Readers to Leaders, a $500,000 life-changing fundraising campaign to support children in communities across Michigan and in Liberia, kicks off with a webinar on September 14.

Churches and individuals interested in learning about the Michigan Conference’s Readers to Leaders fundraising campaign are invited to a free lunch-and-learn webinar on Wednesday, September 14, from noon to 1pm.

Downloadable resources to equip congregations in promoting the campaign can be found on the Readers to Leaders web page. 

Webinar participants will hear how vital scholarships funded by the Readers to Leaders campaign will help send children to United Methodist-affiliated schools in Liberia and Michigan. The Michigan Conference is asking each congregation to raise at least $600 to reach the fundraising goal of $500,000 by May 1, 2023.

Panelists include representatives from both the Liberia Scholarship Program and the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools Program in Michigan, which benefit from this campaign. They will share firsthand experience of the impact this campaign will have at their schools.

Campaign co-leaders Lisa Batten and Rev. Jon Reynolds, who presented the Conference-adopted initiative at this year’s Annual Conference, will speak to practical ways congregations can support this campaign. They’ll also provide a list of 15 ways a congregation can raise $600.

Financially supporting these scholarships also reminds churches to continue to find creative ways to support children in local schools near them. Read this article to learn 50 ways congregations can engage schools in their communities.

The webinar will set aside time at the end for questions from live participants.

Congregations ready to give to the Readers to Leaders campaign should send a check to the Conference Treasurer with the phrase “Readers to Leaders Campaign #4415” in the memo. The address is: Michigan Conference Center North, 1161 E. Clark Rd., Ste 212, DeWitt, MI 48820. Donations from individuals can also be made online via Paypal using this secure link.

For those unable to participate in the live event, the webinar will be recorded for later viewing and posted on the Readers to Leaders web page. 

Last Updated on February 7, 2023