Missions Support Opportunity! Alan Thorimbert, IVCF Victoria
I grew up in a low-income family that was very good at hiding its financial needs. Because my parents never spoke about money, and my sisters and I attended a private school, and our cupboards and freezers were always full, the slight cracks that hinted towards my parents’ struggles with finances never made very big waves. It wasn’t until my third year of university that my sisters alerted to me to the reality that my dad had been without a job for several years when I had been young and that finances a big pressure on my parents’ marriage. As a kid with a penchant for searching for ways into Narnia, I had been oblivious to all of this.
I think that this has often been the relationship that missionaries have towards raising support for their ministries. Fundraising and the reliance on the support of individual Christians has been a hidden shame.
My own journey with fundraising so that I can serve as a Campus Minister with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship has not been without its difficulties. For my first two and a half years on staff, I limited my hours on campus to 2-3 days a week, so that I could focus on the networking that was required to build a consistent funding base. Thankfully during these years, I rarely felt the effects of fundraising needs on my personal finances - I rarely worried about covering rent or paying for groceries – But I did experience a kind of shame of having to communicate my limited hours to the students at SFU that I worked with. I often felt like I was only giving them half of myself. That of course was only partially true, but it was my lived experience.
Three years ago, when I made the decision to move to Victoria, I was aware that this would mean a renewed engagement in developing new support. Older staff mentors had let me know it was common to lose support when transitioning from one campus to another. What a surprise it was, that in my first month here in town, a new connection chose to make a monthly contribution of $1000/month. Neither my supervisor nor me had ever heard of such a thing. And the support and partnerships kept coming in over my first year mostly through special one-time gifts and matching grants. Before I knew it, I was entering into year of ministry fully funded – a reality I had barely hoped for.
And what a gift this past year has been. It has been such a joy to be a part of the many ways that God has been revealing himself to students at UVIC and Camosun. Not-yet-Christians are encountering Jesus, hospitality-based evangelism is thriving, and we are seeing students step into places of leadership. There is so much to be thankful for.
However, throughout 2023 I was aware that in the following year I would need new monthly and annual support, and I put time to work towards this. I saw new supporters start, but I also said goodbye to supporters who had felt called to give elsewhere. Over the last two months, the need to raise support became more pressing. This past month, in conversations wit my supervisor, we decided that I would limit my weekly hours on campus with students to 8 hours a week, to focus on raising new monthly and annual support. We made this decision out of a value to steward resources well, and not place my personal ministry account into a deficit. A good and wise decision, I think. As Josh mentioned at the Table’s recent AGM, “Vision should follow money. If we don’t have the money, we don’t do it.” It has been difficult to share with students about my limited hours, but I have appreciated the space it has given me to demonstrate what it looks like to be wise stewards of the resources God gives us to be faithful witnesses in the world. UVIC students are also seeing this as an opportunity to lead. What a different story from my first few years on staff.
Even more encouraging, in the passage five weeks I have seen God provide in abundance. Over $8800 has been given through new monthly support and special one-time gifts. This means that my monthly need for 2024 has gone down to $700/month. Praise God for this provision.
My goal over the next 2-4 months is to raise $1400 more per month through new monthly and annual donations. This is larger than my current annual need but is realistically what is needed to provide long-term sustainability. Being fully funded for one year is great, but I would like to move towards starting each year fully funded.
Over the last two years, the Table has been an incredible source of partnership, friendship and support. Here’s how you can continue to advocate and support InterVarsity and student ministry in Victoria:
1) Pray for God’s provision. I’ve begun viewing my limited campus hours and focus on fundraising as a kind of Lenten Fast. As I raise support, I am also spending time asking God to be provider for the ministry and asking God what he might have to say to me and students as I serve in a limited capacity.
2) Consider starting a small $25-$50/monthly donation. Do you know it costs roughly $37 to cover a weekly 1-1 mentorship meeting with a student? Sometimes we think small, monthly contributions don’t make a big difference, but that’s not actually true. Small, consistent donations add up.
3) Advocate: Do you have friends or know leaders in local churches who have a passion for seeing the next generation grow as faithful followers of Jesus? What could it look like to advocate to them on my behalf?
It really does take a community of students, campus ministers, and local churches to see students lives in Victoria transformed. Thank you for being a part of that community. How might God be inviting you to partner with him this year to see students encounter Jesus?
-Alan Thorimbert, AThorimbert@ivcf.ca
Alan’s personal fundraising page through IVCF can be found here.
