A rogue Mosquito Man invaded the 2010 Annual Conference last June to challenge Central Texas Conference congregations to join in the Imagine No Malaria worldwide fight to stamp out malaria by 2015.
Altogether the conference committed to raising $140,000 — an amount very close to the goal of $1 per member or $164,400 — in the Imagine No Malaria campaign. About $35,000 came in cash donations at Annual Conference and another approximately $105,000 came in pledges. Most of those pledges were in support of the Cabinet’s “A-Pound-A-Weigh” collective weight loss goal by the Called Session Nov. 13.
The good news is: They did it! Rev. Dr. Robert Holloway, dean of the Cabinet, confirmed at the Called Session that the Cabinet did, in fact, lose a collective 123 pounds.
Generous individuals and congregations gave $6,945 in the offering plate at the Called Session. Two of the offering checks were clearly payment of pledges in the “A-Pound-A-Weigh” challenge. The Cabinet lost the weight, and approximately $50,000 in pledges is needed now to fulfill the goal.
The great news is that the Imagine No Malaria campaign is already having an impact on this dreaded disease. Throughout the campaign we have been reporting that a child loses their life to malaria every 30 seconds. The World Health Organization recently revised their figures, noting that between 2006 and 2008, the number of children succumbing to malaria has dropped to one child every 45 second. It may seem like a small break through, but it is astounding what our bed nets, malaria education, medicines and training are accomplishing. Think of what we can do by 2015!
If you have forgotten the amount your congregation has pledged, please contact David Stinson at david@ctcumc.org. For ideas on how your congregation, your class or your family can get involved, visit http://www.imaginenomalaria.org/site/c.4dIBILOnGaIQE/b.5940231/k.8821/Get_Involved.htm and help to save even more lives.