Malaria is a terrible disease which has been eliminated in the southern parts of North America, kills the children of Africa at the rate of two per minute. By the time you finish reading this writing at least one child will have died from this fully preventable disease.

“Nothing but Nets” can put a medically treated net over the bed of a child for just $10.00. Many of you and our churches have already started participating.

At General Conference during the last week of April, your Northern Illinois Conference delegates accepted a challenge to raise $40,000 for “Nothing but Nets.” This will secure 4,000 nets and can save the lives of that many children and their families.

That may sound like a lot but here is what we need everyone to do:

Make a donation; get others in your church to make a donation. Get your youth involved, get your Sunday School classes involved, get your seniors involved, get men’s groups and women’s groups involved, get new members involved, get old members involved. Give the donation to your pastor or lay member to bring to Annual Conference.

Annual Conference begins June 5, so we need to get going! If we all raise $50.00 as individuals or each church in our Annual Conference raises $100 or more we will have the $40,000 we need. Involving our youth, our small groups, our congregations, or friends we should be able to do this for the dying children of Africa. We can do this and more!

Let’s save the lives of 4,000 children. Bring your gift for the Nothing but Nets Advance to Annual Conference.

Note: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is matching the bids received at General Conference and have agreed to match whatever the UMC raises up to $3,000,000 for this cause.

We can do this!