Everyone should give whatever they have decided in their heart. They shouldn’t give with hesitation or because of pressure. God loves a cheerful giver. God has the power to provide you with more than enough of every kind of grace. That way, you will have everything you need always and in everything to provide more than enough for every kind of good work. 2 Corinthians 9:7-8, CEB

Join the millions of United Methodists across the Dakotas and the world coming together to joyfully share gifts with missions and ministries on Giving Tuesday, December 3, 2024.

Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good by sharing their gifts. Over the past nine years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

It is an invitation to radical generosity—the concept that the suffering of others should be as intolerable to us as our own suffering. Radical generosity invites people to give what they can to create systemic change to transform the world.

You can give through the United Methodist Global Ministries Advance Funds. When you give through the Advance, 100% of your gift goes to serve others in the way that you choose. Here are some Dakotas Conference missions and ministries that you can donate through Advance Funds on Giving Tuesday:

• Solar Oven Partners — Volunteers fabricate oven components here in the Dakotas. Solar ovens and solar cooking seminars are brought to small communities in the Dominican Republic, Sierra Leone, and the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. Solar ovens bring the benefits of healthy cooking, diversion of fuel costs to other family needs, and even potential of using the solar oven to supplement the family income.  Read Facebook updates and follow SOP here.
   
• Tree of Life — Tree of Life is a relief agency located in Mission, South Dakota, on the Rosebud Reservation, serving several of the poorest counties in the United States. The reservation has an 80% unemployment rate. The ministries of Tree of Life include: The Warm Welcome feeding program and food pantry, Tree of Life Boutique­ ­thrift store, and a construction ministry. 

Alternatively, please give directly to these Dakotas Conference mission ministries:

• Bakken Oil Rush Ministry in Watford City, North Dakota — Bakken Oil Rush Ministry is a foundational, caring outreach that helps people in Watford City, providing needed items through the thrift store. The ministry connects with the community through a quarterly gathering, bringing families together for a meal and devotional. The Bakken Oil Rush Ministry in Watford City works in partnership annually with community supporters through the Comedy Café fundraising event to offset operational expenses. The ultimate ministry goal is to help people find a place where they feel cared for and where Watford City feels like home. 
   
• Dakotas United Methodists Camps— If camp has been meaningful to you and your family, please consider "paying it forward" with a financial gift to Dakotas United Methodist Camps. Visit Dakotas Methodist Foundation to donate. Select the green Give button in the Designated Gift option. Choose either a one-time or recurring gift. Enter the amount and scroll down to designate which campsite you would like to support: Storm Mountain Center, Wesley Acres Camp, or Lake Poinsett Camp. Or you may also choose to donate to the camp scholarship fund.
   
• Spirit Lake Ministry Center in North Dakota —The Spirit Lake Ministry Center is dedicated to supporting the peoples of the Spirit Lake Nation and is an approved United Methodist Volunteer in Mission destination. The Spirit Lake Ministry Center hosts volunteer teams from all over the country every year. These Volunteer in Mission (VIM) teams perform light construction and maintenance on homes, Tribal buildings, and grounds on the reservation and provide children's activities. Spirit Lake Ministry Center coordinates Shoebox Christmas gifts to over 6,000 children across the reservations of North Dakota, South Dakota and into Minnesota. Spirit Lake Ministry Center is also home to The Journey, a congregation worshipping every Sunday evening and reaching out to serve the people of the Spirit Lake Nation. 

You can also give to these and other Conference-related missions and ministries through the Dakotas Methodist Foundation.

On December 3, 2024, live generously by supporting the work of United Methodist ministries to transform lives on #GivingTuesday.