Arkansas Baptist Life is the official newsletter of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention
For the past 99 years, the Cooperative Program has provided financial fuel for ministries in Arkansas and worldwide. In this special edition of Arkansas Baptist Life, you will read about how your giving supports spreading the Gospel in Brazil and see how your dollars are divided amongst local and international ministries. The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists’ unified plan of giving through which cooperating churches give a percentage of their undesignated tithes and offerings through their state convention to fund missions and ministries.
GIVING TO YOUR
CHURCH
REACHES AROUND THE GLOBE
Your Cooperative Program giving supports missionaries like the Thompsons in Brazil
BY JILL THOMPSON
IMB MISSIONARY SERVING IN BRAZIL
The church where I grew up generously gave to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. I remember missionaries coming to teach about missions during these offering seasons. I also remember the weekly story before the offering was collected. Stories about missionaries in the United States and around the world. Stories about a Baptist Children’s home, a Baptist Collegiate Ministry, a Baptist camp, or of one of our Baptist seminaries. I don’t remember the details of these stories, but I do remember what my pastor said each week after the story, “A portion of the giving of your tithes and offerings goes to the Cooperative Program and is used to support ministries like this.” Sunday after Sunday, I heard a story and this phrase highlighting the importance of the Cooperative Program.
I left my home church when I went to college out of state. There, I met my husband Rick. We married, graduated, and then headed to Southern Seminary. We did not have much money, but Rick was called to the ministry, and seminary was the place to receive the necessary training. The cost of our education was not as expensive as we expected. I heard a voice in my head, “A portion of the giving of your tithes and offerings goes to the Cooperative Program and helps to support ministries like this.” We received a quality education, and Rick served in a local church that participated in and promoted the Cooperative Program. While serving in Virginia, we became more involved in ministry on a state level. We learned more about the ministries offered through the
state convention. We participated in statewide training opportunities to better serve in our local church. Rick was part of the Virginia Baptist Male Chorale. Through that group, we took our first international missions trip. We led in music camps and shared the Gospel around Austria. Our eyes were opened to lostness. We were so thankful for the training and opportunity to do missions through the state convention. Again, I heard a voice in my head, “A portion of the giving of your tithes and offerings goes to the Cooperative Program and helps to support ministries like this.”
Over 20 years ago, God called us to pursue overseas missions. Today, we serve in Brazil with the International Mission Board (IMB). We have the privilege to work alongside Brazilian Baptists to share the Gospel, make disciples, and plant churches. As I serve as a missionary, I hear the voice in my head, “A portion of the giving of your tithes and offerings goes to the Cooperative Program and helps to support ministries like this.”
An important part of our strategy in Brazil is to use U.S. volunteers to support Brazilian pastors, leaders, and church planters. The volunteers serve alongside local believers to share the Gospel. While we have the attention of the volunteers, we thank them for giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and to the Cooperative Program, but we have learned that not all the volunteers know about Lottie Moon or the Cooperative Program. We enjoy telling every volunteer about Lottie Moon, the special Christmas offering, and how
that money is used. We also explain how the Cooperative Program works and how their regular offering is used by their state convention, our six seminaries, the North American Mission Board (NAMB), and IMB. Our teaching time ends with these words, “A portion of the giving of your tithes and offerings goes to the Cooperative Program and helps to support ministries like this.” At the end of a great week, we take the volunteers to the airport, pray for them, and remind them again to say thank you to their church for sending them to do missions and for giving to the Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon.
The Cooperative Program is a way for Southern Baptists to pool their financial resources to impact lostness through the programs of our state conventions, the training in our seminaries, and the thousands of missionaries who serve with NAMB and IMB. One of the greatest things about our Cooperative Program is that it brings us as Southern Baptists, together. No matter if we are small churches, large churches, old churches, or new churches, we come together to pray, to go, to send, and, yes, to give.
Thank you for giving to the Cooperative Program! I hope that when you give your offering at church this week, that you tell someone else about the Cooperative Program and the many different ministries it supports and that you hear a voice in your head saying, “A portion of the giving of your tithes and offerings goes to the Cooperative Program and helps to support ministries like this.”
Rick and Jill Thompson
YOUR GIVING FUNDS MISSIONS STATEWIDE
AND WORLDWIDE
Your gifts multiply and magnify the Gospel through the Cooperative Program and the Dixie Jackson Arkansas Missions Offering
Arkansas Baptists are making a world of difference through the Cooperative Program. When you give to your church, you are investing in Gospel work. A considerable portion of your gift supports ministries like Super Summer, PraiseWorks and JoyWorks, and Baptist Collegiate Ministries. Through this cooperation, you also contribute to
both Ouachita Baptist University and Williams Baptist University, as well as Camp Siloam, Arkansas Baptist Children & Family Ministries, and the Arkansas Baptist Foundation. That money does not just stay in our state, though. As you can see in the 2024 Cooperative Program Distribution pie chart (at right), you also are funding missionaries
through the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board.
In addition, you go above and beyond when you give through the Dixie Jackson Arkansas Missions Offering (see below). Because you are compassionate about the people in this state, we are able to actively engage Arkansans. Every dollar given helps resource and mobilize Arkansas Baptists to serve and reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We uniquely do this through ministries like Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief, One Day Acts 1:8 Missions Experience, block parties, medical and dental clinics, pregnancy resource centers, and so much more.
