Many Nazarenes in the Mesoamerica Region know that the month of January has been designated for several years to promote and give offerings to the Genesis ministry. If every member in the Church of the Nazarene in our 32 countries gave just one dollar to this initiative, we could train and send out more than 25 new missionaries each year!
Nazarene Missions International Coordinator for the Mesoamerica Region, Ana María Crocker, recently collaborated with Genesis Regional Coordinator, Scott Armstrong, to record a video promoting this initiative. We’ve included it here. It has been a joy to receive testimonials from local churches (like the one below) that are using a lot of creativity and love to give generously.
May God bless this initiative!
Testimony: Eastern District of the Dominican Republic Mobilizes For the GENESIS Offering
By: Alpha Almodovar
Several years ago, I learned about GENESIS through a sister in our district who was preparing to go on missions with this initiative. I admit that at first, it didn’t really appeal to me until I went to a CCO (Cross-Cultural Orientation). There I learned about the offering for Genesis, and that each member in the region is challenged to give at least one dollar or its equivalent in the month of January. I found that accessible for young people, children, and adults, regardless of their economic resources.
As I had become involved in many mission activities, I understood the importance of creatively supporting our cross-cultural workers. So, we made envelopes with bright colors and with the Genesis logo, and we’ve repeated this every year with great results.
When giving an envelope to each person, we tell them that “the main idea is to give a dollar, but if God puts it in your heart to give something more, that’s more than welcome.” The envelopes are deposited in the offering basket during each January service, and the treasurer immediately can see the distinctive envelope, putting it aside for the special offering. At the end of the month, the offerings are sent to the region. It is surprising how children and young people have gotten excited about this, and as the years go by, we continue to give bigger and bigger offerings.
One shocking development is that as a leader I got a job out of town last year, and I really couldn’t get as involved in church work as much as before. Still, although I was not present, the brothers and sisters promoted and gave their Genesis offerings. It was even a much larger sum than I had seen during the time I was the one in charge! Glory be to God!
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” –2 Corinthians 9:7
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