ME? Raise Support? Who would I ask???

GET STARTED…SIMPLE AS ‘A’ ‘B’ ‘C’
Here is my standard reply to someone who asks, "Who could I ask to support me? How do I get started?

Accumulate names and addresses! Who? To help get your mind whirling:

• Associates
• Bankers
• Church friends…close or not
• Doctors
• Everyone you know (get it?)
• Friends and Family…no matter how close or distant
• Gym/Exercise/Sports contacts
• Home Business contacts (past or present)
• Insurance agents
• Just everyone you know…no matter how well
• Klass mates from high school/college (‘K’ is hard!)
• Little League contacts
• Mechanics
• Non-Christians…let them see the Lord work in your life!
• Other people in ministry; even if they are on support
• Pastors, past and present
• Queen of England…well, maybe not
• Roommates
• Study groups, support groups
• Teachers…high school, college, Sunday School, Seminary, etc
• Uniformed friends/associates: police, post office, nurses, etc
• View any directories you have (church, business, etc) to see if you’ve overlooked someone
• Wait on the Lord, take a break, ask Him for names!
• X-boy or –girl friends (seriously!)
• Youth (teens have a lot of discretionary income; let them learn early the joys of missionary involvement)
• Zoologists or anyone else not thought of yet

Begin a database/contact list for all the above. Keep adding to it as you think of names.

Consult with spouse, close friends, etc you think are already in your corner; they will remind you of people you’ve overlooked.

Draft your initial letter

Encourage yourself in the Lord! (see 1 Samuel 30:6) “If it is His will, it is His bill.”

Focus on ministering to support prospects through prayer, encouragement, and by giving them the opportunity to be directly involved in something significant…the ministry to which God has called you!

Get all the information from the ministry which you are going to serve to ensure you are operating in accordance with their policies. Gather historical and current information about the ministry so you can pass it on to your potentials.

Have fun! This is an adventure on which most never embark!

Include your family in everything from addressing envelopes to choosing stationery to photo selection etc.

Journal your adventure! Added benefit: sharpening your writing skills.

Know that the Lord is your “point-man” (Jehoveh-nissi: “The Lord our Banner”)

Live in the now. Don’t spend time wondering, worrying, or waffling. You are not going to be in ministry; like all Christians you already are in ministry; you are just preparing for vocational ministry.

Make sure you are giving regularly to the Lord’s work…your church…other ministries. If you don’t now, you won’t then.

Never forget the Lord feeds the birds of the air, but He doesn’t throw seed in their nest.

Offer to present your ministry to every forum you can think of…churches/Bible studies/Christian radio/whatever.

Pray! (never overlook the obvious).

Question others that have been or are now “on-support.” Exit stage left if they are negative (as opposed to realistic) about their experiences.

Read the Word (duh). Read missionary newsletters (for the good, the bad, the ugly). Read biographies of missionaries.

Schedule time each day to put efforts into support. Learn now that support raising and maintenance is a vital part of your daily job description.

Tailor a record-keeping system that works for you; not only your data base, but
ways of keeping track of when you talked to/wrote a prospective
supporter; their response, giving record and so forth. Do it now so you
don’t have to play catch-up later.

Utilize a computer! No matter how literate (or illiterate) you are regarding
computers, learn more so you can use it to maximize your time and thus
practice good stewardship.

View yourself from someone else’s perspective. If you were someone else and
you were asked to support you; what questions would you have? Make
sure you have answers!

Write! Work on your draft of the initial letter(s). If writing is a struggle for you, read a book, take a class. But the best way to learn to write is to apply your seat to a seat and write. Practice writing a thank-you note for a gift of $5,000….as well as a gift of $5.

Xamine yourself. So much more fun to examine other people, but the Word tells us to examine ourselves regularly (see 1 Corinthians 11:28; 2 Corinthians 13:5).

Yodel. Go for a walk. Play a game of tennis. Read an escape-novel. The point? Loosen up! Don’t let your shoulders tense. “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Zeal! Develop and encourage a zeal for life…particularly for the joy of trusting the Lord regarding support! Guard yourself against whining, as in, “poor little me, I’m on support.” It is an honor, a privilege, a calling!