New Newsletter Article April-June 2011

Dear HGBC,


I have an idea. I know, I know, that can be a good thing and that can be a bad thing. But I believe this idea is a good one. I will have to say it’s not an original idea. It’s a borrowed idea. I don’t know if the guy I’m borrowing it from is the originator of the idea or if he, like me, borrowed it from someone else.

The idea comes from a desire in my heart to give more than we ever have to the advancement of the Kingdom of God through missions. Every year we set aside one month to focus on giving to missions in North America by giving to the Annie Armstrong Easter offering. I mention this offering first because we are currently giving to this offering. We usually give $1000.00 or so towards the Annie Armstrong offering. In May, we take up an offering for the Florida Baptist Children’s Home on Mother’s Day. I mention this now as a reminder that it will not be long before you see those Children’s Home envelops around the church. We give toward the McGuire State Missions offering in September. This offering goes to help fund missions efforts in our beautiful state, as Florida Baptists strive to reach the more than 17 million people in Florida who are without Christ. We also spend the month of December taking up the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. This offering goes directly to support the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and our 5000 plus missionaries around the world. HGBC usually gives about $1500.00 towards this offering. The money given towards these offering goes to support Southern Baptist causes at home and around the world and it is a good and necessary part of our cooperative efforts to reach the billions of people on this planet who have never heard the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. In addition to these specific and special offerings, we give a percentage of our undesignated receipts to missions through our Cooperative Program giving. It sounds like a lot of money, but if you totaled up the amounts given, it’s not as much as you would think.

But I believe we can do more; I believe we can do better. Now here is the idea.

I would like to see HGBC incorporate what we would call a Global Missions offering. We would still take up a special offering during each of these campaigns, but it would only be one Sunday rather than a whole month. The Global Missions offering would take a spot on our offering envelopes in the place of Annie and Lottie. We would have the opportunity to give to our Global Missions offering on a weekly basis. We would take the offering and divide it up on a percentage basis between Lottie (50%), Annie (25%), the Children’s Home (10%), McGuire (10%), and our local mission’s needs (5%), etc… I believe that if we determined to give a small amount on a weekly basis, rather than trying to take up a larger amount every few months, HGBC would end up giving more money on a yearly basis to these needed and worthy efforts of advancement.

The guy I was telling you about earlier is David Tarkington, pastor of First Baptist Church Orange Park. Using this idea as a way of giving allowed FBCOP to have a record setting year in their support of these Southern Baptist offerings. He told me they had never come close to giving as much as they did in 2010 before they implemented their Global Missions offering. I believe we can do it too! What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts, questions or concerns. God is at work! Don’t miss it, and don’t miss Him. I love you.

Pastor Mike

Rom. 15:13