If you have been wondering what it looks like to support our family on the mission field, then this info is for you! Here are a handful of questions we’re asked when talking with potential ministry partners. If you have more questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us – we’d love to talk with you.
Why do you need to raise funds in order to move to the mission field?
We are going to El Salvador through the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)’s missions agency, Mission to the World (MTW). Unlike missions agencies that provide a portion or all of their missionaries’ funding needs through pooled giving from churches in the denomination, MTW asks all missionaries to raise 100% of their own support for the entire length of their time of service. There are 3 main benefits to this:
- This method provides stable funding for MTW’s 800+ missionaries without having to worry that the denomination’s resources will fluctuate or be spread too thin, resulting in missionaries being called back from the field.
- The process of support raising provides excellent training for new missionaries to practice trusting God and depending on Him for everything as He moves in the hearts of those who decide to invest in their ministry.
- Raising support through gifts from many individuals, families, and churches allows significantly more people to become intimately invested in the missionaries’ ministry, know them personally, and be deeply connected, because “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)
What kind of support do you need?
In order to plant a church in El Salvador and complete our first 4-year commitment, our greatest need is ministry partners who give on a monthly basis in order to provide stable funding for the length of our ministry. We also have one-time needs that include the cost of our training, relocation, and language acquisition.
When do you need monthly support to begin?
We must be fully funded before we can move to El Salvador. This means that our ministry partners have pledged to give 100% of what we need each month, not that we have 4 years’ worth of funds in our account.
To move in August 2023, MTW asks that all of our monthly pledges begin by June 1, 2023. As partners have begun to give already, those gifts build up in our support account and go towards our one-time needs.
What sorts of things does my gift provide?
Your monthly gift allows us to do ministry in El Salvador by connecting with people from all walks of life, building relationships, sharing the Gospel, serving our community in tangible ways, and beginning to meet together as a church.
Some examples of this might include being able to host a neighborhood block party to meet our neighbors, purchasing resources to offer a weekly Learn-English class to Salvadorans, renting a building for the church to meet in, or putting on a Vacation Bible School event for kids in the community. The sky is the limit when it comes to how to creatively meet people and make Jesus’ love known. Learn more about our team’s mission in El Salvador.
Your monthly gift also allows our family to live in El Salvador. MTW gives us a set amount from our funding as a salary, and this is used to provide for all our basic living needs – housing, car, insurance, groceries, school, etc.
In addition to ministry and living expenses, there are a handful of other less exciting fees involved with doing mission work overseas. These things include FICA taxes, travel insurance, worker’s comp, long-term disability insurance, support from the MTW office, etc. Lots of stuff we didn’t think about when we started this process!
Is my gift tax-deductible?
Yes! Mission to the World PCA, Inc. (MTW) is a 501c3 tax-exempt organization and your support contributions are tax-deductible.
Can I give online or by check?
You can give either way! You can mail a check to MTW, P.O. Box 744165, Atlanta, GA 30374-4165, and please provide our name and support number in the memo (Clay & Hannah Jones, #400699).
To set up monthly giving online or give a one-time donation, you can do so on our giving page on MTW’s website.
Are you notified when someone sets up a gift?
No. We are not able to see that someone has set up a gift online until it actually posts to our account. We also aren’t able to see if the gift was intended to recur (monthly, quarter, annually, etc.) There is an option to add a comment on your gift (right next to the Anonymous Yes/No option), and if you plan to support us on a recurring basis, we would love it if you let us know.
We’ve had a few ministry partners tell us they had trouble getting their gift set up to recur. If you have any trouble or questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us (jhannah4122@gmail.com) or MTW’s donations office: 1-866-373-6133