Advance Special Information and Five Star Church Program Information
The Rio Texas Conference Advance
The Advance connects us in mission. The Advance began in 1948 as an official program of the United Methodist Church, through which voluntary, designated financial support is given by individuals or local churches for approved projects.
The Rio Texas Conference Advance program is modeled on The Advance of the General Board of Global Ministries. It is an accountable, designated, “second-mile” giving arm of the annual conference and it ensures that 100% of each gift reaches its intended mission or ministry. You, the donor, decide which program or ministry to support through the Rio Texas Advance. The Conference Treasurer’s Office receives and processes your gift, forwards it to the project, and “credits” your church for the gift. The project receives 100% of every contribution your make through the Rio Texas Advance program.
Five Star Church
The conference’s Five Star Church Program was developed in 1990 to encourage local churches in the Rio Texas Conference to grow in mission giving and mission outreach every year. Five Star churches receive an award certificate and special Annual Conference recognition of their giving through the Advance.
“Five Star” is the designation and recognition given to Rio Texas Conference congregations that participate in the Advance program by doing the following things every year:
- Paying 100% of their apportionments
- Contributing toward UMCOR Sunday (formerly called One Great Hour of Sharing)
- Contributing in each of the following FIVE mission categories
A. One Rio Texas district or conference Advance project
(online catalog)
B. One national Advance project outside the bounds of the Rio Texas Conference
(go to https://advance.umcmission.org/ to search online for a national project)
C. One international Advance project
(go to https://advance.umcmission.org/ to search online for an international project)
D. One UMCOR project
(see the list below)
E. Support for a Global Ministries missionary
(go to https://advance.umcmission.org/ and click on “Missionaries”)
Suggested UMCOR projects (item D above)
3001 UMCOR – Undesignated
3010 Disaster – USA
3016 International Disaster
3019 Church World Service, CROP Hunger Walk
3031 UMCOR Depot, Sager-Brown
3065 Maua Hospital Maternal and Child Health Program
3124 Heifer International, Living Gifts
3133 Justice for Our Neighbors
3166 Clean Water and Sanitation
3197 Anti-Human Trafficking
Online Rio Texas Advance Project Catalog for 2021-2024 for Rio Texas District and Conference Advance projects.
Click on https://advance.umcmission.org/ to search online for the code numbers for:
(1) a national Advance project outside of the bounds of the Rio Texas Conference
(2) an international Advance project in another country
(3) a United Methodist missionary supported by the General Board of Global Ministries.
Please note:
ALL Advance giving toward Five Star status must be sent through the Conference Treasurer’s office so there will be an automatic Conference record of the church's giving for every project.
Applying for Listing as an Approved Rio Texas Advance project
The Rio Texas Conference Transforming Communities Vision Team coordinates the Advance program for the Rio Texas Annual Conference. The Vision Team accepts applications for Advance status from projects operating within the bounds of the Annual Conference and reviews each of them.
Click here to download the current Advance application form for the years 2021-2024
Download the application guidelines.
Applications can also be obtained by contacting:
Nicole Alabi, Rio Texas Conference Office
nicolea@riotexas.org; (210) 408-4514
Applications are now being accepted on a rolling-basis as of February 2021.
Please direct questions to one of these two people:
Diana Woods
Advance/5 Star Program/Harvest Sunday Offering Coordinator
(512) 917-9072
bumccommunitypartner@gmail.com
Ruby Hernandez
Accounts Receivable
Rio Texas Conference
(210) 408-4523
rubyh@riotexas.org
Revised March 2021