The Patriarch’s All Saints’ Mission Offering Letter

Every year the churches throughout the CEC take up an offering on All Saints’ Day to support International Missions.  This year, Church of the Messiah will collect the All Saints’ Mission Offering on Sunday, November 3rd.  Please read the following message from our Patriarch Archbishop Craig Bates.

Since the early days of the Charismatic Episcopal Church, we have taken an annual offering to support international missions.  Over the years, this money has supported numerous projects and missions, including equipping the church in developing nations in becoming the three streams.  After several years, we have been led to assist the church in Africa in becoming self-sufficient.  This led us to develop micro-businesses in various regions and financially support a multitude of projects.

The generous offerings from people throughout the North American Church have built and supported cathedrals, churches, a seminary, schools, orphanages, and ministry to poor children.  This is in addition to the phenomenal work already done by our Diocese in Africa.  Not only does the work continue to be self-supported, but there will be additional projects that I will be able to see in my 2020 visit.

Perhaps the most exciting thing in the life of our communion is that I will install the first Kenyan CEC Archbishop in Kenya.  The Most Rev. Joshua Koyo will be installed during my visit in August 2020.  Bishop Koyo was one of the first CEC Bishops in Africa.  He is a holy man of God who has a heart not only for convergence but for bringing the Gospel to the least, lost and the lonely.  He is a man highly respected by his brother bishops, by area clergy, and by secular leaders.

Africa continues to have many difficulties.  There are civil wars, corruption, disease, lack of medical services, hunger, HIV/AIDS, child soldiers, and the ever-present danger of terrorism or war.  Our bishops and clergy are in the center of this.  They are where the conflicts and struggles are the most evident.  Many are struggling to spread their message without transportation, materials, adequate housing, and in some cases, food for their families.  Yet, they never complain.  They look to the Lord for Him to provide and rejoice in their relationship with the CEC.

These men are our brothers!

I pray that we can even be more generous than we have been in the past, If we can purchase some more fields for growing crops, more rice culling machines, pigs, cattle, and buildings to store the crops.  If we can expand our present micro-business, we will see a people who trust in God being able to feed their children physically and spiritually.

Join Cathy and me in giving the most generous amount you can imagine.  Every penny will go to ministry.  No money goes to administration or travel.  It goes directly to the ministry.

Be assured of my prayers.

Under His mercy,

+Craig W. Bates,Patriarch, ICCEC

 

For more information on the All Saints Mission and Development Offering, including how funds are spent and how much money has been received, visit the ICCEC Missions website by clicking HERE.  To watch a video on the All Saints Mission and Development Offering, click below.

The All Saints Offering for Mission and Development

Every year on the Sunday closest to All Saints’ Day, the Charismatic Episcopal Church takes a Missions and Development Offering.  This year we will take up the offering on November 5th.  CEC churches and individuals taken up the offering and then send it to the ICCEC offices in New York.  The funds are recorded online, so each Rector can see that their funds have been received and credited properly. The four General Secretaries in Africa are then given the amounts they can expect to receive.  Those bishops are:

-Bishop Gogo (Uganda, South Sudan and Southern Congo)
-Bishop Koyo (Kenya)
-Bishop Sekelwa (Tanzania)
-Bishop Emmanuel (Rwanda and Northern Congo)

80% of the moneys collected goes to start or reinvest in micro-businesses and 20% is designated for mercy needs (medical, disaster, refugee, food etc). The General Secretaries then account for last year’s funds and their successes and provide the plans for the upcoming year.

The reports of the previous year micro-business are posted on the CEC news website.

100% of the funds go to General Secretaries.  No part of the funds are used for travel or any administrative fees.  Any fees required to transfer funds are taken from the Patriarch’s office tithe, which goes to support missions.

The offerings are starting to bear fruit, by providing the local Bishops with their own funds to build churches, schools, buy transportation, and to create jobs.  They are becoming self-sufficient and standing on their own.

It is often said, “Give a man a fish and eats for a day, Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime,” but in Africa we must ask the question, what if the man has no fishing pole? Let us help provide the means to help them break the cycle of poverty and dependence.  Thank you.

