Total giving still strong; Texas gifts down slightly
___By Ken Camp
___Texas Baptist Communications
___In spite of a December decline, year-end total Cooperative Program gifts through the Baptist General Convention of Texas in 2000 were $71,663,039 --2.7 percent above the anticipated giving goal.
___"We are grateful for the continuing response of Texas Baptist churches, as evidenced by their generous giving," said Roger Hall, BGCT treasurer and chief financial officer.
___Total Cooperative Program gifts included $45,739,176 to BGCT missions and ministries, and $25,923,863 to worldwide causes. Gifts to BGCT causes were 2.2 percent below budget, but spending was maintained within budget resources, Hall noted.
___The year-end Cooperative Program total was about $1.38 million (1.9 percent) less than in 1999, attributable in part to a difficult December. Cooperative Program gifts in December totaled $5,148,208, which is $664,292 (11.4 percent) below budget.
___Hall pointed to several factors that impacted December giving. In addition to some churches that are changing their manner of missions giving, the monthly receipts also reflected the pattern common to five-Sunday months. The last days of the month and the year fell on a Sunday.
___"Most churches send their Cooperative Program missions gifts after the last Sunday of the month," Hall said. "Offerings received after Dec. 31 will be posted in January of this year."
___Extreme weather conditions also may have had an adverse impact on giving, he noted. Two ice storms that swept through the northern part of the state caused some churches to cancel services, and others had markedly decreased attendance. Weather delays also may have hampered mail delivery, Hall said.
___Gifts to worldwide ministries through the Texas Cooperative Program included $23.7 million to the Southern Baptist Convention and $1.29 million to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
___Year-end totals for three of five designated missions offerings were down somewhat, with two offerings posting slight increases over the previous year.
___Texas Baptists gave $13,814,104 to the Lottie Moon International Missions Offering, down 3.9 percent from the $14,371,326 given in 1999.
___Gifts to the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas missions were $5,330,013, down 3.1 percent from the $5,503,192 given the previous year.
___The Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger totaled $888,054, a 1.3 percent decrease.
___Texas Baptists gave $6,117,112 to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American missions, a 3.8 percent increase.
___Gifts to the Global Missions Offering of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship totaled $848,535, a 4.7 percent increase.
The Baptist Standard
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