RICHMOND, Va. (BP) – It’s a new record that’s reaffirming an old commitment. $137,939,677.59 – that’s what Southern Baptists gave to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions in 2005, making it the single most successful year in the offering’s history.
By Tom Strode
Baptist Press
RICHMOND, Va. (BP) – It’s a new record that’s
reaffirming an old commitment. $137,939,677.59 – that’s what Southern
Baptists gave to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International
Missions in 2005, making it the single most successful year in the
offering’s history.
The $137.9 million marks a 3.03 percent increase
over 2004’s $133.9 million Lottie Moon offering, not to mention a 1.28
percent gain over the old record set in 2003 – $136.2 million. More
than 5,100 International Mission Board missionaries depend on the
annual offering, of which every penny is used to support their work
sharing the Gospel around the world.
“This historic level of giving will enable us to
send an increasing number of God-called missionary candidates moving
toward appointment,” IMB President Jerry Rankin said. “It will enable
us to push forward in fulfilling the vision of bringing all peoples to
saving faith in Jesus Christ.
“At a time of economic uncertainty, and a year in
which massive amounts of funding have been directed toward hurricane
relief and recovery, it is gratifying to see God prove His faithfulness
through Southern Baptists.”
Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., took
the No. 1 spot on the list of 2005’s top 100 giving churches, adding
$656,951.44 to the Lottie Moon offering. Among the top 100 churches,
Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Boone, N.C., gave the most per capita.
With 827 members, the church contributed an average of $243.74 per
member, totaling more than $201,000 – a record high of its own.
Allan Blume, Mount Vernon senior pastor, said he
isn’t surprised by his congregation’s missions-motivated giving. The
church has sent more than a dozen missionaries overseas through the IMB
during the past decade, in addition to taking part in numerous
short-term, volunteer mission trips.
“This is really not out of the ordinary,” Blume
said. “Without a doubt I would say there is more than a heart for
missions among the people of Mount Vernon – there is a passion for
missions. And that passion is driven by the biblical values of the
Great Commission and the urgency of sharing Christ with people of every
tongue, tribe and nation.”
Billy Hoffman, IMB director of development, said
giving is a fundamental way for churches to encourage their
congregations’ active involvement in missions.
“We must never forget the vital role we all have in
sending missionaries to unreached people,” Hoffman said. “Every level
of giving through Southern Baptist churches to send short-term and
career personnel represents a ‘mutual fund’ investment in God’s kingdom
enterprise that will surely yield eternal benefits.”
While $137.9 million is an impressive figure, Rankin
believes the numbers that matter most reflect changed lives. It’s
important to remember that Lottie Moon isn’t about money, he said, but
about world’s 3.7 billion least-reached people.
“Southern Baptists are impacting the world in
tremendous ways,” Rankin said. “In 2005, your giving has resulted in
137 newly engaged people groups. You have directly supported thousands
of missionaries as they and our overseas partners baptized more than
459,000 new believers and started some 17,000 new churches.”
The significance of the new Lottie Moon landmark
gift is put into perspective when compared to the offering’s humble
past. The first Lottie Moon Christmas Offering was taken in 1888 and
collected $3,315.26 – enough to send three Baptist missionaries to
China.
By today’s standards, however, that amount is only
enough to support a missionary for one month. To date, $2.6 billion has
been given over the offering’s 117-year history.
To learn more about the Lottie Moon Christmas
Offering for International Missions, visit ime.imb.org or call (800)
999-3113.