Give to The Bishop's Partners in Mission in honor of Bishop Park

Earlier this year Bishop Park announced that he will retire at the end of August, 2020. Knowing that he will be leaving this annual conference allows us to set in motion a committee to specifically plan the transitions of Episcopal leaders.
One question the committee asked itself is, “What does our conference get a retiring Bishop?” There are many fine answers to that question, but as we thought about it, one thing really stood out…The Bishop’s Partners in Mission (BPIM).

Bishop Park started The Bishop’s Partners in Mission fund in the Susquehanna Conference soon after he arrived. As we all know, our Bishop has a heart for people. The goal of BPIM is to help as many people as possible by pooling our money because, truly, we are Better Together! His goal was for every congregation and as many individuals as possible to work together to make a difference in the lives of others to show them the love of Jesus Christ.
When thinking about how BPIM could help, two causes came to mind: debt reduction for Mission Central and the United Methodist Church’s Imagine No Malaria campaign. The money given to BPIM is split evenly between those two causes (unless otherwise denoted by the giver.)

Mission Central is a ministry that works tirelessly in “Connecting God’s Resources with Human Need.” The warehouse is an inspiring place and touching “God Moments” happen there every day. Stories told by the staff and volunteers are truly amazing and you can almost see the hand of God setting people and things in the right place at the right time. Mission Central has a unique chance to be a visual and tangible representation of the love of God to so many, both locally and globally. The warehouse was and is essential to the ministry, which is why debt was taken on to secure its location. Eliminating that debt will free up even more resources for its ministry. It is time to free Mission Central from debt!

Imagine No Malaria was a campaign started in 2010 by the United Methodist Church to raise $75 Million dollars to fight malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, where a child died every thirty seconds from the disease. The global mortality rate from malaria has decreased because of the significant resources given for prevention and education; however, while deaths have been reduced, the reality is that support of programs to fight this deadly disease have plateaued. We must remain vigilant so we can eradicate this disease and make sure no one else loses their loved ones to malaria.

Since its inception, over $970,000 has been given in second-mile giving to BPIM! What a gift it would be to Bishop Park for that number to grow to over a million dollars and beyond before his retirement! YOU can help us with that! Please consider giving a donation to BPIM, individually or as a church, in honor of Bishop Park as he retires.

To give to BPIM in honor of our Bishop’s retirement, please write a check made payable to the Susquehanna Conference and put “7090 – BPIM Bishop’s Retirement” in the memo line and mail it to the attention of the SUSUMC Finance Department, 303 Mulberry Dr., Mechanicsburg, PA 17050. You may also bring it to a reception for Bishop Park being held at Annual Conference. (NOTE: this farewell gift is separate from any offering received during Annual Conference worship services). If your church is sending the gift, please have the Treasurer record it on the remittance report on the BPIM line and write on it “Bishop’s Retirement”. Any questions can be directed to Christy Mackey at cmackey@susumc.org.

Thank you for helping us to give a retirement gift to Bishop Park that will, in turn, change the lives of so many others as we work together to show the love of Christ to the world!

www.susumc.org/bishops-partners-in-mission/