The United Methodist Church's campaign to help eliminate malaria-related deaths by 2015 is expanding to more conferences and is actively seeking major donors as it pushes past $26 million to fulfill a $75 million goal.

Bishop Thomas Bickerton, chair of the denomination's Global Health Initiatives told morning worshippers at the Imagine No Malaria Conference in Washington D.C. on Monday that the campaign has already passed its $26 million goal by January 31, 2013 and is moving toward the $40 million mark by June 2013.

Bishop Bickerton, who is currently assigned to the Pitssburgh Area of the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference, emphasized that the fundraising was not the goal.

"I firmly believe we will reach our goal. But the goal is not $75-million raised just so we can say we did it. Our goal is to see that all of God's children live a long, healthy, sustainable life," he said in an interview published on ImagineNoMalaria.org.

He said the fundraising goal was determined to be achievable by counsel employed to research and analyze the denomination. The campaign was endorsed by the 2008 General Conference, he noted.

"When we reach our goal this will represent the largest amount of funds raised by the denomination for one single cause," he said.

He said twelve annual conferences of the church are actively engaged in the campaign and are developing their fund raising plans. An additional six annual conferences are making plans for a formal kickoff around annual conference season 2013, he said.

"[W]e are aggressively pursuing the major donor component of our campaign," he said. "We recently received our first $1-million gift from an anonymous donor in California."

He added that the campaign is also gaining energy and emphasis in Africa and throughout the church.

Bishop Bickerton says the anti-malaria push is an important part of the Global Health picture.

"The bishops of Africa havebeenclearwithusthatifweareconcernedaboutGlobal Health, whichincludesthingslike HIV/Aids & Tuberculosis, wemustfirstdealwith the issue of malaria. Wehavetakentheirlead and structuredeverythingwehavedonearoundelimination of malaria-relateddeath," hesaid.