything that you need to know. Throughout the Word, the Father calls people based on their willingness, and once they have taken steps of obedience, he provides in all of the places where they are lacking. Asking for support is that first step of obedience and as you see him provide, he will increase your faith so that you can follow him in more difficult things. The Father is going to do amazing things through us this summer, not because of who we are, but because of who he is. So, what is the answer to the question, who am I? The answer is that it s okay if you re not worthy, it s not about you. Relational Support Raising There is a special bond forever between you and the person who gave to you. You care about him and you pray for him in a different way than you pray for those who have never given to you personally. You will also naturally want to share news with him about your ministry, reporting on what his gift has done in the work of the Lord. All these things happen because of God s method of our giving to one another in the Body of Christ. Because every ministry needs money, He has guaranteed that we will always need each other and will always be working on our relationships. At the same time the ministries needs will be met, people with jobs in cities and towns will have their personal vision enlarged and will come to see the world as God does - all because of their giving and the reports they get back from there personal representatives out there. And prayer will go up on all sides, doing the work of spiritual warfare that is necessary for anything to be accomplished. None of this would happen if we didn t depend upon money, and people giving money, to keep the work of God going. Missionaries need more than money. They need people backing them up, praying for the extension of God s kingdom, engaging with them in spiritual warfare through giving and intercession. - Loren Cunningham! 4

5 OVERCOMING THE OBSTACLES I don t know people who can give. One day, Jesus told a story about a very poor woman who gave a significant part of her income in an offering. His point to the disciples was that this woman gave less than some of the rich folk in the church, but that she gave everything she had. What we should notice is that it would have been easy for the disciples to look at her and say that she had nothing to offer. The truth of that situation though, was that she needed to give, and that they needed what she had to offer. Don t be quick to judge whether or not someone else can give. For one, small gifts add up. Secondly, people need to give regardless of how much they have. Third, you ll be surprised by who will give and who will not... their income is rarely the deciding factor. Ugh, do I really have to ask for money? Yes, you do. Our American mentality says that I should provide for myself, work hard and make my own way, earn what I have and not allow myself to be dependent on anyone else. The pattern of God s kingdom is that we are all interconnected, reliant on each other, and ultimately dependent on God. Part of the character building nature of support raising is that it requires us to ask God to break our pride and self dependence. If pride is a struggle for you, begin asking the Father to teach you to depend on him instead of on yourself. If the issue is one of trust, ask him to teach you what it is to trust him for provision. Both of those are lessons we learn through experience and God is a faithful teacher. Pray, then pray, then pray some more. Every step of Project must be saturated in prayer. Every week, we ll spend about an hour praying together as a team. Prayer will be a core part of our team times in Africa, and there will be people praying for us the entire time we are gone. Support raising is not an exception to that rule. Pray as you prepare your heart, while you re brainstorming names, before you write your letter, when you send your letter, before you make phone calls, and before you meet with people or make church presentations. You should also pray for your supporters, asking God to bless them for their sacrifices. It can be done! The prospect of raising support can be intimidating, but it doesn t have to be. The most important thing is keeping your mind and your heart focused. Remember why you are raising support, and remember what support raising is, and what it is not. Pray at every step and allow the team to be a resource. Man is not your provider, God is. If he has called you to go then he has called people to send you; you just have to find them. Remember also that you ve got five full time missionaries at your disposal. Every person on the staff team lives on support... we do for a living what you are doing for a month. There are parts of it that are difficult, but I will tell you this also: there is nothing more encouraging than to sit across the table from someone, share your vision with her, and have her respond with, I believe in that vision and in you, and I would love to be a part of what God is doing. That s what support raising is... finding people who want to be a part of what the Father is doing.! 5

6 BRAINSTORMING Who are your potential support team members? Okay, now it s time to start thinking about every person you have ever met. Use the next few pages to brainstorm names, asking the question Who do I know? You don t get to be the judge of whether or not they will give.. that s between them and God. At this point you are just thinking about anyone who might possibly be interested in what you are doing this summer... aka, everyone you have ever met. Close Friends: Friends from Your Current Church:! 6

7 MORE BRAINSTORMING Friends from Your Previous Churches: Relatives and Family Friends: College and High School Friends:! 7

8 STILL BRAINSTORMING People You Have Ministered to: Friends from Sporting and Social Events: People You Have Worked With or For:! 8

9 YES,STILL BRAINSTORMING Service People (Doctors, Dentists, the Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker): People You Don t Know, But Who Care About Africa: People Who Don t Fit in a Category But Are Still Important:! 9

10 Project 222 NO W IT S T IM E TO ASK The Letter The next step is to write a letter that you will send to your potential supporters. This letter should communicate 3 things: the problem that exists in Africa, what God is asking you to do about it, and what they can do to help. It should be concise, not more than a page, and free from grammatical and spelling mistakes. Before you send your letter out, have several people read over it and offer feedback on both content and style. There is a sample letter on the website that you can use as a model. Use it as a model, don t just copy and paste. Basic Outline 1st Paragraph: short section that is personalized for each letter. Relate to him personally and catch him up on what s going on in your life. This will vary depending on who the receiver is and how often you see him. 2nd Paragraph: communicate the heart and vision of Project and why you feel that God is calling you to be a part of it. 3rd Paragraph: describe what you need in order to go on Project and explain what he can do to help, specifically asking for prayer and financial support. Thank you for your time... God bless you, sign your name Sample letters, mailing label templates, the Project video and the Project packet are all available on the web site. The staff is also available as a resource if you need more help. Adding a Human Touch What can you do to separate your letter from the rest? First, handwrite the address on your envelopes. This will make your letter stand out in a stack of mail. Second, type the name of each recipient in the Dear... line. Never address letters to Sir or Madam or To Whom It May Concern. DO NOT handwrite the name at the top of a letter, it looks sloppy. Third, handwrite a short P.S. Anything you can do to personalize a letter will help it stand out, and will communicate value to each person you ask for support. 1! 0

