From the Memo Board: October 2024

Important Dates to Know

October 1 – August Financial Reports will be due for US Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

October 1 – September Financial Reports will be due for Non-Resident Missionaries. This includes FNPO Reports for those with Foreign Non-Profit Organizations.

October 14 – Most US banks will be closed for Columbus Day.

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 16 – Please contact us by this date via Signal if you will need funds in your account before Christmas or the end of the year.

December 23-27 – The office will be closed in celebration of Christmas. The office will reopen on December 30th.

April 14-18, 2025 – Family Fellowship Week at Caraway Conference Center in Sophia, NC.

Family Fellowship Week

We are beginning preparations for Family Fellowship Week 2025, which will once again be held at the Caraway Conference Center near Asheboro, NC. Our missions family greatly enjoys this quiet retreat location, which allows all services, lodging, meals, and activities to take place in one place.

Our next meeting will be held April 14-18, 2025. Please make plans to join us! Please watch your email for registration information in the coming days. Final reservations need to be communicated to the office by February 1, 2025.

This is a time to gather for fellowship and encouragement. Meals, lodging, and child care are provided. Attendees are expected to stay the entire week, beginning Monday afternoon and ending after the Thursday evening service. (Lodging Thursday night and breakfast Friday morning are provided, but guests are welcome to leave Thursday evening if they wish.) There will be preaching and teaching sessions in the morning and evening, with free time in the afternoons. The week provides opportunities to rub shoulders with fellow servants from around the world in all stages of ministry. Please plan to join us.

Please keep in mind that as a missionary of WWNTBM, you agreed to attend Family Fellowship Week every four years. You and your family are expected to stay for the entirety of the meeting. Exceptions will be granted by Danny Whetstone and John O’Malley.


Financial Report Reminder

As we enter the last quarter of the year, thoughts turn to year-end tax procedures. Many people begin thinking of last-minute deductions that will affect them. If you anticipate making large ministry purchases and you desire the purchase to be a deduction in the year 2024, you may wish to make the purchase by the end of November. Because of the way our 1099s are calculated, December expenses are “reimbursed” out of January income, so the tax benefit on your 1099 would actually be considered a 2025 reimbursement. Regardless of when the purchase is made, you will still receive a tax benefit. However, we wanted you to be aware of these deadlines as you plan your expenses over the next few months.

New Meal Allowance Rates

The US Government issued updated Meal Allowance rates effective October 2024-September 2025. The standard daily rate within the Continental US has increased from $59 to $68. Please note that if you would like to take advantage of this on your October, November, and December financial reports, you should follow the instructions on the Mileage tab. You can adjust the report by following the steps listed for utilizing international meal allowance rates. If you have a question, please contact us at [email protected]. These new rates will be included as part of the 2025 Financial Report template, which will be available in mid-February 2025.

Financial Couriers

Missionaries occasionally have situations where they request that we send funds through a courier, rather than through normal banking channels. Often this is used when it is beneficial to have US cash brought into a country. We have established the following fiduciary guidelines to ensure full transparency and accountability whenever we distribute funds to an individual who is not a World Wide missionary. If you have questions about this process, please contact our office.

    • If the courier is a US Citizen, they must provide:
      1. A W-9 form for our records
      2. A government-issued photo ID, preferably a passport, that shows their citizenship status
      3. An ACH Credit form with their banking information
    • If the courier is a Non-US Citizen, they must provide:
      1. A W-8BEN form for our records
      2. A government-issued photo ID, preferably a passport, that shows their citizenship and visa status
      3. An ACH Credit form with their banking information

Additional Notes:
If funds will pass through multiple individuals before they reach the missionary, World Wide will need a list of each individual who will handle the funds, so that we can provide the courier with a chain of custody receipt. This receipt should be signed by each individual along the route. The missionary will then return the receipt to World Wide once funds are received.

The Missionary should confirm any restrictions for someone carrying cash into their country. Each country has its own laws about how much cash can be brought in, and whether it needs to be declared to customs officials.
Groups traveling together as they leave the US are limited to carrying a combined total of $10,000 without declaring it for customs purposes. There is no impact to them for declaring it. However, failure to declare funds in excess of $10,000 can result in penalties.

Faith Promise Cards

Thanks to a fellow missionary, our Faith Promise Cards are now available to download in Chinese, French, and Spanish.

The office has three different designs of English Faith Promise cards as well as two designs of Children’s Faith Promise Cards available for download or order. All Faith Promise Cards are free! Donations to help cover the cost of printing and shipping are accepted.

Find these and other helpful resources for your missions conference at helpmymissionsconference.com.

Absentee Voting

In order to vote in the November 2024 elections, all overseas U.S. citizens need to have completed a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) in 2024.  Whether you are a first-time voter or have already received ballots and voted absentee in past elections, you must complete an FPCA each year to participate in elections as an overseas absentee voter.  Click here for more information about registering to vote.

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 163: Family Fellowship Week – Chad Estep

Episode 164: Family Fellowship Week – Mike West

Episode 165: Family Fellowship Week – Georg & Opal Zimmer