The United Methodist Church is called a connectional church because it shares its resources across all levels of the denomination to improve the lives of many through mission and justice work. So not only do offering plate dollars pay for the pastor and maintain the church, but those dollars help alleviate hunger, create jobs and conribute mightily to helping transform the world to look more like God's kingdom here on earth. General agencies such as United Methodist Committee on Relief are often in the front lines when disaster strikes in far away places.
A growing list of resources is available via links found on the left side column of this page in the Stewardship & Apportionment Interpretation section. The list will expand with Iowa-specific resources in the near future.