The red thumbtack pierced the map of France displayed on my fifth-grade Sunday School bulletin board precisely above the name MARSEILLE. A piece of yarn stretched from the tack to a black and white photo of a missionary family. France seemed so far removed from my northern Michigan church, but I prayed that my weekly coins would somehow help their ministry.

I continued this offering while earning perfect Sunday School attendance awards until, at age nineteen, God asked me be buy my first airline ticket with the $600 I had saved to purchase my dream spinet organ. This life-changing, summer experience in Marseille, France, is still blessing me. It introduced me to the power of collective ministry giving, including my small part.

Over sixty years ago, Louise Chapman, wife of General Superintendent Emeritus J.B. Chapman, challenged the Church of the Nazarene to increase missions giving to ten percent. From that great heritage and vision, the Church of the Nazarene developed one of the best systems for giving and mission delivery in the Christian world. The World Evangelism Fund, sometimes referenced as an allocation or budget, is really a “giving plan” that enables the Church of the Nazarene to deliver ministries to over 150 countries around the globe.

Is our World Evangelism “Giving Plan” a burden or blessing?

The president of Campus Crusade for Christ recently stated that their organization chose the Church of the Nazarene as their JESUS Film ministry partner because of the denomination’s premier delivery system—one of the best in the world. He is right—the World Evangelism Fund delivery system provides an opportunity for local churches to jointly take the gospel to the ends of the earth through JESUS Film evangelism presentations, child sponsorship, compassionate aid, discipleship, and youth outreach.

Our denomination is preparing for its 2008 Centennial Celebration. Significant change has occurred in 100 years. Through automation, technology, communication, and transportation advancements, the support systems have expanded and adapted to meet present and future needs. The World Evangelism Fund provides the current infrastructure that is vital to our ministries.

Is our “Delivery System” a burden or a blessing?

General Superintendents now minister in different parts of the world in the same week. A donor’s ministry gift is now sent from Hawaii through Kansas City to Africa within hours. Donor ministry gifts are electronically received and receipted for the designated purposes within minutes with 24/7 access. Our website, www.nazarane.org, connects the Nazarene family to current global information. Ministry partners from various parts of the globe meet together through video conferencing without leaving home. Missionaries, paid today in Kansas City, can immediately access their funds in Singapore. Multi-cultural churches of many languages are growing fast in the United States.

This global ministry network and infrastructure does not exist on its own. Its sustainability depends on the continual, generous partnership of local churches via the World Evangelism Fund Giving Plan, accomplishing together that which is impossible to do separately. It is the heartbeat of the entire denomination.

The crimson blood of our Lord Jesus pierced the globe with His redeeming love, right above your name and mine. Our vertical giving, our expression of thanks to God for this gift, will always be a blessing, never a burden

by Marilyn McCool
General Treasurer