January 17, 2005 - AIM Rocks: AIM Is For You

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AIM Rocks: AIM Is For You
By Scott and Suzi McGarvey
January 17, 2005

(Editor’s Note: This is the second in a six part series on working overseas for a season of your life.)

Can you create a flyer? Build a website? Lay out a marketing plan? Clean a toilet? Do you know how to use a copier or a tape measure and power tools? Are you qualified to sit with a stranger and chat for a few hours over coffee? Teach English or a Bible study? Pass out fliers? Cook a meal for others? Host a party? Can you pray? Can you be a friend?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you might qualify to be an Associate in Missions.

“But, wait,” you stammer, “You’re moving too fast for me. I don’t have my ministerial license and I certainly don’t want to be a preacher or a missionary.” Guess what? Neither do we. And yet, there are a thousand things to be done in the kingdom of God, and most don’t happen behind a pulpit. There is no better place to put your individual talents to work than the Kingdom of God. AIM gives you that opportunity!

Take AIM
The Associates In Missions (AIM) program gives anyone 18 or older the chance to assist a United Pentecostal Church International missionary outside the U.S. for a short period of time (usually 3-12 months). While specifically a UPCI program, many other Apostolic organizations have similar initiatives. The concept is the same: seasonal, volunteer, overseas ministry.

Though some AIMers are used in traditional “pulpit ministries,” there are a myriad of other ways you can help as an AIMer. The fact of the matter is that churches on the mission field are just like any stateside church. They need people to take care of outreach, music, teaching, administration, maintenance, discipleship, prayer, and Sunday school.

For example, many missionaries are working in metro areas, but don't have a presence on the web. There is a need for decent web designers to crank out quality product and help educate the missionaries on keeping it updated.

Missionaries are reaching out into commercially savvy countries, not just cities, and some have very little marketing or PR background. They know how to pray, teach and preach, but need assistance from those with marketing experience to help them create advertising campaigns, flyers, and broadsheets.

So, living in a southern hemisphere, third-world country doesn’t appeal to you? There are opportunities to help all over Europe. In Eastern Europe alone, there are only five UPCI missionary families to reach over 125 million people. That’s half the population of the USA. Can you imagine trying to reach out to everyone west of the Mississippi using just the people in your Sunday school class? There’s no way they can do it without help in every area.

Whether you want an experience vastly different than yours or something as close to home as possible, you can work in any culture or living condition that piques your interest. Missionaries all over the world need your help right now.

AIM is Seven Easy Steps Away!

1. Pray about it—without God’s leading and blessing, you’re shadow-boxing.

2. Talk to your pastor about it.

3. Evaluate your talents and personality. Certain personalities are better suited to certain parts of the world. Matching your personality to the personality of a country can help ensure your success.

4. Contact your organization’s foreign missions department to see how or where your specific talents could be used.

5. Contact missionaries in the region you are interested in helping.

6. Fill out an AIM application (available through your pastor or contact your specific foreign missions division).

7. After your application is approved, raise your funds.

What About The Cash?
Your budget will depend on your length of time onsite. Initially, you will need to consider housing, food, and airfare. You also should budget for public transportation, internet, cell phone, in-country travel (to conferences and other meetings), language study, and insurance. The UPCI’s Foreign Missions Division provides you with some information regarding expenses, as well as with connections to an overseas insurance provider. However, you should communicate closely with your onsite missionary to determine your budget’s details.

Most folks don’t have an extra $5,000 - $10,000 set aside for living overseas. Start raising your funds as soon as your approval is received. While the AIM program does not allow for fund-raising travel (i.e. deputation), you can raise funds by appealing to friends, family, and fellow church members. A letter from you and an accompanying letter of recommendation from your pastor should suffice.

Be creative with your appeal. Do you know a business person that has excess frequent flyer miles? Ask for a donation of mileage points to use toward your airfare. Depending on your assignment, your work abroad may qualify for assistance from a leadership or community action group like the Lion’s, Rotary, or Kiwanis clubs.

You will need at least 50 percent of your budget raised before arriving on the field. As an AIMer, your contributions can be handled personally, by your local church or via the Foreign Missions Division (FMD). Understand that the FMD will assess certain fees to administer your account.

If funding isn’t readily available, consider an exchange program at work or study abroad while in school. These may cover room and board as well as a small stipend and still give you time to work with the local church.

Still not sure where your skills could be best used or if the AIM program is for you? Feel free to contact us, we’d love to talk to you!

ninetyandnine.com

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Scott and Suzi McGarvey are honing their skills as web designers, Bible School teachers, tour guides, coffee buddies, and prayer partners as AIMers in the Czech Republic.