The Annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions goal for 2012 is $175,000,000.00. 100% of the offering goes to support international missions efforts of the Southern Baptist Convention.
The 2012 Lottie Moon goal for our church is $1250.
Offering envelopes will be available soon. Meanwhile, you can mark your checks or regular offering envelopes “Lottie Moon”.
During the Great Depression, George Beverly Shea was offered a career in popular music. But an inner voice whispered a greater purpose. The answer came in a poem Shea later set to music, I’d Rather Have Jesus. As we face one of the most difficult economic challenges since the Depression, this hymn reminds us that choosing Christ “rather … than silver or gold” is the most reliable investment advice we will ever find. As markets fluctuate, Christ is a solid rock.
Another line sings of favoring “His dear cause” over worldliness. Just as Shea has stayed faithful to glorify God in song around the globe, Southern Baptists have long been faithful to give time and money to help accomplish the worldwide missionary task.
Economic uncertainty affects your families and your church. It also affects every missionary family on the field. Their work cannot go forward without your continued sacrificial giving.
May God bless you in your ever-faithful obedience to our Great Commission task.
Jerry Rankin, president
International Mission Board
This biography was taken directly from the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma‘s website:
The Oklahoma State Missions Offering is named in honor of Edna McMillan, a woman who led the passionate cause of reaching Oklahomans with the Gospel.
Edna learned early in life how to serve others as she grew up in Attala, Mississippi in the late 1800s. Her parents were a great influence as she learned how to pray from her father and how to serve others from her mother.
After graduating with honors from the Huntsville Female College in Alabama in 1890, she married a young Baptist man, George McMillan. She respected his quest for Godly character and was inspired when she first met him during a church service where he pledged a generous amount to a special missions offering.
Both of the McMillans became faithful stewards of their time and their resources. George served in church and worked in the oil business. they settled in Muskogee in 1902 and spent most of their lives in Bristow. Edna held numerous roles in the church and worked diligently and tirelessly for Oklahoma Woman’s Missionary Union. She held many positions in WMU and served as state WMU president for 11 years from 1927 to 1938.
Edna was an effective communicator and consistently challenged Oklahoma Baptists to give generously to state missions. In 1932, she said, “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.”
The state WMU Board in 1939 met in Muskogee where Edna was surprised to hear the recommendation and later unanimous vote to name the State Missions Offering in her honor. Through her many travels and days away from home to champion the mission cause, Edna never accepted a penny for her expenses.
God gave Edna McMillan the understanding that there is no better time to reach the lost than today. She understood that Now Is the Time to reach Oklahomans with the Gospel. Will you continue in her legacy?
We have received the following letter from Martin Whipple:
January 19, 2009
Dear Friends of Immanuel Southern,
Happy New Year and God Bless You! This past year has been absolutely amazing. God has been at work here in Enid, Oklahoma. Our church, Emmanuel Baptist, has ministered to countless numbers of people through conferences, revivals, church camps, vacation bible school, our annual Christmas Pageant, and local missions. I have participated in these various ministry opportunities and have been tremendously blessed.
We have been given another ministry opportunity. March 12-23, 2009, Emmanuel Baptist, is taking a group of 11 people, teenagers and adults, to Tokyo, Japan. While there, we will be ministering to children through vacation bible school, day camps and bible studies. The children will range from pre-kindergarten through teens. These children and youth are special to us because their parents are missionaries who have been called to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Japan.
While their parents are participating in training and teaching seminars to help them as they continue their work spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, we will be teaching, training, encouraging, and loving the children. This in turn will build stronger young people who can help and support their parents in telling others around the world about Jesus.
I am writing this letter to ask for your support. … First, I need people to begin praying right now for this mission trip. Pray for our team as we travel. Pray for our safety. Pray that we can be a vessel used by God for His glory. Pray for the children and youth to whom we will be ministering. Pray that they may hear His word. Secondly, we need financial support. It is the responsibility of each team member to obtain the funds for this trip. The cost of the trip is $2,500.00 per person. …
As I asked earlier, please pray for the team and me as we prepare to share the love of Jesus by strengthening and encouraging those who have been called to spread His Word around the world. Please pray for foreign missions.
Sincerely,
[Martin Whipple]
Martin was the Worship Leader for our Spring Revival last year. We will be taking up a special offering for him this next Sunday. Make your tax deductible checks out to Immanuel Southern with the notation of “Japan Trip” and we will make sure the money is sent to his home church in Enid. If you have any questions, please contact Bro Rick.
Our church goal is $1000.00 for our 2008 Lottie Moon Offering. To date, we have collected $949.00! Our “Halelujah” goal is $1250.00. Hopefully, we’ll meet our Halelujah Goal this year!
Won’t you consider what YOU will give to support International Missions?
I am happy to announce that we surpassed our goal of $500 for the Edna McMillan Offering for State Missions. Our final tally is $562.00.
Now, we need to start considering what we will give to the Lottie Moon Offering for International Missions. That offering will start in December. Go ahead. Pray about what you should give. Start saving a little bit now. Together, we can make a difference!
Immanuel Southern Baptist Church 