JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) has set a statewide goal of $3.75 million for the 2011 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. That works out to about $7.13 per Baptist church member in Missouri.
“Missouri Baptists have an incredible opportunity to join the Lord at work in places without access to the gospel,” said John Yeats, executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention. “These are tough financial times, but we must consider the condition of those without Christ. Their situation is much worse than our current inconveniences. By faith, we can give an offering with divine proportion. Our God wants to do amazing things. Let’s join Him.”
The Southern Baptist Convention’s nationwide goal is $175 million, the same as last year’s. Every penny of the offering goes to the International Mission Board’s (IMB) overseas budget, thus supporting our missionaries and their work. Lottie Moon funds represent 53 percent of the IMB’s budget, the rest coming from the Cooperative Program and other gifts. The 2011 theme is “His heart, His hands, His voice — I am Southern Baptist missions.”
According to IMB’s statistical data there were 4,743 people groups that are not engaged with the gospel at all and there were 6,426 “unreached” people groups with less than 2 percent of professing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.) More than 1.7 billion people still have little or no access to the gospel.
The national “Week of Prayer” for the offering is Dec. 4-11. Churches can order or download promotional materials at www.imbresources.org. Individuals can give at www.imb.org.
BY STAFF