It's your choice

December is the traditional month in Southern Baptist church life to collect the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions. Click here to see how the offering provides for Southern Baptist missionaries around the world.

"Every penny given to Lottie Moon is used to support Southern Baptist missionaries as they share the Gospel overseas. The offering represents 54 percent of the International Mission Board’s total income."

THE FACTS:

International Mission Board vital stats
• 5,618 missionaries (as of 4/20/09)
• 26,970 new churches*
• 565,967 baptisms*
• 562,091 new believers in discipleship*
*As reported in the 2008 Annual Statistical Report

Status of World Evangelization
• 11,599 people groups worldwide; 6.6 billion people
• 6,454 unreached* people groups; 3.8 billion people
• 5,850 Last Frontier** people groups; 1.6 billion people
*Less than 2 percent evangelical
**Less than 2 percent evangelical, no active church planting

Lottie Moon past and present
• 2009 goal: $175 million
• 2008 goal: $170 million
• 2008 receipts: $141.3 million

QUESTION:

With $180 to spend for Christmas, What can one buy for around $180?

• Apple iPod touch 8 GB (3rd Generation) $181.99
• Caterpillar Men's Black Airactive Chronograph Watch $184
• Helly Hansen Men's Velocity JPN Jacket $180.

All nice gifts. But consider how that same $180 might be invested in the Kingdom...

Last month $180 was used here in Guayaquil to train 15 church planters in CPM methodology. These 15 went out, and put into practice what they learned. One month later, 14 new outreach groups* have been started, and over 100 souls added to the Kingdom. Two of these "churches in formation" have already gone to 2nd generation church plants.

I am not asking you to do anything more than what we are also willing to do. This year our family is giving one Christmas gift apiece to one another. Our gift to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering in 2009 is $600. We know where these monies go, and live amongst the people whose lives are transformed because someone gave so that they might hear. Over and over we see how small amounts of money given for Kingdom causes is multiplied way beyond the dollar amounts much like the "five loaves and two fish."

Nobody is telling anybody else what to do with their money, but honestly, I can't think of a better place to invest than in the Kingdom of God through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

It's your choice.


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*we call them "outreach groups" until they baptize their first batch of believers. After that, we refer to them as churches.