FOWM to Celebrate 150th Project November 3

Friends of World Mission, established in 1965, is part of the ministry of the Department of World Mission of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

FOWM Enlistment Sunday is an annual event that provides an opportunity to thank members for their faithfulness and gives prospective members an opportunity to become part of a program that has raised $6.4 million to support mission projects that cannot be adequately funded as part of normal operational expenses.

The first FOWM appeal raised funds for a surgical-dental unit and the remodeling of existing buildings at the Karawa Hospital in Congo. "The difference was night and day," recalls former missionary to Congo Eileen Thorpe, whose husband, Roger, was a surgeon at the Karawa Hospital. "Before the surgical unit was completed, I remember nurses having to shoo kids away from the windows of the operating room because they obstructed light and fresh airflow. The operating area also lacked running water. FOWM met a real need at Karawa."

More than 3,000 members agreed to support World Mission through FOWM within three years. The current membership base totals 4,000 individuals who have contributed on average $50,000 per appeal. Other projects have included medical programs, leadership development, church construction and vehicle purchases.

"Without FOWM we wouldn't have been able to bring together and provide training for national church leaders, outfit new missionaries or provide the tools for development around the world," says Byron Amundsen, coordinator of missionary services. "FOWM has allowed us to provide our missionaries with ministry resources and tools they would not have been able to obtain otherwise."

For more information on Friends of World Mission Enlistment Sunday or to join FOWM, call Eric Carlson at 773-907-8325 or email him at fowm@covchurch.org. The FOWM web site can also be accessed at www.covchurch.org under FOWM on the pull-down menu on the home page.

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