Month: November 2024

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New Continuing Education Opportunities Available for WWNTBM Missionaries

Dear Missions family,
We are excited to share a new opportunity for you to deepen your knowledge and strengthen your ministry skills through a generous offer from  First Bible School of Translation. As a ministry of First Baptist Church of Milford, OH, they are now offering a selection of online classes that can be taken either for audit or toward a full degree.
This program is designed to meet your unique needs, allowing you to study at your own pace, which we trust will help you balance your studies with your full-time ministry responsibilities.
Here’s what you need to know about this opportunity:
1. Available Courses and Format:
They currently have four courses ready for enrollment: Introduction to Biblical Counseling, Philosophy of Music in the Ministry, Bible Doctrines, and Cultural and Historical Background of the Bible. While the full First Bible curriculum is accessible online, these four courses are part of a new format designed specifically for those in ministry. The format allows you to study at your own pace rather than following a strict schedule, with new courses added each semester until the entire program is available in this format.
2. Cost Options
They understand the financial challenges missionaries often face, so we are offering two levels of cost for these courses:
  • Free Audit Option: Current WWNTBM missionaries may take one course per term at no cost for audit. If you wish to give a gift toward the program, that would be welcomed, but they emphasize that there is no requirement.
  • Discounted Credit Option: If you prefer to take courses for credit, a 25% discount is available for WWNTBM missionaries who enroll directly through our organization. (Please keep this discount within our group, as it is not widely available and may cause confusion for others.) For those interested in taking the full program, we are working on a heavily discounted per-semester fee for unlimited credit hours—please reach out to us for details.
3. For Those Ministering Overseas
If you would like to use these materials with your people in the field, please get in touch with First Bible directly, and they can create custom opportunities tailored to your ministry context.
4. Registration
To register, simply fill out the online registration form here: Registration Form, or scan the QR code below:
First Bible School of Translation is grateful to be able to offer this opportunity to you. We hope these resources will equip and encourage you in your service to the Lord. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance with the registration process at [email protected].
Thank you for being so dedicated to the work, and may these courses be a blessing to you as you continue to sharpen your tools for ministry.
If you are interested in pursuing any continuing education and you wish to record the expense on your MFR, please let the mission office know your intentions prior to making any payment. In compliance with IRS regulations, the Executive Board must vote to approve your course of study before it can be considered a ministry expense.
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God Wants to Hear You Sing

By John O’Malley

“… come before his presence with singing” (Psalm 100:2).

Have you received an invitation to a place you would really like to go? The invitation brings joy. Your level of anticipation increases. Your desire to go to such a place excites you.

Certainly, you would share the news with your friends. It is likely you would bring something with you to honor the host of the event. If it were a party to which you were invited, you would bring a gift. Your gift is a way of expressing your appreciation for the invitation, the inclusion in the event, and the interest they had in you.

In our focus verse today, we see the divine invitation to come to the very presence of God. His invitation should make our hearts race. The anticipation should be overwhelming. The joy should be difficult to contain.

The very Lord of Glory has taken an interest in us. He desires our presence. He has issued to us an invitation. He wants to include us.

Your mind races. What can I bring to He who has everything? He owns cattle on a thousand hills. The earth is His footstool. What could I give Him as a servant of the Lord? What is it that He desires?

Dear Reader, what can we bring? Our gracious Host suggested we bring one thing. He wants to hear us sing.

What is that I hear you say? “Singing? That is so simple. Certainly, I can find something more special than that!” God would like us to come to Him with singing.

Consider this, God has angels who can sing before Him, but He asks for my song. God can choose any singer from any era that ever lived, but He wants to hear His children’s song.

God’s request for me to come before His presence with singing reminds me of seeing a mother and father at a school performance as they await their five-year-old child’s performance. The parents lean forward as their child’s voice joins a chorus of voices. The parents whisper to each other, “I can hear her! Just listen to her angelic voice! It is beautiful.” Truthfully, the child’s voice is mediocre. Her voice struggles with the tune. Her pitch is off, and harmony is absent. Yet, her parents beam with joy. Their little darling is singing. The young girl looks out and sees the pleasure of her parents. Their pleasure in her causes her to sing with more enthusiasm as she realizes her song pleases her mother and father.

Reading this phrase indicates to me that God, like the five-year-old girl’s parents, must enjoy when we come to our place of worship with singing. You may despise the sound of your voice, but He does not. He loves to hear you sing. Like the five-year-old girl’s parents were pleased, our singing pleases our Father.

You say, “What song shall I sing?” The song choice is yours. Even now, choose a song you will sing to Him. Your quality of voice is not the point. Your song is what He wants to hear.

Go to His presence right now. Lift up a song to Him. Remember, He desires us to come into His presence with singing. Bring Him His gift today.

John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.

