Payment Options

Funding Options

While Federal Aid (Title IV Funding) is not available for Fusion, the good news is there are multiple payment funding options available for Fusion participants.  

Please visit fastweb.com or your private leander for scholarship and loan options.  Also search the web for other options.  

Raising support for Fusion is also a possibility.  Many students choose to raise support to offset the cost of Fusion. Raising money through your home church is the best option.  The money that is raised can be sent directly to Midwestern to be credited to your account. 



For specific information on Fusion funding options, contact Sharon Inda (MBTS Business Office)
816-414-3716

Payment Options

The total cost of Fusion is $15,000 ($10500 for the stateside portion and $4500 for the international portion). The following rules apply for paying for Fusion:


1.  Students DO NOT owe the international portion ($4500) until November 1st.

2.  Students MUST have to have a plan communicated to MBTS to pay for the $10500 at the beginning of the semester (August 4).   There are three options to pay for the Fall portion ($10500). 

      A.   In full: Whether the student is paying for the entire year or if they will carry a balance after scholarships or loans, they can pay in full.  If a student or their parents are paying in full, they have until the official first day of school (August 20) 2012) too make that payment to the MBTS Business Office (816-414-3716). This payment has to be made by check, debit, or credit card. 

      B.  Payment Plan: The school has a payment plan called FACTS through which a student can make payments throughout the semester (either on the $10500 total or on the balance after financial assistance).  If a student is planning on using FACTS, they need to know two things:

               i.  FACTS has to be set up by August 4. This cannot wait any longer. 

               ii.  On the day you set up a FACTS payment plan, youwill be required to made a down payment and then an automatic payment plan can be set up for direct draft (they can use a credit card for this portion of the payment process). 
                A helpful site is: http://www.mbts.edu/current_students/business_office/payment_options/


      C.  Loans: If students are interested in taking out loans, they should contact their bank or credit union.  

  

 
Important information concerning paying for Fusion
 Fusion works alongside Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to provide accredited and transferable theological and applicable education. Therefore, Fusion follows the same guidelines and policies as every other student enrolled in the MBTS system. 

School policy states that if a student does not provide a payment plan either by August 4th (FACTS) or August 24th to pay in full, they will be dropped from the school and will no longer be a student at the institution. This is normal policy at any school in the nation, and is the honest and ethical way of handling reciprocity for their services. 

If a student signs up for FACTS (anticipating a balance that they will pay off throughout the semester, and they raise support from family, friends, or a church, the school can and will change their FACTS payment plan – and they will cancel the payment plan if they raise the remainder of the balance). 

If the student does not pay the $4500 for the international balance by November 1st, they will NOT be allowed to travel overseas with the rest of the FUSION students. This money has to be transferred to IMB, and they have to buy plane tickets in advance for international travel. 


You can pay by cash, check, or by credit card (through your student protal). 





Raising Money for Fusion

Many students choose to raise support to offset the cost of Fusion. Listed below are some ideas to help you raise funds to pay for Fusion.  
 

  1. Make a List of People you Know
Include friends, relatives, co-workers, church members, acquaintances, schoolteachers, professors, community leaders, coaches, etc.

-Get addresses, phone numbers, email addresses

****Do not rule anyone out; you do not know their heart.
 
  1. Write a rough-draft support letter
Make sure to include:

    1. Who you are—Add a picture (It helps people remember)
Microsoft Publisher has a good template

    1. Express your heart/passions/desire for this experience…. Why is it important to you? How can they benefit by sending you?
    2. Your financial need
    3. How they can send money---Include a slip like the one provided to send with their checks
***Have a least one person proofread it for errors prior to sending it out


  1. Include a prayer card with your letter
This should have your picture on it along with any prayer requests you want people to be lifting you up in during your trip or semester. This gives people another way to join your team if financially they cannot support you. 

*Trust me, this is just as, if not more, important than a financial team.


*Send letters out at least 1-2 months in advance of Fusion or simultaneously during your semester.
 

  1. Set-up speaking engagements
These can include individuals, community partnerships, churches, etc.

This is important to get more people on your team and to possibly meet new people that might want to be on your team in the future. The focus here is not necessarily just money, but articulating your desire and vision and showing people how they can be a part of it through supporting you. 

-          At these events you will want to go through exactly what you would write in a letter, and also include a Question & Answer session so that people will have the chance to not only get to know you better, but find out what you are setting out to do as well. 

  1. Follow-Up Letters
Make sure to keep in contact with your supporters and prayer team. Send updates periodically on your progress or need so that they can continue to join in what you are doing. Sending pictures is always great because it gives them a tangible, visual thing to help them understand. 

  1. Pray, Pray, Pray!
Most importantly pray in all things. God has money and people to put in your life. Sometimes he leads us one way and then things might change. Be willing and open to where he is leading, even if that means it is not this trip at this time. This is the most important and effective tool for raising support.

