By Rolly Loomis, DSC Missionary for Outreach
It’s a moving of the Holy Spirit. It’s undeniable. God is at work here. It’s like “the beginning.” God’s spirit hovered over the murky depths, and – just at the right time, God sparked light and the God-light rushed into the universe. Genesis 1:1-3 Paraphrase
I’m the Desert Southwest Conference Coordinator for Imagine No Malaria. I’ve been shepherding this ministry for the past 10 months. Imagine No Malaria started with a vision to stand united with other United Methodists all over the world, and together eliminate deaths from malaria in the very near future. Together, we in the Desert Southwest, every member in every church will save 200,000 lives.
We planned our approach and inspired our churches. We organized districts, churches, clergy and laity. Ninety-five percent of our churches have designated an INM Local Church Coordinator. We trained folks in face to face meetings as well as in online training events. Our leaders became experts on INM and were provided with the resources needed to do their work. Now we are moving!
A chief focus at this point in our INM Ministry is for each local church to affirm a church goal. It is our vision that these individual goals will total over 200,000 lives. We hope to achieve this by Annual Conference 2013.
Shortly after Easter Sunday the goals began to come in. Twenty-five hundred lives, one thousand lives, five thousand lives and then one church pledged to save fifteen thousand lives. Goals began to come in quickly. A small church of forty members pledged to save two hundred lives. A Sidewalk Sunday School Class raised enough to save forty lives and helped convince their small church to save one thousand lives. We are now approaching the ninety thousand lives mark with only 25% of our churches affirming goals!
We continue to attune to the Spirit that calls us to eliminate deaths from malaria.
The Holy Spirit like a wildfire is spreading among our ranks. Acts 2:3.
