In this Connections video, Bishop Ward invites every church to be in mission with Project AGAPE. Watch the video above or read the text below.
Grace and peace to you in this season of Easter light and life and overflowing joy. We welcome Nara Melkonyan into our midst during this month. Nara, for 15 years, has been the project director for Project AGAPE, a shared mission of the North Carolina Conference and the Western North Carolina Conference.
Over 20 years ago, a vision was cast to respond to the great needs of the people of Armenia and across these two decades, our conferences have been richly blessed in partnership with Christians in Armenia, the oldest Christian nation in the world. Jesus sent Thaddeus and Batholomew to carry the Good News of the Gospel to the people of Armenia.
I invite your church to be directly involved in this unique mission of North Carolina United Methodists with Christians in Armenia. You can do this by giving your gifts, your offerings. Funds are needed to continue the ministry through the hospital and through the school and the other ministries with children in Armenia. You are also invited to prepare Christmas boxes in plastic shoe boxes.
You will find on the website the things that are needed in each box. We will be collecting these across this year, with a target date of the last two weekends in September. The boxes will be collected from churches in the Western North Carolina Conference and in our annual conference and they will be shipped to Armenia in time for Christmas.
I hope that you will plan ahead as you think of your mission participation and include Project AGAPE. Thank you for your partnership in this important work.