You can make Donations and Offerings on-line by clicking HERE, by dropping a check marked “All Saints’ Offering” in the basket on Sunday, or you can send offerings directly to the Office of the Primate at Attn Missions. 50 Saint Thomas Pl, Malverne, NY 11565 (Check made out to “CEC”) or you can use a debit or credit card, see below.

The Patriarch Sends His All Saint’s Offering Letter

bishopEvery year on the Sunday closest to All Saints’ Day (November 1st), every church in the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church takes up an offering to support their primate’s office in various efforts.  In the North American Charismatic Episcopal Church, the House of Bishops decided that all of the money raised on All Saints’ Day would go to support international missionary work in Africa.  While a portion of the funds collected goes immediately to charitable relief, a large majority goes to the establishment of micro-businesses so that local churches can become self-sufficient.  The profits from these micro-businesses have aided local diocese in  water treatment for potable water, theological education of local clergy, and even construction of local places of worship.  You can see how recent All Saints’ Day collections have been distributed by clicking HERE and HERE.

The Patriarch’s letter reads, in part,

I have been in ministry long enough to have heard just about every excuse for not giving or not taking up an offering.  But those excuses are based on a faulty premise which is “when I get some extra money, I will give.”  Though that sounds good it is not in accordance with Biblical teaching.  Stewardship is not about giving in the future it is what we are doing with what we have right now.  It is in giving, that we receive.  In fact, it is more blessed to give than to receive.  And, if we give it will be given unto us.
When we take up the Mission Offering we are opening ourselves up to participation in something so much bigger than our local concerns or even our personal concerns.  We are able to sow seed into the advancement of God’s Kingdom around the world.  We are impacting the lives of thousands.
I know each of us wants to give.  Walk by faith.  Give from the heart.  Give in response to the Lord Holy Spirit asking us to give.  We can expect great things to happen.

 You can read his message in its entirety by clicking HERE.

At Church of the Messiah, we will do our part and take up the All Saints’ Day Offering this year on November 6th, however you can begin donating right away.  You may put an offering in the basket on Sunday marked “All Saints’ Offering” or you may give using any of our electronic methods by clicking HERE and selection “All Saints’ Offering from the drop-down menu.

Thank you for heeding the call and supporting this effort to reach out to our international brothers and sisters.  May God richly bless you.

The All Saints’ Day Mission and Development Offering Will Be Collected on November 1st

missionsoffering2015The All Saints’ Day Missions and Development Offering is less than two weeks away!  The year we will collect the offering on All Saints’ Day, November 1st.

The CEC Missions & Development Offering seeks to empower local leaders to provide for themselves. This year we have had great success with cattle fatten project, coffee grinding, banana plantation and a guest House in Sudan.  See more details at the ICCEC Missions Web Site.

The Program has two paths to help.

The first is to deal with the immediate needs of mercy and clean water. We designate 20% of funds from every donation to meet immediate needs and raise funds for clean water to stop the diseases stealing the children’s future.

The second is to build for the future.   80% of funds are designated to build for the future by building income producing micro-businesses that will allow the churches in Africa to support themselves, and decide their own future.

Immediate Response- Mercy and Clean Water
Faced with emergencies such as diseases, hunger, conflict, corruption we must provide those funds and tools that allow people to make it to tomorrow, while at the same time, working to make tomorrow better.  To that end we provide 20% of the funds raised to mercy missions and raise funds for clean water.

Lasting Change- Micro Businesses  Development project are about the long term change of the culture and environment.  To create local income producing businesses that allow the local churches to raise funds to build churches, schools, orphanages, clinics.  This allows the future of the churches to no longer be at the dependent on donors.  This builds stability into the future of the church in Africa.

Recent Project includes a Hostel in Southern Sudan, Cattle Fatten in Kenya and Tanzania, Carpentry and Furniture business in Rwanda and Burundi, a Banana Orchard and Coffee grinding and sales.

Please consider supporting these development and mercy projects and prayerfully consider your donations this All Saints’ Day, November 1st.