Contact: Sylvia Ronsvalle, 217-356-9519

CHAMPAIGN, Ill., May 21 /Christian Newswire/ -- An 1864 campaign button has a ferrotype (tintype) photo of President Abraham Lincoln on one side. A photo of Andrew Johnson is on the other. President Lincoln was running for re-election in 1864. Andrew Johnson, from Tennessee, was running as vice president.

The rare button was donated to empty tomb®, inc., Champaign, Illinois, a nonprofit discipleship-opportunity organization.

The button is being offered for sale on empty tomb's eBay site. When sold, the proceeds will help fund empty tomb's Mission Match® project.

Mission Match funds are available to congregations in the U.S. from historically Christian traditions. The goal, according to the Mission Match organizers, is to help congregations move from maintenance agendas to mobilization for missions. The supporters of empty tomb's Mission Match project believe that expanding missions can help revitalize congregations by focusing on the main purpose of the church.

Individual contributions provide the Mission Match money offered. In addition, Linda Kennedy, an empty tomb volunteer, oversees empty tomb's Collectibles and Treasures for Missions® eBay site. Under the seller name 'ct4m' various donated 'treasures' are offered. Recent items have included new-in-the-box Barbie® dolls from the 1990s, vintage duck decoys, two 1920s nurse uniforms, and a 1950s copper piggy bank.

Combined with direct financial donations, the proceeds from the ct4m sales are offered as matching money. Congregations that want to expand their mission outreach internationally, or to low-income people in the U.S., can apply for the funds.

Mission Match's Sylvia Ronsvalle feels that the Lincoln-Johnson button is particularly appropriate. 'Abraham Lincoln's presidency brought justice to those who were enslaved in the 1860s. Now, his image provides the means to encourage churches to reach out in Jesus' name to those who are hurting today.'

To learn more about Mission Match, see the January 29, 2007 press release.

Or visit the Mission Match page on the empty tomb Web site.

The Lincoln-Johnson campaign button is being auctioned through Sunday, May 27, 2007 at eBay.com on the ct4m ('seller name') page.

For comments or additional information, volunteer ct4m Coordinator Linda Kennedy, or Sylvia Ronsvalle, Executive Vice President, empty tomb, inc., can be reached through the empty tomb office at (217) 356-9519.