JEFFERSON CITY – Ministering to one’s home state is vital to fulfilling Christ’s challenge in Acts 1:8, and it’s because of Missouri Baptists’ love for “their Judea” that the Missouri Missions Offering is in full swing.
The 2008 Rheubin L. South Missouri Missions Offering (MMO) will fund ministries across the state in 2009. This year’s goal is $800,000, up $80,000 from last year’s total. This year’s theme is “Missouri Still Matters,” a slight play on 2007’s “Missouri Matters.”
“The 2008 MMO Task Force decided to keep the same theme because, as one task force member said, ‘Missouri still matters!’” said David Tolliver, interim executive director of the MBC. “Missouri still matters to God and to the people of God called Missouri Baptists. Because Missouri matters to God, He sent His son. Because Missouri matters to us, we give to this offering to preach the Gospel.”
MMO funds are separate from Cooperative Program gifts and are exclusively designated for state missions.
“Every dollar given to MMO goes to Missouri missions somehow,” Tolliver said.
The $800,000 is divided into four areas: evangelism, strengthening Missouri churches, planting new churches, and sending Missouri missionaries.
Evangelism line-items in the 2008 MMO budget such as special evangelism events, multicultural evangelism and sports evangelism make up 8 percent of the budget, while church-strengthening ministries such as Minister’s Juggling Act, a retreat for Hispanic pastors, Missouri Baptist Scholarship and leadership training make up 7 percent. A quarter of the MMO goes directly toward funding new church plants while the remaining 60 percent funds Missouri missions such as partnership missions, Disaster Relief, summer collegiate missions, hunger relief and the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home.
September is MMO Month and churches are asked to promote the offering among their congregations. Speakers from the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) staff, although normally booked months in advance, may still be able to speak about the offering and its impact. For more information, go to www.mobaptist.org/mmo or contact Becky Wolfe at 1-800-736-6227 or bwolfe@mobaptist.org.
