Q1) What are the objectives of the 2 Sponsorship Schemes?
- Provide care for needy children, youths and young adults in Methodist Missions Society (MMS) mission field through an environment that will meet their spiritual, emotional, intellectual, social, and physical needs so that they may be better equipped for life.

- Reach out to the children (and families) in the community that they may know Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.

- Help children break the shackles of poverty and illiteracy by providing basic education that will equip them for life.

- To interest Christians to further the Kingdom of God and experience an extraordinary life building effort.

- Encourage missionaries / local staff and support their work.


Q2) How can I become a sponsor? Can I sponsor a child online?
- Yes, you can sponsor a child right now by Signup Online here, or

- Simply Download Form, print out and fill in this form, and then post it to MMS. We will assess your requirements and get back to you as soon as possible.


Q3) What are the criteria to become a sponsor?
- Sponsors may be an individual, a couple, family, small group or Sunday School class.

- Groups who want to become sponsors should nominate ONE person to be the contact person.


Q4) How many students or children can I sponsor at one time?
- There is no hard and fast rule. You should sponsor the number of children that you are led to provide love and care for.


Q5) How long is the commitment?
- We encourage sponsorship of at least one year. But in order to build a meaningful relationship with a child, a sponsorship of at least two years is encouraged.

- To guarantee that the maximum amount of support reaches the child each month, it is important that every sponsor makes an effort to pay regularly and on time.


Q6) How long is a child in the Sponsorship Scheme?
- The goal of the programme is to serve as a passage - bringing a child to that happy day when sponsorship is no longer necessary. This is the day when this child and his family are ready to move on with the blessings of health, education, training, and hope for the future.

- That is the time when a sponsor is offered the opportunity to sponsor another little boy or girl and provide the assistance that child and his or her family needs to become more self-reliant.

- The length of sponsorship will be different for each child. That's because sponsorship is affected by many factors: the child's age when sponsorship begins, the family and community's circumstances, progress in the sponsorship project, and more.

- One of the most satisfying experiences of sponsorship is watching your child and his or her family become healthy and self-reliant, leaving sponsorship behind. That's the moment when you can take the hand of another child who needs your help.

- Many sponsors have helped change the life of one child after another. As many sponsors tell us, "Once you sponsor, you'll never want to stop!"


Q7) Who are the beneficiaries?
- The students come from communities where MMS is involved in outreach or church planting work.

- The students come from families whose household incomes are below poverty line.

- The child must be recommended by the local church pastor or the missionary based in the country.

- The renewal of scholarships will be reviewed annually, and will be based on the child's satisfactory academic and disciplinary performance.


Q8) Can I choose the recipients?
- Due to the large number of children to be sponsored, it is not possible to let you chose the child. But you may state your preference (eg, age, gender, country, region, birthdate, orphaned child or disabled child) and we will do the closest match for you.


Q9) How much do I sponsor? What is my contribution?
- The sponsorship amount for these needy children and students depends on whether the child is resident in one of our homes or non-residential:

      Student Sponsorship Scheme (Non-Residential) - S$45 per student per month (minimum 12 months commitment)

             + Cambodia (Methodist School of Cambodia)
             + Laos (Singapore Mission School)
             + Nepal
             + Thailand (Vineyard Methodist School)
             + Timor-Leste (St Paul Methodist School)

      Student Sponsorship Scheme (Residential) - S$110 per student per month (minimum 12 months commitment)

             + Cambodia (Community Outreach Services Immanuel (COSI) Children's Village)
             + Cambodia (COS-Youth Hostel)
             + Nepal (Sophia's Home)
             + Thailand (Mettakij Hostel)
             + Thailand (Term Fun Home)
             + Timor-Leste (Sundermeier Home)

Q10) Where does the money go to? How is the money spent? What are the benefits?
- Your contribution will go directly to the residential home or school.

- Your contribution will be used to defray school fees, textbooks, meals at school, uniform, stationery, transport and pocket money.

- For a child at one of MMS homes, he/she will receive food, clothing, proper shelter with beds and toilets, medical attention, and education. Christian values and skills are also taught to better equip the child for a life of hope.

- These Sponsorship Schemes offer more than just monetary benefits. Practical help provided through the sponsorship will help our MMS missionaries in the harvest field to build closer and more meaningful relationships with these children.

- Sponsors and recipients are also encouraged to get to know each other. This will help to further promote our ministry objectives of reaching out with the love of Christ.

- The children will be taught the word of God and trained to become disciples of Christ.

- Without a doubt, the building of this loving relationship will change a child's life - and yours!


Q11) What will I get as a sponsor?
- Within two weeks, you should receive a call or email from MMS giving you further details and an ID number.

- With the ID number, you can log on to the MMS website and view details of your sponsored child/student.

- You will also receive an annual "report card" on your child's well-being and education.


Q12) What's next after I'm a sponsor now?
- God is definitely using you to bring help and hope to these children you sponsor through MMS. 

- Review the Sponsor’s Kit at the Sponsor Login. The kit explains how to connect with your sponsored child through:

      + PRAYER: For salvation and growth in the Lord. That he/she will receive a good education.

      + CORRESPONDENCE: Build a relational bond with the child so that both you and the child's life will be enriched and transformed. We will provide you with the child's bio-data to facilitate relationship building.

      + VISITATION: Make a mission trip or a short trip to show the child and his/her community the love of Jesus through your actions.

- You will be astounded by how satisfying a little effort can be to both you and your sponsored child.


Q13) How else can I be involved in besides the Sponsorship Schemes?
- You can provide valuable support by giving a one-time love gift, or pledging to give regularly towards the work of MMS.

- You can pray for us by becoming a prayer partner to uphold these ministries before the Throne of Grace. You will be included on our MMS PrayerConnect circulation list. 

- You can spend time with MMS missionaries by making a short trip to these areas to serve the children, to love them and to teach them. You can also reach out to the community at large through medical, educational and evangelistic programmes.


Q14) Is MMS involved in foreign adoptions?
- MMS provides assistance to needy children in their own countries and does not support arrangements for adoptions.


Q15) What should I do to discontinue the Sponsorship?
- You could simply write or email to MMS regarding the decision to discontinue the sponsorship. Please allow two months for us to process as we will need to find another sponsor for the child/student.

- For written response, write to the Administration Manager, state “Discontinue Sponsorship”, and post it to MMS. 
 

- For email response, email to mms@methodist.org.sg