Every Child Ministries
Fall 2018
Why do we give?
( the answer may surprise you )
Greetings!

Have you ever wondered why we care about the desperate and the needy? Or why we reach out to help those most vulnerable? While watching the news, I recently heard someone answer that question, apparently on behalf of all Americans. He said that we need to help the poor and vulnerable in other countries because (and I’m not making this up), it is good for our economy . Yes, you read that correctly. Helping others is apparently good for our economy.  I’m so glad to finally have a real reason to give. (Yes, that comment is dripping with sarcasm).
 
I know what you’re thinking. There has to be a better reason to give than that. And you are right.
 
The truth is, giving is about the economy; it’s just not about the U.S. economy. And it is important that we seek a return on our investment, just not one that benefits us financially. Giving is about investing in the Kingdom of God. Our return on investment has nothing to do with our bank accounts, and everything to do with the restoration of relationships to the Creator. In Colossians 1:19-20, we read that God’s desire is to reconcile to himself, through Christ, all things ; that is, every part of his incredible creation. When we give, when we reach out with open arms to the vulnerable and poor, we are helping to restore those relationships, both for ourselves and those we are helping. We are building the Kingdom, and in the economy of God’s Kingdom, we don’t think in terms of dollars, but in terms of relationships. Our true net worth isn’t measured by our bank account, but by our relationship with our Creator, which is made possible only through the sacrifice of Jesus. Our goal must be to help bring others into this relationship as well.  This is why we do what we do!
 
By joining hands with ECM, you can help bring others into a right relationship with God. Every gift you give is carefully and appropriately used for this purpose. You have my word on it.
Many of you are familiar with the ECM website, and more specifically, with the pages that allow you to give online. In late September/early October, we made a transition from Network for Good/GiveCorps to Kindful. This change affects all online giving, and requires those of you with recurring gifts to set up a new donation in Kindful. We apologize for this inconvenience; please know that this change was much needed and will simplify the giving process! For those of you that this applies to, you have been e-mailed instructions on how to set up your recurring donation on Kindful, but please know that we are here to help you. Contact our office if you need any assistance or have any questions.
Did You Know...
We need local volunteers to make our fundraising events successful?
Contact Sandi at senyeart@ecmafrica.org
to help!

Impact Report

Your prayer and financial support are impacting the lives of many children! What a joy it is for us to partner with you and our national staff members to bring hope for today, tomorrow, and eternity! We continue to see spiritual growth in our children, and physical and educational needs continue to be met. Here are a few examples of how you are making a difference:

  • We recently celebrated our ten year anniversary of ministry in Uganda. Many celebrations marked the occasion, all giving glory to God for his incredible blessings. Our new national director in Uganda, Brian Mukalazi, has shown creativity, vision, and wisdom in leading the organization forward.
  • While visiting the Tororo Hope Center, we were introduced to Brian Nandria, a 16 year old child with albinism who recently found out he has skin cancer. ECM, because of your generous spirit, will be able to pay for his chemotherapy and related travel costs.
  • At the Biriwa Hope Center in the Central Region of Ghana, dozens of children meet with Auntie Cecilia each Saturday to hear the Gospel! Recently they have been focusing on what it means to be a child of God, and to receive God’s love.
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In future months, we plan to provide reports from our Hope Centers, so that you can be better informed about the work of ECM! In the meantime, here are a few brief updates from our ministry sites in Ghana, Congo, and Uganda:
 
  • In Ghana, we have experienced an unexpected change in national leadership. A new director has recently been appointed by the ECM-Ghana board, subject to final approval by the international director. His name is Edward Owusu Sekyere. Please pray for Edward as he takes on this challenging position!
  • In Congo, seven new “Master Teachers” graduated from the African Leadership Training Center at Mission Garizim. These new master teachers are now equipped to work with local churches to train Sunday School teachers. This will enable ECM to add to the 3500+ Sunday Schools started since 1985, touching over 280,000 children!
  • In Uganda, new missionaries Wayne and Bonnie Hollyoak have begun working with ECM staff to provide care to children with albinism. Among other things, they are working on the production of sunscreen for the kids, a literal “lifesaver” for many (see Brian above, who would have greatly benefited from such a product).
On November 5, 2018, the ECM Board of Directors approved an increase in ECM's administrative fee to 10%, effective December 1, 2018 for non-missionary related donations, and October 1, 2019 for missionary related donations. This change has no bearing on funds sent to Africa for ministry, but only in how funds are accounted for. The total funds sent to Africa will remain exactly the same, based on ECM's 2018-19 budget. If you have any questions about this change, please contact our office.
Prayer Points
  • Pray for Brian Nandria, that ECM would receive all the needed funds for his treatments. Pray that the treatments are successful, and that he is given a clean bill of health.


