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Missionary Meals

The program fees paid by the participants for an event were not intended to use to fund all attending missionary meals. So, there is a limit for how many missionary meals an event fund can reimburse.

The event is allowed to reimburse two missionary-only meals (in which event participants aren't also present for the meal). They are generally only reimbursable using petty cash or the event fund for reimbursement twice during a summer-long event and tend to be at the opening and closing of the program. The event is allowed to pay for one missionary-only meal for a kick-off missionary event and then again for the closing of the event, as a celebration of how the event went. These costs are in addition to the overall event's kick-off and closing events (in which the event participants are present). Generally the cost per person for these missionary-only meals should be kept to $35 per person (or less) and per Reliant policy, alcohol is not reimbursable.  

The event fund is not allowed to pay for additional missionary bonding events besides the two listed above. However, the event is allowed to pay for additional missionary meals when the missionaries are participating in a group meal, along with event participants. So, the event can reimburse meals for both missionaries and participants for weekly group meals for the entire event/program. Or, if you picked a few key student (non-staff) leaders for example and invited them to join the missionary team for an ice cream outing to thank them for being leaders at the program then that ice cream could be covered (for everyone from the event fund).

We try to exclude missionary-only food but when students are present and included then it opens the doors for us to to be able to reimburse these types of things. And to clarify it does not have to involve all the participants that are participating in the program for the meal to be covered- if you have a few key leaders attend it then becomes fine to cover the cost for everyone as a reimbursement from the event fund. Please check with your event finance manager before taking participants out for a meal to insure that it was a budgeted item that the event fund can reimburse.

Speaker Meals

It is allowable for the event to use event funds to reimburse groceries purchased for the speaker’s meals or to include the speaker (and the speaker’s family) in event group meals in which participants and Reliant missionaries are all dining together. 

It is also allowable for event funds to be used for the Event Director (or other missionary attending the event with approval from the Director) to take a speaker out to eat for a single meal at a nice restaurant as a thank you. Please keep these meals to less than $40 per person and remember that alcohol cannot be purchased using petty cash funds.

See also Speaker And Church/Ministry Honorariums for Events

Meals for meetings with event employers, landlords, local churches, etc.

There are limits and specific instructions of what can be reimbursed for corporate meals (ex. related to employers, landlords, churches, etc.) It is allowable for event funds to be used by the summer program event director (or other summer program missionary with approval from the director) to take an employer, landlord, or other person that has assisted the summer program out to eat for a single meal at a nice restaurant as a thank you.  Please keep these meals to less than $40 per person and remember that alcohol cannot be purchased using petty cash or event reimbursement funds.  See Corporate Gifts (Applicable for Events or Departments).