Missions Banquet 2006
Saturday night was our missions banquet, the culmination of many meetings and many hours of prep work. Thankfully, it all went well. We went took a risk this year. Our theme was "Welcome to the Real World". The decor was made to look like a refugee camp. The first half of the program was somewhat light and entertaining, featuring an African Choir, a presentation from the Trinidad & Mexico teams, etc. Then, came the meal, which was a representation of the real world. Servers dressed in military fatigues were directed by a mean-looking dude in a beret. 70% of those attending received only a plate of rice. 20% got fish & rice. 10% got a typical banquet meal of stuffed chicken, rice, veggies, apple pie. One person was served a lobster & steak dinner on a silver platter, which was followed by a cart full of just about anything a person could want. McDonald's, a pizza, a beautiful black forest cake...and much more. Four servers were stationed next to him to attend to his every whim. He was not allowed to share one bite with those around him. In fact, another table that was caught sharing fish and chicken had every plate taken away. At the end of the meal, the gentleman with more than he could handle was asked, item by item, if he was finished. As a camera provided a live feed on the big screen, people groaned watching untouched food dumped into a garbage can. The commander directed the servers away and looked around the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the real world." Tickets were $10. Needless to say, some people were quite annoyed initially. However, by the end of the evening, it seemed like there were no complainers left in the crowd. The point had been made, and the profits made on what would have been spent on food are going to feed people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I'm so excited and relieved that it was received as we intended. The meal was followed by a speaker who communicated effectively, a graphic video illustrating the dire situation in Congo. We announced our two adult missions trips for 2007...
I am so excited about these two trips. So completely different from each other, but both are incredible opportunities that fulfill important objectives. The response has been very positive and there are many more people showing an interest in these trips than I dared hope...
There we have it. It seems that there is a momentum building within missions at MW, and it does my heart good.
posted by sibbie751 @ 7:14 p.m.
7 Comments:
That is awesome.
Yeah baby! It was fabulousis!
I could see how people would have been annoyed...but sometimes we take for granted what we have. And hey..it was a good way to save money on food! :)
I'm glad that it went well. Are you going to be attending both of these missions trips?
THAT is a fantastic idea!!! Who thought of it?
I'm copying it someday--if not for a missions banquet, then for a social justice banquet [poverty awareness] and I'll post the demographics of the percentage of people below the poverty line in our city, and then get people who volunteer at the soup kitchens, homeless shelters, etc, to talk about their experiences helping those in need, and suggest what else people can do, here, on our continent, to help those in need right in our own towns.
GREAT idea. Did I say that already? Great. just great!
That's awesome! I love the idea. We did something similar (much lower scale) with our grades 6-8 one year (my first year teaching), it's amazing how an experience like that can really open some eyes. I would've loved to have been there!
Krystle...I am going on one trip, but not both. Are you interested in either? I think you would be a great candidate for taking part! Come to the meeting!
Jo...another cool aspect of the event was that it did have a strong "home missions" emphasis. As you walked into the atrium, there was a huge banner hanging across the width of the ceiling saying "Whatever you did for these brothers of mine, you did for me..." The atrium had several local organizations' exhibits (food bank, crisis pregnancy, prison ministries, etc.). Each table had a large sign that came from the same passage and corresponded to the objective of the organization ("I was hungry and you fed me..." "I was in prison and you came to visit me...", etc.)
We now have a director of home missions who is super passionate about it. And we have a director of missionary connection and her objective is to increase the involvement of the congregation in the lives of the missionaries we support.
It feels like we're starting to fire on all cylinders.
Although I would be able to attend the Congo trip (I can't for the other one..I'm in school)..my parents aren't really for me going to foriegn countries..
Which sucks..but I'm fine with it really..I understand their reasons (disease..and getting hurt) and I really want to get involved in missions..God and I had a large talk the past few months and I'm starting an organization this summer for back home.
We're (God and I) are making a database of Christian people and we're going to do missions in my hometown (and surrounding area..we're pretty small!) because there's so many people that aren't being reached back home in a real and relevant way. Not 100% sure what we're going to do yet for missions..but any ideas are welcomed! We need revival!
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