It was another successful year for Mission Ingathering, having received $570,837.95 in monetary and in-kind gifts from the
40th Ingathering on Saturday, November 2, 2019.
The Mission Ingathering Task Force met today at the Conference Center to review last year’s ingathering and make changes for 2020.
“We talked a lot about the changes in the kits that we will be requesting churches make for 2020,” said Judy Brotherton, Ingathering Secretary and Mount Pleasant Site Coordinator.
The task force also voted to discontinue sending kits created by churches to The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), and instead work solely with
Midwest Mission Distribution Center. Money can still be given directly to UMCOR or through the Conference Office from churches. Other projects supported by Ingathering include
Self Help International, Heifer International, Mobility Worldwide and Church World Service.
Midwest Mission has slightly different requirements for kits than UMCOR. One example is a one-handled sewn school bag and no plastic bags in the school kits. Brotherton added that all these changes will be posted in the Ingathering Booklet mailed to all churches, and
posted online, which the task force is in the process of proofreading.
More information will be released at a later date, but until then, Brotherton said that churches can begin to plan now.
“Pick a few of the kits that you think your church might like to do, make a sample of them, and then invite people to get together and put them together,” she said. “This year we had a group that weren't even all church members who got together and one night they cut out 100 school bags. Then another night sewed them together. It can be a really great thing for fellowship.”
The kits include personal dignity kits, layette kits, school kids and feminine hygiene kits.
Churches are also encouraged to partner with each other to share skills. A suggestion from the task force was to have a church that loves to sew partner with another congregation to purchase kit items and come together to package them.
The 41
st Mission Ingathering will be held Saturday, November 7, 2020. Brotherton encourages everyone to come and check out what’s happening that day, even if your church hasn’t assembled kits
“You might find you really like it, and you’ll be surprised how many people you will already know and the new people you will meet,” she said. “If you have even just one person who is really excited about Ingathering, it’s a great thing.”
