The teacher walks into the Sunday School class and takes her seat behind a
small desk.
The teacher walks into the Sunday School class and takes her seat behind a
small desk.
Instead of beginning the class with the usual prayer, she focuses her pupils
attention on the song “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”
After several scriptures are read aloud by her students, she asks another to
recite John 8:12. In this passage, Christ declares that he is the light of the
world.
Building on that scripture, the teacher tells the class that as Christ followers,
they are to keep that light burning brightly.
“So, what youre saying is we are to rise up and carry the light
until every dark area of Louisiana is illuminated?” one student in the
class asks.
Another student says shining that light starts in Louisiana with friends, family,
coworkers and neighbors.
And that is the purpose of the Georgia Barnette Offering for State Missions,
Cindy Townsend says, citing the above skit about the annual offering.
Through the Georgia Barnette offering, Louisiana Baptists annually try and
provide a light for those in need of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Louisiana Baptist Womans Missionary Union leaders have chosen “Christ
Followers … Lighting the Way” as the theme for this years annual
week of prayer for state missions and the Georgia Barnette offering, scheduled
for Sept. 12-19.
“We chose that theme because when you think of people living in Louisiana,
enjoying life comes to mind,” explains Townsend, Louisiana Baptist Convention
director of womens missions and ministry. “But weve looked
beyond the surface of good things in Louisiana to see that, in the midst of
the good, there are the homeless, helpless, hurting and hopeless.”
Townsend says the Georgia Barnette offering ministers to two types of people.
“One is the homeless – the down and out,” Townsend explains.
“The second is the up and out – those who are hopeless and have climbed
the ladder of success. But they realize theres darkness inside.”
Townsend says she hopes that through the offering, Louisiana Baptists will
provide as many avenues as possible for the lost to hear Christ.
“But the ultimate goal is that the Georgia Barnette offering will allow
Louisiana Baptists to go to places that leave a sweet fragrance of what all
Louisiana Baptists can do at the many ministry sites around the state,”
Townsend continues.
The Georgia Barnette offering is a major funding vehicle for state missions
work, providing money for college scholarships, missions education, evangelistic
projects and mission churches.
“All of these ministries are so different, yet the Georgia Barnette offering
is meeting those needs,” Townsend notes.
One such missions work is the Church Builders Program.
Led by Ed Jelks, the church building ministry shines a light in the state through
the construction of 159 different projects. In fact, since the ministry was
started in 1980, an estimated $25 million has been saved on building construction
through volunteer workers.
“Ed Jelks literally has built up the kingdom of God and mission efforts,”
Townsend points out.
Another ministry supported by Georgia Barnette funds is the Vietnamese ministry
at First Baptist Church of Abbeville.
The ministry began when Dottie Hayes, a former Southern Baptist missionary
to Vietnam, was burdened for the Vietnamese who were moving to the area and
helped start the effort in 1992.
Led by Pastor Phuoc Nguyen, attendance has grown from 10 to as many as 40 in
attendance. Such language churches allow Louisiana Baptists to carry the light
to internationals who migrate into the state, Townsend explains.
“We have so many different cultures and people of the world in our state;
its our heart that well bless those people in need,” Townsend
adds. “The Vietnamese church is just one of many churches that minister
in culturally diverse Louisiana.”
The Church Builders Program and Vietnamese outreach at First Baptist Church
of Abbeville, are one of five ministries highlighted in Georgia Barnette promotional
materials mailed to all churches. Townsend encourages pastors to use the material,
which includes a skit, devotionals, videos, posters and age-appropriate stories.
Without Louisiana Baptists financial contributions and prayer, Townsend
says reaching this years offering goal of $1.25 million will be impossible.
“We want people to catch the vision and give of their time, talents and
resources to make a better and more godly Louisiana,” Townsend explains.
“The Georgia Barnette offering has met thousands of needs through the
years. It wouldnt happen without the people in the pews, who are our lifeline.”