Mary Poppins and Missions

One of my favorite movies is Mary Poppins.  The funny thing is that I don’t remember watching it as a child, I watched it as an adult.  Part of my reason for liking this movie were the songs and imagination they used to bring things into perspective.  Be it ‘A Spoonful of Sugar’ as they clean up the nursery, or ‘The Life I Lead’ to show that there is a time and place to learn responsibility, but recently, the one that hit home is ‘Fidelity Fiduciary Bank’. 

In this song, the bank officers are trying to convince young Michael to place his tuppence into a bank account.  They sing about how money can grow with interest, how is strengthens England and how the bank can invest in other businesses.  The officers spoke about being a part of trains across Africa, dams across the Nile, ships that sail, and of course tea plantations.  By placing your money in the bank, you are a part of these opportunities.

This song hit me as how it also relates to missions.  It doesn’t matter how much money you may use to support missions, but you are a part of what you support.  You could be supporting food and shelter for orphans, or a generator to light up the night, or even to help train students in the Word of God so that they may be sent out to outermost parts of the world.  When you support missions, you are an integral part of what is happening in the field.

The other part that sticks out was all of the fuss over tuppence.  Not a million dollars, not a thousand pounds, just tuppence (two pennies)!  Could that amount launch a ship voyage, or start a new enterprise in India?  Not at all but, the premise is that every little bit can work together with what others had deposited for the common good of enterprise.  This is the same with missions.  If you are like me, when I first heard about supporting missions, I thought I had to pledge at least $100 per month or else I wasn’t doing anything.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  If God has put on your heart to financially support missions, it doesn’t matter the amount.  It could be $5, $20, $100, $500, it is about obedience to what God is telling you.  God uses it all for His glory.

For example, lets say we need to raise $2,000 per month.  Well we could receive $500 per month from 4 people.  Or 20 people/groups pledge $100 a month.  Again, that is great but, I want to break it down even more and make it more tangible.  Say you want to forego 1 Starbucks drink a week to support a missionary.  So basically you are able to support $20-25 a month.  If 39 other people were lead to do the same, that’s potentially $1,000 a month already!  It also doesn’t need to be limited to only you.  Maybe your Bible study, community group, anchor group, or youth group want to support a missionary.  Pool your funds together.  Let’s say there is consistently at least 5 people in your group every week and each of them contributes $2 a week.  So $10 per week, times 4-5 weeks a month and you are now supporting a missionary with $40-50 per month.  Suppose, 10+ groups decide to do that and now a missionary is now being supported with $500 per month.  Combine that with our coffee forgoers and this missionary now has $1,500 per month of their $2,000 need.  And all of those people get to be a part of what that missionary is doing in the field!

Now, giving isn’t just limited to just the individual side of things.  Giving is not limited to individuals, maybe your business could support a missionary.  Maybe you and your co-workers have a heart for a certain part of the world or a specific missions’ organization.  Why not use this passion to unite your business to support someone?  Or, maybe it is pledging 1% of your profits as a business owner.  The only limits are the ones we put on ourselves.

In the end, it is between you and God.  Only you know what you may like to give in support of missions.  Please do it with a grateful heart as unto the Lord.  Now yes, we are missionaries who are raising support (look below to see how you can support us financially), but really, we are all working towards the glory of God.  Understand, it doesn’t matter if you support us or someone else.  The key is to be obedient to what God wants you to do so please, pray about how God would have you support a missionary.

Blessings,

Andrew and Dawn McBride