The year 2000 has come, Y2K concerns have come and gone
– and Southern Baptists continue to give strong support to international
missions.
Some things change. Some do not.
The year 2000 has come, Y2K concerns have come and
gone – and Southern Baptists continue to give strong support to international
missions.
Some things change. Some do not.
Once again, Louisiana and Southern Baptists have
set records for giving through the Lottie Moon Christimas Offering for International
Missions. The offering runs on a June 1-to-May 31 basis each year – and recently
closed.
In Louisiana, gifts totaled $3,330,594.49, a record
high and an increase of more than $135,000 (4.2 percent) from last year.
The total represents the fourth straight year state
receipts have topped $3 million – and the 13th consecutive increase in Lottie
Moon giving by Louisiana Baptists.
It also means that in the decade of the 1990s, Louisiana
Baptists gave a little more than $29 million to support Southern Baptist missions
efforts around the world.
Their gifts this year helped Southern Baptists overall
as well, who set another record by giving more than $105 million through the
annual Lottie Moon offering.
The total for the 1999 offering was $105,443,786.95,
an increase of $3.7 million (3.7 percent) from the previous year.
The gifts marked the seventh consecutive year of
record receipts and an increase of 31.5 percent from the past decade.
“Once again God has proved himself faithful
through Southern Baptists in providing the resources needed to continue our
missions advance, …” Southern Baptist International Mission Board President
Jerry Rankin said. “This record level of giving will help provide support
and funds for ministry as our missionaries share the gospel of Jesus Christ
with a lost world.”
Southern Baptist Womans Missionary Union Executive
Director Wanda Lee praised WMU members and pastors for challenging their churches
to give sacrificially to international missions.
“It is a great testimony to the dedication WMU
members have to promoting and encouraging their church families to support the
offering,” Lee said. “We owe a great debt to the women and children
who give their time and efforts to promoting the offering. We also owe a great
debt to pastors who promote the offering before their congregations. They are
key to the success of offering promotion in any congregation.”
However, despite the record showings, both the Louisiana
and national offering totals fell short of their goals.
Louisiana Baptists fell just short of their goal
of $3.4 million. The offering total represented 98 percent of that mark.
In turn, Southern Baptists fell a little shorter
of their $125 million goal. The total represents 84.4 percent of that goal.
Still, the total proves invaluable to missions efforts
around the world, providing support to almost 5,000 missionaries. Of the $125
million goal, the International Mission Board had budgeted $105 million for
overseas operations and $5 million for field capital needs. The remaining $15
million was approved as a challenge budget.
The offering is named for missionary Charlotte Digges
Moon. It first was collected in 1888, when $3,000 was given.
This years national goal is $115 million.