Live with Urgency Theme related

In keeping with the Live with Urgency theme, string fishing line or twine along one wall in the sanctuary. Obtain an image of an ambulance (from a magazine, the internet, etc) and cut out. Attach a plastic drinking straw to the back of the ambulance and feed the twine through it allowing the ambulance to slide. Above the twine place dollar amounts in increments from $0.00 to the church goal. Rick Clark, Waddy Kentucky

Using poster board, make a big clock with adjustable hands. Divide the church's goal by 12 and move the hands as each 1/12 of the offering goal is met. For example, if the church goal is $1200, move the hands for every $100 given. Delma Evans, Lewistown, MT.

Check Out The Change Jars
Click here to read how one RA group in Ohio leads its church to give more to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering.

RA Walk-A-Thon For Annie
Read how one RA group in Texas raised money for North American Missions.

Cleaning Up for Missions
Read how one family collects loose change to benefit missionaries all over the world.

Children in Action Turn Baked Goods into Offering
Read how a group of children made their own contribution to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering.

Bike-A-Thon For Annie
Read how one church group in Texas raised money. 

Penny Relay for AAEO
Click here for a fun way to get your church involved in giving to AAEO. 

Children and Youth participate in AAEO

Last year I made crosses out of paint sticks for our children's church. Each Sunday in March, the children brought quarters to tape on their crosses. On the Sunday we collected the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, they took their crosses to the morning worship service and placed them in a basket. Also, the teenagers in the church had longstem roses available for Valentine's Day. For donations of $3, our church members received a rose for their sweetheart on Valentine's Day.

Charlotte Alford
New Haven Baptist Church
Oneida, TN

Angel Remembrance Tree

Our church members may give their AAEO in the usual envelopes or they can choose to give to the AAEO by purchasing a crocheted angel or silk rose in honor of a living person or in memory of a deceased person. These are tagged with the name of the remembered person and placed on an artificial Christmas tree, which we call an Angel Remembrance tree. It is put up the first Sunday of March and remains up until the first Sunday of April. The angels and roses come in different donation amounts. The tree remains up for five weeks and on the last Sunday, sponsors may take their angel or rose home. Each Sunday School class is also "adopting" a missionary family to pray for during the five weeks, both as a class and individually at home. 

East Tallassee Baptist Church 
Tallassee, Ala.

Valentine Bag Project for Annie Armstrong

Each year for a number of years now our Acteens have sponsored a "Valentine Bag" fund raiser. About a month before Valentine's Day they start taking orders from church members for the Valentine's treat bags that are distributed at the beginning of Sunday School on the Sunday before Valentine's Day. These are the small treat bags filled with bite sized chocolates and other small candies, tied with a ribbon and a heart shaped "To/From" tag attached. Members may purchase the bags for $1.50 each (amount, of course, being whatever your church decides upon) and it may be done secretively so that the receiver will be surprised. Members may order as many as they like for their sweethearts, family, friends, their Sunday School or mission class or for anyone in the church. Some people even order Valentines for their school classes or grandchildren or others outside of the church. It's always been a successful fundraiser for our Annie Armstrong offering. 

Becky Powell 
Camps Creek Baptist Church 
Mooresboro, N.C. 

Easter Eggs Bank Idea 

• Print on all offering envelopes the words "Missions Savings Club," alongside any other special designations you include. People electing to give to the Missions Savings Club would check the appropriate box or space. 
• Encourage your people to give a small offering through the church each week to the Missions Savings Club in addition to their tithe.
• You may want to consider half of the year collecting toward the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, and half the year collecting toward the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
• Inform people periodically on what has been given toward your church's "Lottie" and "Annie" goals (make sure goal amounts are promoted at the first of each year).  

30 Pieces of Silver

Our Annie Armstrong Offering increased 300% this year [2000]. My name is Scott Baderman and I was recently appointed missions director at my church (Dale City Baptist Church, Dale City, Va.). We've never had what I consider a "great" missions emphasis at my church. We've always provided envelopes in the bulletin along with a quick announcement about the offering, but we decided that wasn't working well with our congregation. What our pastor suggested was to promote the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering as "30 Pieces of Silver." The title is to remind us of the payment that was made to Judas for betraying the Lord. It also is to remind us that we too have turned our back on the Lord (broke fellowship) many times in our life. What we were trying to emphasize is that we can bring this offering (30 pieces of silver) and give it back to the Lord. This, of course, is symbolic and we are not trying to say that giving money will bring you back in fellowship. We passed out cloth sacks to each family the last week in March (We even had little ones made up if they wanted their children to have their own). We told them to fill it up as they wish—with extra change, extra dollars, part of their allowance, whatever. Yes, you could also put checks in there. We asked them to continue to do this until Easter Sunday. During our Easter service, we had each family walk their sack up to the pulpit and drop it into a basket. The response was tremendous. People told us of how they used the sack in their home as a Bible study with their families for the month. The children were especially excited. All in all, it worked out wonderfully. People can put their name on a slip of paper and put inside the bag for donation receipt purposes. 

P.S. Ever since we have put more emphasis on missions, the Lord has increased our weekly attendance by 100 people in the last 12 months (something to think about).  

Special Offering Time In Service

At our church, the WMU passed out zip top bags with our goal for the church on them. Then, on Easter Sunday, at a special offering time, these bags are hung on a cross that has been prepared for this purpose. The cross was built by our men and nails are all over the cross. Our bags are hung on these nails. 

Linda Bruce, WMU Director
Southside Baptist Church
Lakeland, GA