[1]ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)–Church groups and individuals will have the opportunity to participate in live online “chat” sessions with missionaries of the North American Mission Board March 4 and March 8 as part of the Week of Prayer for North American Missions.
The chats are part of an Internet-based collection of resources related to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering (AAEO) for North American Missions at www.anniearmstrong.com [2]. The site has drawn more than 9,000 visitors since it became active in December.
During the chat session, a group of missionaries featured during the March 4-11 Week of Prayer emphasis will be available to answer questions from individuals and groups participating during Sunday or Wednesday evening activities.
The March 4 session will be held from 4-6 p.m. EST. A second session, ideal for mission groups, will be held from 6-11 p.m. EST on March 7. The extended time frame allows for people in various time zones to connect at a time that is convenient for them.
A listing of featured missionaries and times is available on the www.anniearmstrong.com website.
Based on one recent weekly poll that is a new feature of the site this year, 59 percent of site visitors say they will participate in one of the chat sessions. Of those, 56 percent say they will participate as part of a group.
[3]The poll has also revealed that the Week of Prayer poster is the most popular promotion tool for the offering, with 82 percent of respondents saying their church used them. Other methods in order of popularity are AAEO envelopes (74 percent), prayer guides (71 percent), Week of Prayer videos (65 percent), clip art (65 percent) and bulletin inserts (59 percent).
Woman’s Missionary Union directors are most likely to be leaders of AAEO promotion efforts in churches, identified by two thirds of respondents in another week’s poll. Fifteen percent of respondents said pastor led promotion, 9 percent said the minister of missions led the efforts, and 8 percent indicated “other.”
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