Did you know that Upper New York United Methodists gave well over a quarter of a million dollars in advance special offerings beyond their shared ministries last in 2017?  This was in addition to local & community gifts that weren't channeled through the conference office!  Over $300,000 went out to support hurricane relief and disaster response following hurricanes here in the US and around the world!  UMCOR Sunday (another avenue for disaster relief) raised around $50,000 from Upper NY United Methodists.  Also supported were United Methodist Missionaries, conference advance specials, local projects and district mission sites for a total of $840,795 at last accounting.

 

Was your local church among the many UNY congregations who went that second mile in their giving?  Did your church offer the opportunity to participate in the Special Sunday offerings established by the general church throughout the year?  Not every Special Sunday offering may appeal to every member, but by giving people an opportunity to give, they can make their own decisions on what special gifts they would like to offer.  Of course all second mile giving is intended to be just that - the second mile after you bring your tithes and offerings to God to support the ministry of your local church.  Likewise, second mile giving by the local church is meant to go beyond (not replace) your church's giving toward shared ministries which support the mission and ministry of the conference.