SEPTEMBER 8–15, 2024
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How your investment in missions is distributed through the Cooperative Program 2024
International + North American Missions
$7,045,721 (33.55%)
Arkansas Baptist Team Ministries
$6,356,700 (30.27%)
ABSC Christian Higher Education
$3,750,600 (17.86%)
Additional SBC Ministries
$2,580,679 (12.29%)
Arkansas Baptist Children & Family Ministries
$535,500 (2.55%)
Arkansas Baptist Foundation
$499,800 (2.38%)
Camp Siloam
$231,000 (1.10%)
How your giving funds missions: The Cooperative Program (CP)
You fund missions with your tithes and offerings to your church. Your church Your church allocates funds for cooperative missions.
Out-of-state funds are used for SBC national and global missions.
Statewide Prayer Gathering
AUGUST 26–27
Church staff and lay leaders are invited to come together for a time of focused prayer for spiritual awakening and revival. This year’s Gathering will be held at The Summit Church, 6600 Crystal Hill Road, North Little Rock, on Monday evening and Tuesday morning.
absc.org/prayergathering
Dixie Jackson Arkansas Missions Week of Prayer
SEPTEMBER 8–15
This year’s theme is Compassion in Action. In early August, each church will receive prayer guides and a planning guide with instructions on where to find engaging videos and ways to guide your church to learn more about Arkansas missions. Videos, lesson plans, and other resources will be available online soon.
absc.org/dj
Arkansas Baptist Women Conference
SEPTEMBER 21
We are asking the Lord to teach us more! More of Jesus and less of me! Key verse is John 3:20—”He must increase, but I must decrease.” We are excited about the possibility of more love, more joy, more hope, more faith, more passion, and more purpose in our lives. Our keynote speaker is Rachel Lovingood, and worship will be led by Cory and Stephanie Epps.
absc.org/abwconference
A MESSAGE FROM DR. REX HORNE, ABSC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ABOUT THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM
A mark of New Testament churches is generosity. Act 2 points out that the believers had all things in common, or as other translations have it, they shared everything. For generations, Arkansas Baptists have been faithful to sharing the Gospel through their church and in cooperation with other like-minded churches. The impact of sharing everything cannot be defined even though there is much data on the ministries funded and people saved. It cannot be denied either. We are impacting eternity in our mission and ministry efforts for the Gospel and the eternal good of human souls. Arkansas Baptists, as we share of our resources, you can know that the resources are stewarded as directed with the prayer that God’s Kingdom will be expanded.
Arkansas WMU Annual Meeting + Missions Celebration 2024 will take place at Arkansas Baptist Women Conference at First Baptist Church in Benton. On the registration form, make sure to select WMU Missions Celebration to join us for the WMU Annual Meeting + Missions Celebration!
Disaster Relief Regional Trainings
AUGUST 10, SEPTEMBER 21
Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers go to share the love and hope of Jesus Christ. They are trained and credentialed, often providing immediate assistance in areas of crisis, meeting people at their points of need. Prayerfully consider if Disaster Relief is a ministry in which the Lord is calling you to serve.
abscdisasterrelief.org/ volunteer
One Day Missions Experience
OCTOBER 5
Partnering with the churches of a local Association, Arkansas Baptists from across the state spend the first Saturday in October serving in a variety of ministry settings. Since 2010, more than 25,000 Arkansas Baptists have been mobilized for missions through One Day. This year’s event will take place in the North Little Rock and Jacksonville area.
absc.org/oneday
PRAY FOR CHURCH PLANTERS
Pray for the Gutierrez family and their church plant in Conway, and pray daily for Arkansas church planters using our monthly prayer calendar.
Pastors’ Conference + Ministers’ Wives Conference
OCTOBER 21
The Pastors’ Conference and Ministers’ Wives Conference are two of several events that are held on Monday preceding the ABSC Annual Meeting. These meetings will be held at Geyer Springs First Baptist Church
absc.org
OCTOBER 22–23
The 171st Annual Meeting of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention will be held at Geyer Springs First Baptist Church in Little Rock Watch absc.org for additional details.
absc.org
Norberto and Patricia Gutierrez are planting Iglesia Bautista Woodland Heights en Espanol in Conway. Praise the Lord for the Hispanics they are reaching, and pray for more Pray
7 That God will provide someone to teach Bible school
7 For space to teach children in age-divided areas For God’s provision of their monthly budget
We spend each month praying for planters around the state. You can find a daily calendar each month at absc.org/prayforplanters
Stay connected to us on social media, watch and listen to our videos and podcasts, sign up for our monthly eNews, and find all things Arkansas Baptist on our website. Get started at:
July 29, August 1
August 4–8
September 20–22
October 1–31
October 10
October 11–13
October 12
Explore Discover Grow
Collegiate Week
Replicate Retreat at Camp Siloam
Pastor + Staff Appreciation Month
Women’s Ministry Network Gatherings
CONNECT Missions Weekend
ServSafe Training
The ministries of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention are funded by the generous giving of Arkansas Baptists to missions through the Cooperative Program and the Dixie Jackson Arkansas Missions Offering.
Please feel free to copy any portion of this newsletter to share with other members of your church. To request additional copies, call 501.376.4791, ext. 5153.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SPECIFIC
OR VISIT ABSC.ORG/CALENDAR FOR COMPLETE EVENT INFO.
