EDITOR’S NOTE: Videos below are courtesy of the Missouri Baptist Convention.
JEFFERSON CITY – Hannibal-LaGrange University instructor Roderick Sweet equips inmates at the Jefferson City Correctional Center to become faithful Christian leaders. Missouri Baptist University student Avyrie Hamstra provides medical care to refugees at an international camp in Greece. And Hazael Rodriguez starts new Spanish-speaking churches in southwest Missouri.
All of this – and much more – is possible only because Missouri Baptists give faithfully to the Rheubin L. South Missouri Missions Offering (MMO). Our annual state missions offering supports more than two dozen ministries. These include Christian foster care, disaster relief, church revitalization, and other projects that help churches transform lives and communities with the gospel.
This week, the Missouri Baptist Convention is mailing packets of promotional materials to church leaders across the state to help them prepare for the 2024 state missions offering. The packets should arrive early in July, giving church leaders ample time to prepare for MMO’s fall promotion and week of prayer, slated for Sept. 8-15.
The theme of this year’s offering is drawn from 1 Chronicles 16, in which King David offers a psalm of praise, including these words: “Sing to the LORD all the earth. Proclaim his salvation from day to day” (1 Chron. 16:23).
Reflecting on this passage, MBC Executive Director Wes Fowler noted, “Today, Missouri Baptists share the privilege of proclaiming the Lord’s salvation by contributing to His work in the hearts of people across our state through their gifts to MMO.”
Last year, 692 Missouri Baptist churches supported MMO and gave $926,010, far outpacing the goal of $750,000. The statewide goal this year has been increased to $760,000.
Supporting missions projects
MMO is our state’s annual missions offering, named after Rheubin L. South, the late MBC executive director who pioneered the annual giving emphasis that today supports projects in five areas of ministry:
(1) Making disciples – sports evangelism; VBS ministry training and resource development; youth evangelism and missions; and the state fair ministry of the Missouri DOM Fellowship.
(2) Collegiate ministries – a summer missions mentoring initiative; and ministry to international students studying on Missouri campuses.
(3) Multiplying churches – next-step requests for church multipliers; partnership missions in Mexico, Italy, Minnesota/Wisconsin, and Montana; strategic missionary development; and Missouri WMU.
(4) Developing leaders – Disaster Relief readiness, including collegiate DR internships; Resound Network training and development; the Leader Care Network; a conference for new pastors; hunger relief; Baptist Builders; and The Pathway journalism retreat.
(5) Synergy (MBC-affiliated institutions) – moral injury training, a workshop for senior citizens, recreational discipleship for seniors, and a Certified Nursing Assistants Program (Baptist Homes); a four-year biblical studies degree for inmates (HLGU); the Center for Global Connections, and church-and-state pastoral reading groups (SBU); the Center for Global Engagement (MBU); and internships at the Missouri Baptist Foundation.
In addition, 17 percent of MMO receipts go to the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, which provides spiritual guidance, counseling, and a safe haven from abuse and neglect at five state campuses.
And 10 percent of MMO gifts go back to the associations of contributing churches, where the funds support regional mission projects.
Funds raised in excess of the MMO goal are placed in reserve for future mission opportunities. At the same time, 10 percent of gifts above the goal is given to Missouri WMU, which promotes state, national, and international missions in MBC-affiliated churches.
Promotional packets
The promotional packets feature a get-started guide, posters, prayer guide, allocations budget, associational report, clip art, sample giving envelope, and an order card.
Most of these resources are available as free downloads at mobaptist.org/mmo. The move toward electronic resources enables the MBC to significantly reduce postage fees and invest more in MMO mission projects.
There are four simple ways to order MMO materials:
• Complete the order card in the promotional mailer and send it back. All materials are free of charge.
• Click on mobaptist.org/mmo to download materials or to place an order electronically.
• Call 1.800.736.6227, ext. 301, to tell us which resources to send.
• Send an email to cstegeman@mobaptist.org.