Texas Baptists aim to raise $4.2 million through the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions this fall—about $448,000 more than they gave last year.
The Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas board of directors set the goal for the 2014 offering, which will be distributed in 2015.
If Texas Baptists meet the goal, it will provide:
• $1 million for church-starting cooperative ventures between sponsoring congregations, leaders of new churches, Baptist associations and the Baptist General Convention of Texas, plus an additional $262,200 for related ministries, such as $170,000 for Mega Focus outreach in the five largest and most ethnically diverse associations.
• More than $1.73 million to strengthen churches to be on mission, including $998,000 for the ministries of Texas WMU. It also includes $64,000 for scholarships to ethnic/minority students enrolled in Texas Baptist universities.
• $638,625 to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with unchurched people. That includes $87,000 to provide BaptistWay Press resources in varied language and cultural contexts, $60,000 for an ongoing Hope 1:8 project to develop innovative initiatives to reach Texas for Christ and $50,000 for Harvest Field Churches in poor, inner-city areas.
• $565,000 to help Texas Baptists serve others and put their faith into action. It includes $95,000 for River Ministry missionaries and field service coordinators and $118,000 for community ministry and outreach along the Texas/Mexico border.
Hispanic initiatives
The 2014 offering will help provide funding for several new ministries, including $30,000 to provide scholarships for Hispanic missionaries serving church, communities and campuses and to cover travel and field expenses for mission projects, as well as $29,000 to provide training and travel for Hope 1:8 missionaries, who serve in variety of mission settings around the state.
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The offering will supply $25,000 for English-speaking Hispanic initiatives, to help provide teaching, training and resources in methods to reach third- and fourth-generation Hispanics with the gospel. It also will provide $25,000 for ministries among oilfield workers, including evangelism in “boom towns” springing up in the Eagle Ford, Cline and Barnett Shale areas.
Bivocational training
The 2014 offering also will provide $15,000 to develop a new paradigm to dramatically increase the number of equipped bivocational pastors serving Texas Baptist congregations.
A $10,000 item in the 2014 offering will enable the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas to devote one day of its annual meeting to challenging participants to minister to human trafficking victims. It would include age-appropriate workshops in English and Spanish focused on prevention and ministry to victims, as well as a service project at a shelter.
In addition, the offering would provide $15,000 to promote overall church education efforts regarding human trafficking.
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