OSAGE BEACH – Messengers will have a chance to take part in a special free-will offering on Tuesday morning at the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Annual Meeting. The offering will support three Missouri Baptist ministries that encourage ministry to families, strengthen our churches and help those in need.
“It’s not for our benefit,” said MBC president and pastor of First Baptist, Paris, Wesley Hammond. “All three of these initiatives help someone else.”
The funds received are to be divided as follows:
Sixty percent provides scholarships to two events: mb125 and the Minister’s Juggling Act.
Mb125 is an annual conference for pastors and their families who serve smaller churches throughout the state. The conference features times of worship and Bible study. Childcare is provided, along with program tracks for youth and women. Afternoons and evenings are devoted to family. The MBC subsidizes the cost of the conference, keeping it to $100 or less per family. Scholarships enable pastors and their families to attend at no cost – a real blessing for pastors who serve smaller churches, many of whom are bi-vocational.
The Minister’s Juggling Act is an annual retreat for ministers and their wives with a focus on establishing a better balance between ministry and family. Held in Branson in the fall, Minister’s Juggling Act is an opportunity for ministers to relax, worship, be encouraged, and spend time alone with their wives. The MBC pays most of the cost of this retreat, which sells out year after year. Scholarships enable ministry families to attend at no cost. Over the past 10 years more than 900 couples have been encouraged through this event.
The remaining 40 percent of the funds received from this offering are to establish the DR Legacy Fund, an endowment fund to support disaster relief in Missouri. When disaster strikes, Missouri Baptists are among the first on the scene, offering help, hope and healing.