Supporting a Missions Trip. The mere mention of all that’s involved leaves many people wanting to run the other direction. Despite the dread, it is a very real part of planning for a missions trip. For Melissa Alvarez, securing funds was part of the mission. She planned a silent auction to generate money and prayer support for a missions trip to Uganda.
When Melissa Alvarez, a mom of four in Huntersville, North Carolina, agreed to go on a missions trip to Uganda, she began thinking of ways to aquire the $4,000 needed for the trip. She sent letters to friends but also began to brainstorm other ways to secure support. She decided on a dessert and silent auction event and called it Journey to Uganda.
“The idea of the auction sort of happened by accident,” Alvarez said. When a friend who sells jewelry offered to have a party to help with the funds, she began to think there might be others who would not be able to give financially, but would have goods or services that they could donate.
“I sat down with my life group and told them my idea to have a big event, instead of a small party,” she said. “We would need a band, free of course, and a venue. There were 12 in my life group, and they all agreed that we could do it.” One member of the group knew of a location and offered to rent it as his contribution to Alvarez’s trip.
Alvarez and her team had to plan the event quickly. “The Big Red Barn (the venue) had one date, and it was only 12 days away!” She called on her small group to help. They immediately sent out invitations using Evite, an Internet invitation Web site, and spread the word about the event through Facebook.
“It was a really good way to tell people about the event,” she said. “We included pictures from Uganda. It really raised awareness. People who could not come prayed and sent contributions through the mail.”
She found a band that was willing to donate time, and recruited friends and church members to make desserts for the event. To raise awareness, the team showed a slideshow from a previous trip to Uganda and talked a little about what they planned to do on the trip. They also made prayer bracelets in the colors of the Ugandan flag to remind attendees to pray during the missions trip.
Alvarez has many tips for a successful support event:
Plan activities for the children. At the Journey to Uganda event, children were able to write letters and draw pictures for the children in Uganda.
Ask Sunday School classes or small groups to make baskets. “These groups are always looking for ways to be on mission,” Alvarez said. “Everyone can help a little and it is not so much on one person.”
If possible, auction a piece of artwork or framed photo from your destination. “An artist in California donated two beautiful prints of Uganda,” she said. “I had them framed, and they each sold for around $200.”
Secure donations for as many things as possible. At Journey to Uganda, church members donated food, balloons, flowers, the venue, and of course service helping at the event. Items in the auction included autographed NASCAR items, movie tickets, restaurant certificates, jewelry, and scrap-booking items.
Show your thankfulness by recognizing each gift in writing to the individual donor.
Think outside of the box. “In these economic times, you have to be creative,” Alvarez said.
Journey to Uganda was a success. Around 80 people attended, and Alvarez was able to receive all of the funds she needed for the trip and provide partial support for another team member’s trip. More importantly, she says, God used the auction to help her grow spiritually.
“The mission started when I chose to go,” she said. “God taught me a lot about trusting Him for the funds to go. If God wants you to be there, He will provide the funds!”
Jennifer Weaver is a wife, mom, and writer in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
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When Melissa Alvarez, a mom of four in Huntersville, North Carolina, agreed to go on a missions trip to Uganda, she began thinking of ways to aquire the $4,000 needed for the trip. She sent letters to friends but also began to brainstorm other ways to secure support. She decided on a dessert and silent auction event and called it Journey to Uganda. .jpg)
Jennifer Weaver is a wife, mom, and writer in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
