By Will Hall, Message Editor NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM) —The Southern Baptist Conventions’ International Mission Board released final numbers, June 7, for its annual special collection, showing the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering has fallen short $12.8 million, or greater than 7.7 percent, compared to last year. Meanwhile, the SBC Executive Committee published data, June 2, indicating the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, which composes 49 percent of the budget for the North American Mission Board, is down $13.1 million, or more than 37 percent, year-to-date (only one month following Easter, and just four months before the end of the accounting year). For context about the two special offerings, year-to-date giving for all national causes through the Cooperative Program has been relatively stable, but down about $1.4 million, or off about 1 percent, compared to the same time frame last year. LOTTIE MOON The Christmas offering hit an all-time high of $165.8 million only a year ago, when Southern Baptists responded with generosity to IMB’s revelations about chronic overspending and the need for personnel reductions. IMB leaders had forecast an even larger offering for this year, announcing in November 2016 it had crafted … [Read more...]