  • Pray for Edward Owusu Sekyere, hired on a temporary basis as Ghana National Director, beginning November 1. Pray that Edward is faithful and displays the integrity needed for the position. Pray that he develops good relationships with all the Ghana staff, and that he leads by example.

  • Pray for the National Staff in D.R. Congo, Ghana and Uganda. As they work with the children, pray that they continue to show compassion, integrity, and the love of Christ in all their tasks and interactions.
I Need a Sponsor!
$37/month
Uganda Karimojong Kampala Beggar project
Staff Corner
Vanessa Murkve joined ECM in August 2017 as our Finance Manager when our previous Finance Manager, Becky Crum, had to resign due to family responsibilities .
 
Vanessa was born and raised in New Mexico but lived in Atlanta for five years. She loves being outdoors and finding new places to eat, have coffee, or hangout with friends. She loves to travel. Vanessa went to Uganda in 2014, and has always wanted to work with a nonprofit that specializes in Africa. She found that in Hebron, Indiana, after moving to Valparaiso. She always dreamed of being a missionary or being able to travel to other countries and support missionaries doing their work. Vanessa’s major responsibilities include payroll for the U.S. office staff, timely transfers of their funds to our missionaries, ensuring wire transfers go out on a timely basis to African staff, Instagram social media, inputting all batched donations into their proper general ledger accounts and making sure all our bills are paid on time.
Vanessa’s work is very detail oriented and important, as decisions such as the availability of funds to send to African leadership depends on the accuracy of Vanessa’s reporting.
 
Vanessa also helps with creative jobs like graphics and flyers.
 
Join us in welcoming Vanessa to the ECM U.S. staff! If you’d like, drop her an email at vmurkve@ecmafrica.org to say hello!

 
Update on Fundraisers
ECM had it’s first Bunco fundraiser in March in conjunction with one of our partner churches, Calvary Church in Valparaiso. We were pleasantly surprised at the great turnout. Seating was limited to 120 because of the venue, and we nearly sold out! Amazing for a first year event! The evening included a video of the Karimojong children and their need, a very interactive MC (one of Calvary’s pastors), fun playing bunco, dinner, and a photo booth to take silly (or serious) pictures. With the recap below, please note that many, many items were donated which kept our expenses down and helped make this event successful. Special thanks to Dawn Disher, Nicole Wasmundt, and all the Calvary Life Groups for their contributions!
$2,765.00      Ticket sales
$  319.05       Little Africa Market
$  704.44       Silent Auction (donated items)
$  685.00       Raffle baskets (donated items)
$1,189.50       Donations
$5,662.99      Gross Income
 
$  650.98       Bunco Expenses

$5,012.01       Net Income

We also gained two child sponsors through this event!

She's really excited!


Photo booth fun
We Need a Venue!
Next year's Bunco party is tentatively scheduled for February 2019, but Calvary Church can't host again. Contact us if you know of a location!
Spring Garage Sale
ECM's spring garage sale brought in close to $2,000! Praise God! Thank you to all who donated items! Thank you to all our volunteers who worked long and hard to make this fundraiser a success! We appreciate all of you!

Some " HOPEFUL" Changes at ECM
For years, ECM has simply referred to its various projects as, well, projects. This utilitarian term has served its purpose well, and has become a part of our vocabulary. However, the truth is, the term does not really describe the depth of the work, nor the reason for the project’s existence. With a desire to use a term which more accurately reflects the why behind the what, we have begun to use the term Hope Centers when referring to all sponsorship projects.

In the same vein, we are making a similar change to the term we use to describe our general operating budget, Where Needed Most . Like the term project , the term Where Needed Most is accurate in describing how funds donated to ECM are used. However, it does not reflect the compassion that drives our desire to use all the resources at our disposal to bring hope, help, and dignity to vulnerable children in Ghana, Congo, and Uganda. Thus, we will now refer to our general operating fund as The Hope Fund.

In both of these cases, we will use the familiar terms along with the new terms for the foreseeable future, until everyone has had the opportunity to adjust and make the new terms a part of their ECM vocabulary.
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