Dear Friends in Christ,

For decades, you have given your lives to the Church. You have preached, taught, baptized, buried, counseled, organized, prayed and led. You have helped form generations of disciples and leaders. Even in retirement, your witness and your stewardship continue to shape the future of the Church.

Today, I want to invite you to consider a special opportunity to extend that legacy beyond our borders.

The Council of Bishops has invited United Methodists around the world to participate in a Holy Spirit–led effort to strengthen the Endowment for Theological Education outside the United States. This endowment currently supports more than 500 students each year across Africa, Europe and the Philippines. In many of these contexts, fewer than 5% of pastors have access to graduate-level theological education, compared to more than 70% in the U.S.

This is not simply about funding degrees. It is about equipping pastors, strengthening congregations and ensuring that the gospel is proclaimed with depth, wisdom and faithfulness for generations to come.

Susan and I have felt personally called to give to this campaign because of the number of wonderful pastors we have met all over the world. As we think about our own legacy, we want to invest in the leaders who will shape the Church long after we are gone. We have committed at least $2,500 to this effort, and I want you to know we are giving not out of obligation, but out of gratitude and hope. In that same spirit, I invite you to prayerfully consider making a gift of $250 or more to support this worldwide work.

Because of the financial pressures many of our Missouri churches are carrying, we are not launching a Conference-wide campaign. Instead, we are inviting those who have a particular heart for the global church and for theological education to participate prayerfully and voluntarily. Retired clergy and leaders, who know firsthand the importance of well-formed pastors, are among those we wanted to invite first.

If you feel led to do so, your gift will help plant seeds that will bear fruit in places where the Church is growing and where strong pastoral leadership is urgently needed.

Ways to give

Online:
Give securely through the Missouri Conference’s online giving portal. Select “Other Gifts/Miscellaneous” and include “Miracle Sunday” in the memo field. Give Online

By Mail:
Missouri Conference Office
3601 Amron Ct.
Columbia, MO 65202
Please include “Miracle Sunday” in the memo line.

Thank you for the many ways you continue to serve Christ and the Church and for the legacy you are still shaping through your prayers, your witness and your generosity.

In Christ,

Bishop Robert Farr