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From the Memo Board: November 2024

Important Dates to Know

November 1 – September Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.
November 1 – October Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.
November 11 – Most US banks will be closed for Veterans Day.
November 28-29 – The Office will be closed in celebration of Thanksgiving.
December 1 – October Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.
December 1 – November Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations
December 5 – Those who normally receive funds on the 5th will receive their deposit(s) as usual.
December 9 – All prayer letters the Office assists in mailing via Prayerletters.com should be submitted to our staff in order for your recipients to get them before Christmas.
December 10 – Those who normally receive funds on the 10th will receive their deposit(s) as usual.
December 15 – Missionaries on an R-1 Visa will receive their deposit(s) as usual.
December 16 – Please contact us by this date via Signal if you will need funds in your account before Christmas or if you will need a deposit between Christmas and the end of the year. This allows us time to schedule your deposit around bank holidays and the office being closed.
December 16 – All prayer letters the Office assists in sending via Mailchimp should be submitted to our staff in order for your recipients to get them before Christmas.
December 23-27 – The office will be closed in celebration of Christmas.
January 1 – November Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.
January 1 – December Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.
January 10 – All Missionaries will receive their statements of December Support.
January 13 – All Missionaries will receive they final December support on this day, regardless of the day they normally receive support.

January 15 – Missionaries on an R-1 Visa will receive their deposit(s) as usual.
January 15 – December Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries, along with any remaining receipts or financial paperwork for 2023. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.
January 29 – Those who normally receive funds on the 29th will receive their deposit(s) as usual.
February 1 – 1099 Forms and other tax documentation for the 2023 tax year will be available on SecureCloud.
February 5 – Those who normally receive funds on the 5th will receive their deposit(s) as usual.
April 14-17, 2025 – Family Fellowship Week at Caraway Conference Center in Sophia, NC.

Year-End Adjustments

During a typical month, we close the books on the 25th, and any checks received after that date are posted to the following month. This means that you receive your Support List and total income figures on or about the 25th, and we then deposit funds into your account(s) on the 29th, 5th, or 10th of the month after we have calculated estimated taxes, tithes, and other month end payments.

Due to receipting requirements, we cannot do this in the month of December, as we are required by law to process funds that were postmarked in December as if they were received in December. This means we cannot close the books for December until January 10th, and therefore we do not have final December figures until January 10th.

What does this mean for you?

    • Please contact our office by December 15 via the Signal app if you will need funds in your account before the end of the year. This helps our staff plan for all transfers before we close for the Christmas holiday.
    • The last day we can initiate a bank transfer in the year 2024 is December 19.
    • Final transfers of December funds (after all estimated taxes and tithes have been calculated) will be made for January 13th, 2025, regardless of the day you usually receive your monthly support.
    • Please be aware that your December support total may be higher than normal, while your January support total may be lower than normal. Please be sure to plan ahead for this!

Upcoming Financial Reports for US Missionaries

Please prepare now to ensure that your year-end financial reports are submitted on time. October reports are due December 1, November reports are due January 1, and December reports are due January 15. If it is possible for you to submit reports before the due dates, that would greatly assist our staff. Please note it is fine to submit a report without waiting for the Line 1 income figure. We can add that for you as needed. Reports should be submitted to [email protected]. Please be sure to include all receipts for expenses $75 and over at the same time you submit your report so there are no delays in processing. Thank you for your help in these areas.

Year-End Prayer Letter Services

If the office assists in mailing your prayer letters through PrayerLetters.com, please send us your information by December 9th for your recipients to receive it before Christmas.

If we assist with your MailChimp emails only, please get us your information by December 16th in order for your recipients to receive them by Christmas.

Please be aware that letters received in our office after these dates may experience delays due to the holidays. Please plan the timing of your letters accordingly, and contact the office if you have any questions. Thank you!

You should have received an email regarding our special letterhead options for Christmas. If you would like to send your prayer letter with one of our letterheads, please email your request to [email protected].

Our Office will resume processing prayer letters on January 6, 2025.

Guidelines on Business Meals

US Missionaries are able to claim the cost of business meals related to ministry on their financial reports. This includes instances such as taking a pastor out to discuss your ministry or counseling with an individual. Please note that the IRS requires you to record the name of the individual(s) and the purpose of the meal in order to establish the ministry purpose of the expense. Please be sure to include this information when completing your Monthly Financial Report. See the examples below.

  • Business meal with Pastor Smith at McDonald’s to give a ministry update on… (i.e., deputation, furlough, church project, etc.).
  • Business meal with John and Jane Doe at Subway for discipleship training/counseling.

**Please note that “ministry meal” does not sufficiently describe the purpose.

Meal expenses related to travel may only be listed on the financial reports as a Meal Per-Diem. Missionaries may not claim as an expense the actual cost for meals or snacks purchased when away from home for ministry.

Business meals should not be claimed on the same day that you claim a Meal Per-Diem.

If you have any questions, please contact our office staff.

Uplift

The following recordings were recently published on uplift.wwntbm.com. You may access the site by entering the username: wwntbm and the password: gospel. We hope they will encourage your heart.

Episode 165: Family Fellowship Week – Georg & Opal Zimmer

Episode 166: Family Fellowship Week – Fred Daniel

Episode 167: Family Fellowship Week – Frank Camp

Episode 168: Family Fellowship Week – Tim Daniel

Episode 169: Family Fellowship Week – Allen Mercer

Episode 170: Family Fellowship Week – Ethan Prater