Missouri Missions Offering
Remember growing something from seeds as a science experiment in school? In most of those science experiments, as in most of our own planting of flowers or fruits, the seed pack has a picture of what is produced by the seeds we plant.
The Bible promises us that the seeds we sow in faith for the kingdom of God will also produce a crop. We don’t always know what that kingdom crop will look like. The faithful men and women who are planting churches and doing evangelism/compassion ministries throughout Missouri don’t always know what will be produced. They have a burden for the lost and, following God’s call, they stepped out in faith to sow seeds regardless of the tears and pain involved, trusting that God reaps His overflowing crop.
Our hope is that Missouri Baptists will join us in planting a crop that overflows with abundance. How? Through the Missouri Missions Offering (MMO). The state missions offering is a way for all Missouri Baptist churches to sow for a harvest.
For example, here are some things you can do:
- $50 provides the necessary books for training a new church planter
- $25 provides a shovel scoop for a disaster relief volunteer who is helping mud-out a flood-ravaged house
- $500 provides a scholarship for a pastor and his family to MB125, a special equipping and encouragement event for smaller-in-attendance church pastors
- $10 provides a basket with a Bible and toiletries for women rescued from slave/sex trafficking
- $250 provides food for one week for all the residents of the developmentally disabled program through the Missouri Baptists Children’s Home
- $1,000 provides a month’s funding for a church planter in his second year
- $500 provides a church plant with the materials for an entire block party in a metro area
- $10 provides a copy of “The Hope,” an evangelistic outreach movie
- $500 provides a scholarship to the Minister’s Juggling Act retreat for a pastor and his wife
These projects and so much more are accomplished through the generosity of Missouri Baptists to the Missouri Missions Offering. There are many more details and special promotional materials for your church or Bible study class at www.mobaptist.org/MMO.
Last year we received an amount that exceeded our budget. Thank you for your open hands and open hearts to the work of the Lord through Missouri Baptist Convention ministries and projects. I am convinced the abundance came as a result of the faithful praying of our Woman’s Missionary Union leaders and the sacrificial spirit of Missouri Baptists who desire for God to use them as conduits of purpose in a rotten economy.
Many churches receive the MMO offering in August/September. However, any time is a great time. How about a special Sunday offering or an MMO love offering? Simply show one of the entertaining videos, then receive the offering and watch what the Lord does through His people.
Through the Missouri Missions Offering, we can make a difference for the kingdom. Let’s give by faith beyond our natural ability to sow seeds that have the potential to produce overflowing fruit for eternity.
Clarity for integrity’s sake
Last month a blogger posted about the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) and its efforts to legally recover its agencies from self-perpetuating trustee boards. The blogger had undisclosed family and employment ties to these groups. Sadly, the Word and Way, a former MBC ministry, now an independent religious newspaper, picked up the blog entry and published it as news.
The blog asserted that MBC leaders had offered, agreed to and paid a secret settlement to one of the defendants in the Camden County case. The blog post was misleading. MBC has never agreed to or paid a settlement in the Camden County case.
Last year, our insurance company decided unilaterally to make a settlement payment to a deceased developer’s probate and bankruptcy estates in exchange for dismissal of counterclaims against the convention and others. MBC leaders disagreed with the payment but had no control over it under the terms of the policy.
The dismissals simplified and strengthened our legal case for trial. A court approved the settlement in late November 2012, after the Annual Meeting. There was no action for the MBC to approve, and no MBC official signed any documents regarding the settlement.
The Executive Board members have been fully informed. While we disagreed with the insurance company’s choice, we did not publicly voice our opinion so as to avoid upsetting its agreement with these other parties. We also attempted to honor our insurance company’s agreement with third parties, which was to be kept confidential.
Our desire is that some day all the truth can be told, in the right forum, a jury trial, if necessary. Not on this blogger’s website. Meanwhile, your Executive Board will not be distracted from managing this legal business with discretion and confidentiality when needed, always seeking the best interests of Missouri Baptists and reporting to you at Annual Meetings and The Pathway.