An Appeal to support the MWR

Hi,

My name is Andrea Gentile and I am a Christian Missionary serving in Italy with Team Expansion. I am representing the organizers and the attendees of the Mid-Winter Rally – a gathering of Christian missionaries, US ex-pats, and other believers living and serving in Europe.

You may have not heard about the Mid-Winter Rally, but this annual gathering has been a blessing for many years as a time of rest and encouragement for men, women, and children in post-Christian Europe.

A little bit of History.

Thanks to the visionary efforts of Guy Mayfield – a Chaplain of the US Air Force stationed in Europe in the early 1950s – many US missionaries came to serve the cause of Christ in Germany, France, Italy, and Belgium. Their service throughout Europe was foundational in planting churches and establishing leaders among believers in Europe right after World War II. These missionaries and church leaders served the spiritual and material needs of many Europeans and of many ex-pats living in those countries. They, however, longed for a time of rest, encouragement, and greater unity with one another; hence the Mid-Winter Rally was created.

For many years, the Rally was held in Germany, but beginning with the Rally in 2009 it was decided to make it an itinerant event held in different European nations. Although it has gone through financial ups and downs, the Rally has always been self-funded. However, the events of the past few years – the COVID pandemic, the prolonged lockdowns, the rise of inflation and living expenses – have not allowed the Rally to organize face-to-face events and have discouraged potential participants from registering and contributing financially to its ongoing ministry.

The Reason for this Funding Campaign

This year, after the easing of the COVID restrictions, we began organizing the Rally in Rome, Italy. It will take place between December 29th, 2022, and January 2nd, 2023. However, we need help to jumpstart the finances of the Rally by creating a fund from which we can pay the initial expenses and which can be subsequently replenished by its attendees. The present funds in the Rally account are currently about $400.

For this year’s Rally, we are hoping to have about 75 participants among which there will be a speaker from the US for the adult sessions and a team of college students for the children’s activities; these are volunteers who cover their own expenses. The total costs for 4 nights of lodging, conference rooms, and meals is around € 22,500.00, which averages to € 300.00 per person for the entire period. A family of 4 then would spend € 1200,00 (not counting travel expenses).

For the above reasons, the organizers of the Mid-Winter Rally would like your help to create a fund of €23,000.00. Would you consider donating to this ministry to help serve the need to be encouraged and receive some greatly needed rest from the ministry of missionaries, ex-pats, and other believers living and serving in Europe?

How the funds will be used?

Having a fund of € 23,000.00 will help us do the following:

How to support the MWR

If you are interested in supporting this ministry you can:

Thank you for prayerfully considering helping the spiritual needs of those who serve in various ways in Europe. May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you as you are a blessing to others.

In Christ
Andrea Gentile and the Mid-Winter Rally organizers