11 MUST HAVE FYI Donation Specifics Make it as easy as possible for supporters to send money by enclosing a self-addressed envelope and a slip with donation specifics in your letter. There is a template for these slips on the website, but here s the info supporters will need to know: Make checks payable to Deep Well Campus Ministries. Your name should be written on a post-it enclosed with the check. Your name should not appear anywhere on the check. All donations are tax deductible. Checks should be mailed to: Deep Well Ministries c/o Your Name PO Box Conway, AR Checks must be turned in to Chi Alpha. Never, never, never deposit a support check into your personal account. 5 Min. Church Presentation Opening... Who are you? Where are you going? - 15 sec Why?... Paint a picture of the need that exists in southern Africa. What s going on? Why should we care? min How?... Share the dream of what you hope to see God do. What is your part? What is their part? - 2 min Closing... End with a vision statement that connects them with the heart of your mission. What if God...? - 10 sec Carefully think through what you want to communicate, dress appropriately, practice, and make sure videos work ahead of time. Most importantly... honor the time that the pastor has given you. If he says you can have five minutes, use four and a half. Do not go over your time allotment. Sample Thank You Note Dear Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, February 8, 2015 Thank you so much for joining my support team. You have no idea what it means to me that you believe in me and in the vision that God is calling us to. As a prayer and financial supporter, you are a vital part of what God is going to do in Africa this summer. When you hear stories about what the Father has done, realize that none of those lives could have been changed without you and your commitment to spreading the gospel. Thanks again, and may God bless you and your family. Together in Christ, (sign your name) Make sure and send your thank you notes within 48 hours of receiving support. Handwrite and personalize them. Thank you notes are an absolute must. Many of your supporters will be giving to missions for the first time and you have the opportunity to make giving to a missionary either a positive, fulfilling experience, or a negative one. Support Tracking You will need to come up with a system for keeping track of your support for two reasons. One, because you need to know who you ve sent letters to, who has responded, who you ve sent thank you notes to, etc. Secondly, Hannah is good, but she s not perfect. Keeping track of your own support will help us catch the occasional mistake more quickly. All support should be mailed to the PO Box, or turned into the staff. Once a week, a deposit will be made and we ll send you an if you received support. You should be keeping track of: supporter names, addresses, phone numbers, when you sent a letter, when and how much support you received, and when you sent a thank you note. If there are people who do not respond to your initial letter, you will also want to keep track of when you made follow up calls. Use any method that works for you to track your support. Something as simple as a chart or as complex as a binder with sections and color coding will work. There is a chart available on the website with the other templates.! 11

12 GOD IS OUR PROVIDER All or None At what point do we become a team and start Project? Well, I guess that depends in part, on your definition of team. It s easy to have a group of individuals who are working toward a common goal but are looking out for themselves. That is not a team. When the hearts of those individuals shift to a place where that group is a unit in which everybody succeeds or everybody fails together, then it is a team. Project has already begun, and we are already a team. We each need to do our part in making Project happen, but we succeed as a team. When you consider raising support for this trip, you are not raising $4, we are raising $200,000. We are not just trusting God to provide for individuals, we are trusting him to provide for the team. There will be fundraisers, and many of us will be able to raise more than our share. When you think about what your role in those places needs to be, remember that we are a team and that this is the first thing that the Father has asked us to do together. The Most Important Thing We want to reiterate that every step of this process has to be covered in prayer. Weekly team prayer is possibly the most important thing we do to prepare for Project and prayer has to play a part in every step of asking for God s provision, financial or otherwise. When he was created, Adam was given both free will and dominion over the Earth. Essentially, all powerful God tied his own hands and chose to act in the world through man. Through prayer, we invite God s presence into a situation and allow him to have influence. So, to an extent, God can only do and provide as much as we will ask him to. That s a pretty simplified explanation of prayer and how it relates to God s interaction with creation. The point though, is that the Father is ready to provide for every need that we have, but we have to be willing to ask for and receive that provision. Prayer is the vehicle that God uses to teach our hearts dependence on him, and prepare us to receive his provision. The single most powerful, productive thing we can do is pray. Financial Deadlines Deposit - $100 February 24- $700 March 10- $1,300 March 24 - $1,900 April 7 - $2,500 April 21 - $3,200 May 5 - $3,800 May 12 - $4,600 Remember that these dates are set so that we can meet our financial deadlines. Follow Up Is A Must When we return, a follow up letter is absolutely mandatory. Remember that your supporters haven t just given you money, they have partnered with you by investing in your ministry. They deserve and need to know about the fruit of that investment. Your follow up letters should be in the mail no later than two weeks after we get back. Make sure and include lots of pictures and tell stories about specific people and places. Also, consider sending supporters a postcard half way through the trip. Remember, this is your opportunity to make being a sender a positive experience for them.! 12