Week of Prayer, Lottie Moon Offering goal set
JEFFERSON CITY – Although election day has come and gone, it’s time for another campaign to begin gearing up: the 2008 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions.
The MBC has set a statewide goal of $4 million. That works out to about $8 a person. Last year, churches in Missouri gave $3.2 million.
“Economic uncertainty affects your families and your church,” Jerry Rankin, IMB president, said. “It also affects every missionary family on the field. Their work cannot go forward without your continued sacrificial giving.”
Over the past year the U.S. dollar has lost as much as 15 percent of its value in the world marketplace. That means Southern Baptists must give $1.15 to the Lottie Moon offering in 2008 in order to match the buying power of every dollar given in 2007.
The Southern Baptist Convention’s nationwide goal is $170 million, $5 million more than last year’s. The 2007 offering brought in a record $150.4 million. Lottie Moon Christmas Offering funds represent 53 percent of the IMB’s budget, the rest coming from the Cooperative Program and other gifts.
The 2008 theme is “GO TELL the story of Jesus.” The IMB is focusing on South America during the week of prayer that kicks off the offering, which spans Nov. 30 to Dec. 7. The daily prayer focus list is: Day 1, Indigenous people of Columbia; Day 2, Aymara of Peru; Day 3, Ethnic ministries in Brazil; Day 4, Imbabura Quichua in Ecuador; Day 5, Quilombolas of Brazil; Day 6, REAP North ministry of Peru; Day 7, The deaf of Uruguay; Day 8, Urban poor of Brazil. Detailed information on these prayer requests is available at www.imb.org.
