Empty nesters answering God’s call to care for orphans.
A church reaching out to 6,000 Filipino immigrants living in Missouri.
A once-withering church now hosting a vibrant congregation.
A ministry devoted to loving the poor at nine different low-income housing sites.
An international student ministry reaching 90,000 foreign-born college students in Missouri.
A Missouri pastor taking part in his first international mission trip.
What do these ministry stories have in common? They’re all connected to your faithful giving through the Rheubin L. South Missouri Missions Offering (MMO). Through MMO, Missouri Baptists are leading the lost to faith in Christ and engaging their communities through a host of missions projects.
This year’s MMO theme is “Our obedience … His abundance.” It is taken from the story of the widow at Zarephath in 1 Kings 17 and captures the essence of her great faith and God’s great provision.
The key verses are 1 Kgs. 17:15-16: “So she proceeded to do according to the word of Elijah…. The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the Lord.”
At the annual meeting in Kansas City last October, Missouri Baptists were surveyed and voted on several potential MMO themes. This one was the clear winner. It illustrates the heart of our people, who give sacrificially through MMO to projects in four key ministry areas: Sharing Christ’s Love, Sending Missionaries, Starting Churches, and Strengthening Churches.
The MBC mailed promotional packets to Missouri Baptist churches a few weeks ago, and already excitement is building across the state as stories of God’s provision are being shared.
MMO supports dozens of Missouri mission projects, and every dollar you give goes a long way. For example, $1 provides an evangelistic Bible study for an unreached immigrant. $5 pays for lunch for a mentor at the Christian Women’s Job Corps. $10 supplies five hours of generated electricity for a disaster victim. $25 provides a Bible in the language of a refugee who has come to Missouri. $50 provides school supplies for one child at the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home.
You get the idea.
Be sure to check out the MMO webpages at MoBaptist.org/mmo. They are full of downloadable resources like prayer guides, posters, bulletin inserts, and videos. The videos in particular are great to show during Sunday services or to a Bible study group or a prayer meeting. They are easy to view online and share via Facebook and other social media. How about sharing with your Facebook friends one of the video right now.
The resources tell the stories of your MMO gifts at work, from the testimonies of Missouri Baptists living out the Great Commission in their communities.
Above all, pray for our state missionaries. Use the downloadable prayer guide to lead your church through the eight days of prayer for state missions. Your state missionaries are in need of your intercession. The Lord is calling on us to exercise our ministries in areas we never imagined and our desire is to faithfully serve Him while serving you and your church. The recommended week of prayer is Sept. 21-28, but you may choose any week that works best for your congregation.
Thanks so much for your faithful giving through MMO. In 2013, we exceeded our goal for the second straight year. This year our goal is $700,00, and I am praying that we exceedingly, abundantly meet the goal once again as an expression of worship to our great God.
Thanks for your obedience … and thanks be to our great God for His faithfulness. May our obedience be rewarded with His abundance in 2014.