APRIL 2008 UPDATE

APRIL, 2008

GIVING FRIENDS! “MAY YOUR TRIBE INCREASE!”

A Giving Friend called me last October, responding to an article I had written in the September Mission Sheets entitled ‘MISSIONS ALERT! WHAT’S A MISSIONARY WORTH?’ In that article, I was emphasizing the needs we were going to face in the upcoming year due to assuming support for two more missionary families.

This Giving Friend asked, “Do I correctly assume from that appeal that the greatest need Baptist Faith Missions faces right now is increased offerings to the General Fund?” I replied, “Yes, that’s correct.” To which this generous Giving Friend said, “Then I am going to start giving a monthly offering to the General Fund to help supply the monthly needs of our missionaries.” THANK YOU, GIVING FRIENDS!

A fellow pastor called me at the end of last year and said, “We are planning our church budget for 2008, and we want to begin supporting the General Fund of Baptist Faith Missions. We can’t do a whole lot right now, but we want to make a beginning.” They have begun that monthly support for the General Fund. THANK YOU, GIVING FRIENDS!

Another fellow pastor called me not too long after that and said, “Our church has voted to increase our monthly offerings to the General Fund to help us supply the on-going needs of our missionaries.” They have begun that increased monthly support. THANK YOU, GIVING FRIENDS!

And THANK YOU, ALL YOU GIVING FRIENDS WHO HAVE MET OUR MISSIONARIES’ MONTHLY NEEDS ALL ALONG. We don’t take you for granted. Your offerings not only supply the commitments we have made to our missionaries, but YOUR GIVING ALSO INCREASES AND MULTIPLIES MANY THANKSGIVINGS TO GOD! We bless God for the Grace He gives you to give – and our missionaries thank God for your generosity, too.
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THANKSGIVING OFFERING UPDATE

I have told you all along that I would keep you updated on the progress of our Thanksgiving Offering. As you know, the Thanksgiving Offering goes toward offsetting the monthly deficits we incur between the monthly offerings for the General Fund and the disbursements we make each month for the commitments we have made to our missionaries.

OUR CURRENT OFFERING TOTAL IS $64,600.57. That includes the latest offering given in March which appears in this month’s Offering Report.

WE ARE PRAYING, HOPING, AND APPEALING FOR $175,000, which was what we projected we would need over 2008 to supply the increased commitments we assumed by approving support for two additional missionary families. ALSO, we have committed to covering the expenses for Language School and shipping the container with their personal and ministry effects to Kenya. Those two expenses alone were more than $20,000.

Your offerings will bear the fruit of many more believers, disciples, and churches being established through the ministries of all our missionaries.

WE NEED YOUR INCREASED OFFERINGS TO THE MONTHLY GENERAL FUND MORE THAN WE HAVE EVER NEEDED THEM BEFORE! Please increase your personal monthly offering to the BFM General Fund – and also remember that THE THANKSGIVING OFFERING IS STILL OPEN!