When I was a Regional Representative in NE-MO and the St. Louis metro area I had the opportunity to work with many Missouri Baptist churches, church members and church leaders. These people of faith became my dear friends and one of the things I miss most is having fewer opportunities to interact with them throughout the week and on Sundays. I often spoke at churches on the weekends because at Missouri Baptist Children’s Home (MBCH) we believe that Missouri Baptists deserve 1) to hear how we are using the resources they entrust to us, and 2) to hear us say “thank you” for trusting us with those resources.
At these presentations I usually ended my message by referring people to our Hope and Restoration brochure which outlines the various ways that Missouri Baptists can partner with the ministries of MBCH. Then I would ask these two questions or very similar versions of them: “Would you be interested if I told you that I could give you a choice where your Missouri state tax dollars were used?” and “Would you be interested if I told you that your Missouri state tax dollars could be used to bring hope and restoration to hurting people all across our state?” At every church or parachurch organization I spoke to, I would see the same reaction. The audience members’ eyes would light up as they realized that they could choose where to send some of their state taxes and how they would be used.
Here is the reality; you are going to pay the amount of taxes that you owe. If someone tells you they can keep you from paying the taxes you owe, don’t listen to them. Remember, the difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion is a prison sentence. MBCH cannot reduce the amount of money you are going to have to pay, but we can give you a choice where that money goes and what it accomplishes. When you support MBCH through one of our approved tax credit programs, you are essentially telling the state that you want at least 50 cents of every dollar you gave to be counted as Missouri state taxes which you have already directed to Christian foster work, Christian residential therapy work, Christian alternatives to abortion work, etc.
If you are interested in finding out more about Missouri state tax credits, how MBCH uses them to fund our ministries and how you can use them to direct your taxes to ministry then please contact your regional representative or go to www.mbch.org. If you are unsure who your regional representative is then call 1-800-264-6224, and ask for a representative of MBCH Foundation.
As always, thank you so much for your faithful generosity, year-in and year-out, that makes an eternal difference in the lives of “the least of these”!