Give to Make a Difference Next Tuesday! #givingTuesday

By Marie Kuch-Stanovsky

Soon I will sit down to enjoy a delicious meal and cozy time with family. I will count my blessings and see the face of Christ reflected in my loved ones around the dinner table. But before the leftovers are cold, companies will be trying to convince me to run out and spend money. The shopping opportunities and incentive sales have their own days: Black Friday, Small-Business Saturday, Cyber Monday… I hear them mentioned all over the radio and television; see them on billboards and pop-up ads.

There is a reason that stores are particularly focused on our wallets this time of year. We are looking for ways to show our loved ones we care. It is the season of giving, and companies capitalize on our generosity by promoting consumerism.

This year, however, I am going to skip the others to focus on the latest edition to the post-turkey theme days: Giving Tuesday. The nonprofit world, including our own United Methodist Church, is hoping that you will set aside – or even prioritize – some of your spending money for a greater cause. The UMC will match the first $1 million* given through The Advance on #givingTuesday, offering an opportunity to maximize your impact.

I am called this holiday season to give the gift of hope and love by donating to UMC missions.  Next Tuesday, December 2, I invite you to join me in expressing gratitude through contributions to a better world.  We will be uniting with Methodists around the world to support a multitude of projects including Imagine No Malaria, UMCOR, and Jamaa Letu Orphanage.  More projects and missionaries can be found at umcmission.org/give.

Join me in participating in UMC #givingTuesday:

• Give to a project at umcmission.org/give
• Make a sign for your Advance project and take a #UNselfie like our UMC friends above. You can even use the same sign template if you want!  Post it to social media with the hashtag #givingTuesday, and challenge others to do the same.
• Tell your friends at church about #givingTuesday
• Ask loved ones to donate through The Advance in lieu of traditional gifts this Christmas

*Global Ministries will allocate the matching funds dollar for dollar up to the first $1 million in gifts to Advance projects received online on Dec. 2 between 12 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. EST. A maximum of $2,500 per individual gift to a project will be dispersed as matching funds. A project may receive a maximum of $25,000 in matching funds. – See more at: http://www.umcmission.org/Giving-Tuesday/Giving-Tuesday-Resources