NMI Emphases -- Month by Month Ideas from Bev Borbe (former general NMI president) January - Volunteer ministries Play a quiz game "What's My Job?" Have a number of people pretend to have different occupations. Divide the audience in two teams. Each team takes turns asking a question of the person about his/her occupation. But they cannot ask what their job is until they think they know the answer. If they guess wrong, the other team wins the point. After each occupation is guessed, the leader mentions that Nazarene volunteers in that particular occupation may be serving in the NIVS (Nazarenes In Volunteer Service) program in some country of the world. Include any current NIVS information you have. Mission trips February - Alabaster Alabaster Love Notes Idea from: Melinda K. Wolf-Assisstant Editor-Mission Connection Magazine In coordination with Valentine’s Day, allow people to purchase “Alabaster Love Notes” for loved ones within your church. The Love Notes can be made out of construction paper and decorated in pink and red to make Valentines. Allow the purchaser to write a note to their loved one on the Love Note. Display the Love Notes on a decorated bulletin board. Announce that all proceeds will go toward the Alabaster Offering. Explain that Alabaster Love Notes are a way to show Jesus’ love through giving to Alabaster on Valentine’s Day. Be sure to explain that the Love Notes do not replace the tradition of bringing in their Alabaster boxes. More on Alabaster    |    Origin of the Alabaster offering    |   How much to give? March - Easter Offering Have several children partner together. One child in each pair should carry a large card with the words, "Marching for Missions" while the other one is distributing Easter Offering envelopes to seated worshippers. Do this for a couple of services before you take the offering. More on World Evangelism Fund April - Mission education Divide your missionary lesson into four parts. Ask four people to study their part and come up with five yes/no questions on the lesson. Prepare an answer sheet with 20 blanks. Give the questions while the audience fills in the blanks. Give a prize for the one with the most right. Have the four people give answers to the questions. How to mobilize local churches  |  Ballad promoting NMI reading books May - Missionary medical plan Have someone acting as a doctor examine several people. As they are examined, the doctor should say things like: "This patient has a big heart of compassion for the Medical Plan because it provides for our missionaries when they are ill." "This patient will need a transfusion of generosity in order to give liberally in the Medical Plan offering" "The patient is experiencing 20/20 vision in understanding the tremendous role the Medical Plan plays in caring for our missionaries' health needs." More on missionary medical plan | Order forms: Distinguished Service Award -- Memorial Roll Certificate  June - World Mission Broadcast Buy several large, brightly colored balloons. Attach a string and a large card to each one. The cards should read, World Evangelism Broadcast Places Missionaries Can't Go! Read one of the cards. Then, remind people that just as the wind carries balloons to many places we cannot go, so will World Evangelism Broadcast go to places where missionaries cannot go. Facts to use: Eighty people die every minute never hearing the name of Jesus. World Evangelism Broadcast offering began in 1952 as a way to raise funds for Spanish language radio broadcasting World Evangelism Broadcast now funds radio programs in over 95 languages World Evangelism Broadcast is a very cost-effective way of spreading the gospel. Close by giving the balloons away to people who can repeat one of the facts you just read. July - International ministry, Bible schools and seminaries Interview a couple of high school students. Ask them general questions about their school, their assignments, and their future plans. Then ask the students how they would feel if they could not go to school because they could not afford to go, or how they would feel if they had to stay home to help earn money for the family, or if the only school in their area charged tuition and they had no money to pay. After this interchange, challenge the people with the fact that many poor students cannot afford to go to school to study for the ministry. Challenge them to give and to pray for these students. Also, challenge them to pray for their own students - those interviewed, and others. Books needed for pastors August - LINKS Every two years Nazarene congregations have at least one missionary family assigned to them by their district NMI leadership. Place note paper and pencils in baskets to distribute to the audience. Give a brief update about your LINKS (Loving Interested Nazarenes Knowing and Sharing) missionary family. Ask everyone to write them a note. When they are through, collect the notes and pencils. Pass out other baskets filled with a small candy treat. Mail the notes to the LINKS missionary. When they respond, read the letter to your group. Janice Carlson is the LINKS Coordinator for our district. You can contact her at rcjcarlson@gmail.com or 815-933-6172 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              815-933-6172      end_of_the_skype_highlighting. Download LINKS Info  Download Unofficial LINKS Info September - Membership, Alabaster Make bright and colorful name tags that say, "I LOVE missions." and pin them on everyone in attendance. List all the things members can do throughout the year to help support the program. Some of your NMI members may not know what they are supposed to be doing. Challenge them to give, to pray, and to learn. Call for their involvement. Describe how they can be involved in Compassionate Ministries, Work & Witness, and NIVS. Have little children come in carrying a banner which says, "Future missionaries? Pray for us!" Have prayer for the youth and children of the church. [ "We pray for the children. . ." ] More on Alabaster   |   Origin of the Alabaster offering   |   Daily Alabaster giving suggestions October - Mission Priority One awards This emphasis used to be called "Mission Award." It was renamed in 2001. Scramble the letters of the phrase "Mission Priority One" and print them in large size on a chalk board or paper. Let the audience try to figure out what the three words are. Give a prize to the person who unscrambles the words. Write the words correctly and tell people that to keep the NMI goals unscrambled and stay on a straight course to be a Mission Priority One church we must be involved in: Working with children and youth in missions Praying for missionaries Reading and learning about missions Giving to the World Evangelism Fund. Discuss how your church is meeting these goals. November - Thanksgiving offering Have a Thanksgiving Harvest march offering to God for His bountiful provisions. Inside a wheelbarrow, place a large box of red apples. Push the wheelbarrow down the aisle of the church and place near an offering collection plate. As each person comes by the wheelbarrow to give their offering, they take an apple. Even those who give no offering should be encouraged to take an apple. Parable of apple pickers December - Nazarene compassionate ministries Challenge everyone to do one compassionate deed each week of December. This could be a phone call to a sick person, a plate of cookies to a needy shut-in, or a plastic bag of food to a homeless person on the street. Suggest a good deed for one week would be to contribute an offering to the Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Fund. In January, have testimonies about the blessings received from participating in this month-long compassion emphasis. There are mission field ministries asking for used medicine bottles, used greeting cards, used clothing and sample medicines. Contact the NMI office in Kansas City for the current list of missionaries requesting such items. December giving calendar | United Way giving to Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (N C M) | Crisis Care Kits: [ Instructions on NCM site ] | More about Compassionate Ministries End of the year party - Celebrate all the emphases At the end of the year, set up booths with displays for each one of the monthly emphases. Serve cake and refreshments. Invite the people to browse and enjoy the displays. Gather together for a short program in which each council member tells what has been accomplished through their particular emphasis throughout the year.