“The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.” – Hudson Taylor
Category: Missions
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Mission Quote of the Week
I would like to make a new weekly feature called “Missions Quote of the Week” spotlighting quotes from previous missionaries or contemporary quotes regarding missions.
I’d like to kick this off with my all time favorite quote from Jim Elliott:
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot loose.”
Bro Rick
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Offering Results
The first day’s results are in for the Edna McMillan Oklahoma State Missions Offering. We collected $235 today! That is 47% of our goal. Not bad for the first day of the offering!
We’ll be collecting the offering through the month of September, so if you weren’t able to get it in today, there is still time.
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Edna McMillan Offering for State Missions
The 2007 Edna McMillan Offering for State Missions will be collected this next week. Our church goal is $500. The State goal is $1,000,000.
Edna McMillan was born in Attala, Mississippi, in the late 1800’s. She married George McMillan, after graduating from the Huntsville Female College (Alabama) in 1890. They moved to Muskogee in 1902 where George worked in the petroleum industry. She was president of the Oklahoma Women’s Missionary Union from 1927 to 1938. She is quoted with “A rich man is one who has enough for himself and enough left over to help others. Though he be possessed of millions, a man is poor, who has only enough for himself.” She is remembered for constantly encouraging her fellow Southern Baptist to contribute to state missions. The offering was named after her in 1939.
The one million dollars expected is budgeted by: Evangelism, $337,500; Communications, $150,000; Ministry and Missions, $170,500; Church Planting, $180,000; Ministry to Church Leadership, $107,00; Community and Christian Life Issues, $55,000. For a more complete breakdown of the budget, click here.
The theme for this years State Mission Offering is “Leave the 99; Find the One”, referring to Matthew 18:12 where Jesus says, “What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?”
Won’t you pray about and consider what you will contribute to the Edna McMillan State Missions Offering?
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Missions Offerings
We have two important opportunities to support missions through giving.
Edna McMillan Offering for Oklahoma Missions – Church Goal: $500
Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions – Church Goal: $2000
The Edna McMillan Offering is September 2-5, and the Lottie Moon Offering is the month of December. I registered our church today with the IMB for the Lottie Moon Offering. I look forward to us breaking both goals! I’ll be writing more about each of these offerings in the days to come.
Bro. Rick
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Weekly Pastors’ Conference
I attended my first Pastors’ Conference at the Muskogee Baptist Association today. It was a good time of fellowship, but the highlight for me was twofold. Bill Sherrill provided the program with an overview of how the Association functions and what their ministries are. The MBA Disaster Relief Team demonstrated their abilities by cooking and providing lunch for the pastors.
I am very impressed with our Association and it dedication to supporting the churches within the Association to fulfill the Great Commission. I hope that one day, as a church, we will be in a position to raise our monthly percentage of contribution to our local association. We are currently giving 2%. Our contribution to the Cooperative Program is currently 5%.
As I spoke about on Sunday night, Acts 1:8 says that we “shall be witnesses” or better “will be witnesses in Wagoner, the rest of Oklahoma, the entire United States, and even to the rest of the world. Our participation with the MBA assists our requirement to be witnesses right here at home.
Pray for Bro Bill Sherrill, Bro Gary McKeen, Bro Claudio Valencia, Bro Bill Haynes, Wanda Haley, and Cheryl Monroe, as they fulfill their mission statement: Working together to assist and strengthen churches on mission.
Bro Rick
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Some Foreign Christians Expelled from China
The following news article was found on HotSpots Security Update.
China (Country threat level – 3): Media reports issued on 10 July 2007 indicate that the Chinese government has recently expelled approximately 100 foreigners from the country. The expulsion campaign, allegedly called “Typhoon No. 5,” was conducted in an effort to prevent the foreigners, who are suspected of being religious missionaries, from proselytizing during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The foreigners — from the United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Israel and South Korea — mainly worked in Beijing, Tibet, Shandong and Xinjiang. The Chinese government has not responded to the allegations; however, officials at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing confirmed that there have recently been some deportations. Although the allegations cannot be independently corroborated, it is important to note that the Chinese government has banned religious affiliations outside of the Communist Party-controlled church. Foreign travelers to China should never openly discuss religion.
Pray for those who desire to use the Olympics to share the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost people of China.
Immanuel Southern Baptist Church 