Fall mission events held across the Dakotas Conference in September have totaled over $232,000. The Dakotas Conference has been a long-time supporter of many mission events and activities.  Each fall several events are held throughout the conference to collect UMCOR kits and to focus on local, regional and global missions.

The value of the kits collected was $176,660. UMCOR kits will be taken to the UMCOR Depot West in Utah in the next few weeks. Kits and cash were collected at mission events—the Mission Café & Bakery held at Southern Hills UMC in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Prairie Hills East Mission Fair at Southeast Pierre Mission UMC in Pierre, South Dakota and Prairie Hills West at Rapid Valley UMC in Rapid City, South Dakota. Pack the Van locations at Bismarck Legacy UMC, Minot Vincent UMC, and Fargo Calvary UMC, all in North Dakota, provided opportunities for churches to drop off UMCOR kits.

The new Mission Café & Bakery was held on Saturday, September 24, at Southern Hills UMC, with a variety of food stations, a bakery, craft fair, silent auction, kids’ activities and live entertainment provided by local musicians: singer Bruce Dysthe and Christian band, One Way Up. UMCOR kits were also collected over five days at the church. Photo: Homemade pies were served at the Prairie Hills West mission event.

“Pack the Vans” provides an opportunity for churches to drop off UMCOR kits that have been assembled over the past year. The Dakotas Conference collects kits and brings them to UMCOR West in Utah. Semi-truck trailers were parked for a week at Calvary UMC in Fargo, North Dakota, Legacy UMC in Bismarck, North Dakota and Vincent UMC in Minot, North Dakota. All of the kits are then packed together in one trailer. Stops are made at the Conference Office in Mitchell, Pierre and Rapid City, South Dakota before the trip is made to Utah.

Southeast Pierre was home to the Prairie Hills East Mission Fair on Saturday, September 17th. The day included morning coffee, opening worship, a silent auction with homemade, handcrafted items, a bazaar sale with garden produce, houseplants, and baked goods and a live auction with quilts, banners and other larger items.

Rapid Valley UMC in Rapid City, South Dakota hosted the Prairie Hills West Mission Festival on Sunday, September 25th.  Karen Lantz spoke and shared video from her dairy goat project, which she initiated to assist widows and orphans in Uganda. Click here for more info.  A silent auction, food and collection of the UMCOR kits were all part of the celebration.

Photo: The members at Rapid Valley UMC served a light lunch for all at the mission fest. Many items were sold via silent auction, and the parking lot was overflowing.

The total cash received so far from all of the events is over $55,778. Over $12,000, plus moeny raised at the online quilt auction, will be distributed to Dakotas hunger projects in November.  Any local church in the Dakotas Conference that has a mission outreach ministry that serves the hungry is eligible for a grant.  Click here for more details.

The remaining funds will be distributed between Global Health, Dakotas Hunger and World Hunger. If you have kits or funds to contribute towards the fall mission efforts contact JoAnn Schlimgen at 605-990-7787 or by e-mail.