Global Mission Grants Cover Four United Methodist Priorities

By Elliott Wright, GBGM
More than $1.8 million in "mission opportunity grants" were approved or confirmed by directors of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries at their annual meeting in Stamford, Connecticut, in mid-October.
In addition, almost $400,000 in new grants was approved for projects in Africa and Armenia related to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).
The mission opportunity grants were for the first time organized around the denomination's current focus areas (priorities): congregational development, leadership development, ministry with the poor, and global health.
Largest of the allocations, a total of $821,037, representing four grants, one under each of the focus areas, subsidizes the modest salaries of mission personnel hired by mission partner organizations around the world. Many of these partners are regional units of the denomination outside the United States. Of these mission stipends, $365,663 are for persons engaged in congregational development, $202,730 for leadership, $86,694 for ministry with the poor, and $65,950 for health ministries.
The sum of $214,000 from special endowed funds was approved professional health education for members of racial and ethnic groups in the United States. A large part of these funds come from the Harry R. Kendall Fund.
Mission opportunity grants were not as numerous as in some former years because of reduced revenues both from contributions and from investments. The financial report approved by directors shows operating revenue receipts for the first eight months of 2009 at $34.9 million, compared to $39.1 million at the same point in 2008.