Jar$ for Jamaa Letu 2012!

Local United Methodist churches of the Pacific Northwest Conference are invited to support the orphanages of Jamaa Letu in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo. Money collected in these jars will be combined into one offering at the Annual Conference in June 2012.

Churches: Print the flyer using the link below for your congregations and ask them to collect money at home. Before Annual Conference, collect the personal jars and bring your check to Annual Conference.

Individuals: Using the link below print the flyer for your home and bring your offering to your church before Annual Conference. Church bookkeepers will convert your offering to a check to bring to Annual Conference.

Click here to print flyer with instructions and label.

This money will support the operating expenses such as food, clothing, school fees, utilities and salaries for the staff.

Idea: Use jar to collect coins and bills.


  1. Tape to jars and cans for distribution to your congregation. The design of the label can also be used for a bulletin inserts, newsletters, and/or e-messages.


  2. Put a large jar in the narthex and encourage people to fill it with change and bills.


  3. Send labels home with worshippers to tape to their own jar to be filled and brought back to your local church.


Bring the funds to Annual Conference. Please convert the cash into a check.
You can also find Hope for the Children of Africa on Facebook.

Fundraising...What are the possibilities?
Sue Ostrom from Moscow UMC reports: "We celebrate Africa Day once a year. A marimba band plays for all the hymns, we use African prayers, the choir sings African songs, and we share about both Jamaa Letu and Africa University.

The altar is covered with African fabrics and whatever other African items we have available. The mission committee hosts coffee hour and sells treats. We usually raise enough to pay for our support of our child at Jamma Letu and our Africa University apportionment. It is a high energy, festive day that people look forward to."


Susan Tollefson, Lay Leader from Brownsville UMC, shares: "We use second mile giving by putting out an African basket on Communion Sundays, the first Sunday of each month, for our church family to place an additional offering for Hope for the Children of Africa and another local charity. Over the year it adds up!

We invited Barbara Dadd Shaffer, HFCA Co-Chair, to attend our Annual Bazaar this past November where she talked to us about Jamaa Letu I and II. Barbara also gave the worship message on Sunday. Our bazaar had a mission emphasis. We sold fair trade coffee and chocolate, and Barbara brought clothing and crafts from the Women's Economic Development Center in South Congo for sale with all UMW proceeds going to missions!"

Ideas for your church fundraisers from other churches in the Pacific Northwest.
  1. Have your church do a special offering.
  2. Enlist the help of your Youth Group for a carwash, bake sale, or other fundraiser.
  3. Ask your families to empty their coins into a large jar every Sunday.
  4. Invite a speaker from the HFCA Task Force for a Mission Minute, as a dinner speaker or for your UMW/UMM group.
  5. Sponsor a pancake breakfast with a free will offering for the Orphanage.
  6. Donate in the name of your loved one. Download and print the Gift Card and give it to loved ones for Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, or birthdays.
Have you seen us on Facebook?
Click here to view our current Facebook page.
IS YOUR CHURCH RAISING FUNDS FOR JAMAA LETU?
EMAIL ME YOUR IDEAS AND I'LL POST THEM HERE!
georgi@frontier.com
What About the Boys?

Current Total $247,754
December 31, 2010

Due to your extraordinary efforts we have surpassed our initial goal for the Jamaa Letu II Boys' Orphanage. Your generous support is greatly appreciated. Continued assistance is needed for amenities such as bunk beds and kitchen equipment.
A Ministry of the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church