 


Support Letter Examples

In this section you will find samples of financial support letters for you to adapt. Please feel free to make changes or to write your own. Should you choose the latter, we suggest it be kept to one page; be upbeat, clear and specific. We encourage you to send this letter to friends, family and members of your church congregation. You will find the process much less stressful if you mail them as soon as possible. In addition to the letter, you may wish to include a self-addressed return envelope. 

You could ask your home church and your college church to assist you in raising money. They may have a missions fund or know of suggested donors or classes that may support. If possible, you could give a presentation to the congregation or a particular church ministry. In addition, it may be useful to ask a particular group (i.e. your parents’ Bible study, the senior adult ministry, the GA’s, etc.) to “adopt” you financially or prayerfully. If a group has made an “official” partnership with you, they may be more likely to be committed and continued supporters.   

Some students raise their money through creative events or services, such as a car wash or babysitting. These may be done on a large scale within your community, or you may choose to approach specific ministries, groups or families. For instance, ask to serve at your church’s next prayer breakfast or senior luncheon – for tips! Approach the women’s ministry with the idea of a “Date Night” – for a fee, they may drop their kids off on a Friday night for three hours of play. Ask your church to use their facilities and enlist a group of friends for help.

Donors may have questions as to the organization coordinating your trip or the exact nature of your trip. Please feel free to direct them to the Fusion office at Midwestern.  Please call 816-414-3767. 

Be certain to log who donates money for your trip. You will want to properly thank them upon your return. You may choose to send a thank-you letter and pictures, or you may choose to write a story about a person you met while abroad. Your church may also ask you to share with the congregation your experience.    

IMPORTANT! Make sure you include the tear off slip for individuals to donate to your account!

 

 
EXAMPLE 1:
 
June 1, 2010

 
Dear Friends,

 
God is doing amazing things in my life. At the age of nine or ten God called me to missions/ministry. He has blessed me with a passion to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to others. To see the eyes of an unbeliever become open to the Truth and a fire ignite within them is my greatest desire. I long to serve my King in order that all have heard the Truth.


With this call has come an incredible opportunity to be personally trained and equipped for missions and ministry. I am taking this school year to complete Fusion: the most intensive personal evangelism and ministry training process for young adults. I am writing you this letter to ask you to be a part of my Missionary Counsel. In some way or another you have supported me in the past as part of the family of Christ. 


You may be asking yourself, “What is the Missionary Counsel”? The Missionary Counsel is comprised of five people in my life that are mentors to me. Each member will help me with two things:

 

(1)                            You will help me make a list of prayer partners. The most important part of preparing for this trip is prayer.   I need you to ask everyone that you know to be praying for me.

(2)                            You will help me make a list of financial partners. You will help me find 30 people to give $6.00/week for four months (16 weeks). This comes to a total amount of $3200. The cost for Fusion's mission this trip is $3200. Each donor will receive a receipt for their tax deductible gift.

 
            Please be in prayer as to whether you would like to be on my Missionary Counsel. I will be contacting you shortly to let you know about a meeting that I am going to have. During each of our meetings we will discuss the progress of prayer and financial support, as well as trip preparations. I will give you much more details during our first meeting. If you have any questions please call me at __________________________________.

 
Make your tax deductible gift out to to my chruch:___________________ and mail it to:

Chruch Address
Attention: "My Mission trip fund."

 

Thank You,

 

Jeremiah D. Pearson

 

 

EXAMPLE 2:
 

Dear Family and Friends,

 
            I hope this letter finds you all doing well. I just wanted to drop you a few lines to let you know about an exciting opportunity that is going on in my life. I graduated last May from Truman High School. This fall, the Lord has opened the door for me to attend Fusion. 

             Fusion is a national evangelism training process that equips young people for evangelism, missions, and ministry. The Lord has opened a door for me to attend Fusion this next year. Fusion is a nine month process consisting of two phases. Phase One is four months of domestic training in personal evangelism and leadership development, followed by an intensive hands-on practicum in evangelism and church planting. The second phase is a five month international mission trip where I will place what I learned in phase one to the test as I work with international missionaries to share the Gospel. 

 
               My heart and passion is to share Jesus with others both domestically and internationally. I want you to be apart of my training experience. You can be apart of Fusion by helping me with two things. First and most important I need your prayer support. I am compiling a list of prayer warriors to begin praying for me as I begin Fusion. Secondly, in order for me to be able to commit to this I will need to raise nearly $15,000 by the end of July 2011. Please pray and ask the Lord if he would have you pray or give toward this much needed training process. Your gift is tax deductible and you will receive a receipt for it. 

 

Make your tax deductible gift out to to my chruch:___________________ and mail it to:

Chruch Address
Attention: "My Mission trip fund."

(Do not write my name in the “memo” on your check or you will not be able to receive a receipt for taxes. Please submit the form below with your gift)



Student Name __________________________        Date_________________

 

Donor Name__________________________


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