March 9, 2016
As your church mission team prepares for a short term international trip, it’s important to think through what risks your team will be exposed to and what insurance coverage you may need while you do God’s work abroad.
Faith Ventures mission travel insurance products allow your team to book, insure, and manage your next short term mission trip. With Faith Ventures, your team has options including the following:
1. Faith Ventures Travel Medical Insurance – The Faith Ventures card offers an affordable travel medical insurance option that comes with single- or multi-trip plans for foreign and domestic short-term mission travel. It offers insurance protection for:
Faith Ventures also gives your team access to discounted airfare, 24/7 emergency travel assistance, currency exchange discounts, trip management tools, and hundreds of retail discounts.
2. Worldwide Liability Insurance – Medical emergencies and accident-related lawsuits are common liability hazards your ministry’s mission travelers could face, as are lawsuits that are a result of religious acts and religious communications.
If you are already a Brotherhood Mutual MinistryFirst customer, Worldwide Liability and Medical Extension Coverage provides virtually all of the liability and medical coverages of a MinistryFirst policy to the ministry, its covered representatives, and travelers related to short-term ministry activities anywhere in the world. This policy endorsement also includes limited kidnap and ransom coverage.
3. Kidnap and Ransom – No one wants to think of the possibility of a kidnap and ransom situation while serving on a mission trip. However, it is prudent to acknowledge that the risk exists and to consider purchasing coverage for these worst case scenarios.
Some liability insurance policies may include limited funds for kidnap and ransom situations, but your ministry may want to consider additional insurance protection. Contact your American Church Group agent, or Brotherhood Mutual’s mission travel team at 800-876-4994, to learn more.
Preparing for this Christmas season may require additional creativity, due to the uncertainty of what COVID-19 may bring in our local community.
A mid-November deadline in the Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA) bankruptcy proceedings may have you wondering what the organization’s bankruptcy filing means for your ministry if you ever hosted or chartered Boy Scout Troops.
Organizations that obtained Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding through the CARES Act can have their loans forgiven, turning them into grants. To qualify, each borrower must file a forgiveness application with its PPP lender, proving that it followed the rules. If your church, school, college, or camp meets all the criteria, 100% of its loan can be forgiven.
Learn about the CARES Act and two loans for which ministries may be eligible, since Congress authorized additional funding April 23.
As concern over the dangers associated with the spread of a new coronavirus, COVID-19, spreads, our agency and Brotherhood Mutual want to keep you informed and provide best practices for managing the spread of this and similar illnesses at your ministry.
The first Sunday in February is a big day for sports fans. In fact, many Americans view Super Bowl Sunday as a national holiday. Friends and families will gather this year to watch the big game, enjoy delicious snacks, and of course, critique the commercials that go along with game day.
Recently, we learned about two major overseas incidents involving pastors on mission trips. The first incident involved a pastor being hit by a motorcycle while running. The second was a bus accident involving two pastors. The runner and one of the two bus passengers sustained extensive injuries.
Last month, the IRS announced that its initiating hundreds of church exams to test compliance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). While many provisions only apply to churches with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees (FTEs), even smaller churches could potentially violate provisions applicable to health benefit plans with as few as 2 plan participants.
July 4th is synonymous with food, fun, and fireworks. If your church is planning an event this Independence Day, remember to keep a focus on safety, so that everyone can have fun.
National Insurance Awareness Day falls on June 28 this year to remind people everywhere that insurance is vital to their companies and ministries.
According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), hail causes about $1 billion in damage to crops and property each year. Prepare your ministry and people for hail this season.
More than 700 confirmed cases of measles have been reported in the United States so far this year, making this outbreak the worst in decades.
Do you use commercial vehicles that transport more than 15 passengers or carry cargo from one state to another as part of your ministry? If so, you are required to register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and obtain a USDOT number.
As winter turns to spring, we’re also in for a turn in weather. Lightning, strong winds, flash flooding, hail, or tornadoes could quickly strike your ministry. The National Weather Service has designated March 25-29, 2019, as Severe Weather Preparedness Week in Iowa and Nebraska.
The National Safety Council has designated June as National Safety Month, so we want to make sure your ministry is doing everything it can to protect its people, property, and programs. Each week in June, we’ll tackle a different topic. Up this week: Emergency Preparedness.
There’s a new scam in town, and ministries and other organizations collecting donations are the primary target. If your ministry collects tithes or donations, you could be targeted by scammers practicing donation overpayment fraud.
Beloved evangelist Billy Graham was called to his heavenly home on Wednesday, February 21, 2018, at the age of 99.
For the first time in its 13 years of influenza monitoring, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting that every state in the continental U.S. is seeing widespread flu activity. Get tips on how to keep your congregation healthy this flu season.
Snow skiing. Camping. Whitewater rafting. A youth group trip can give students an exciting diversion from their weekly routines, as well as an opportunity to strengthen healthy friendships. Off-site activities may challenge your students to step outside of their comfort zones a bit, but this can bring about a positive result.
If you are in the process of planning a mission trip for your church group, make sure to think carefully about insurance, safety, and security as you hammer out the details. Extra preparation could minimize headaches when your group arrives on the mission field.