IN FOCUS: What a cooperative, faithful family

I’m amazed at the stories I hear from the churches and institutions in our Baptist General Convention of Texas family. God is blessing many Christian groups, but I believe we have a special opportunity as Texas Baptists.

I recently spent several hours with our chaplains at Baylor Health Care System. I was moved by the compassion of these professionals who spend time every day with suffering families. Our Baylor chaplains witnessed 900 professions of faith in Christ in the last three years.

In 2008, our BGCT churches gave $54.8 million through the Cooperative Program. This exceeds the nearest amount given by any other state convention by $6 million. Your gifts support:

Randel Everett

• Schools: Baylor University, Dallas Baptist University, Hardin-Simmons University, Houston Baptist University, East Texas Baptist University, Howard Payne University, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Wayland Baptist University, Baptist University of the Américas, Valley Baptist Missions & Education Center and San Marcos Baptist Academy

• Child care and elderly institutions: Buckner Children & Family Services, Buckner Adoption Services, Baptist Child & Family Services, South Texas Children’s Home Ministries, Children at Heart Ministries, Baptist Memorials Ministry, Baptist Community Services in Amarillo, Buckner Retirement Services and Breckenridge Village in Tyler (adult mentally handicapped)

• Medical ministries: Memorial Hermann Baptist Hospitals in the Houston area, Baptist Health System in San Antonio, Baylor Health Care System in Dallas, Hendrick Health System in Abilene, Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco and Valley Baptist Health System in Harlingen

• Baptist student ministries on 118 Texas campuses

• Funding for churches to start 82 churches last year

• River Ministry and Mexico missions

• BGCT Sunday school/discipleship, evangelism, music, stewardship, church architecture, Christian ethics and Christian life ministries, Texas Partnerships missions

• Texas Baptist Men and disaster relief

• Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas through the Mary Hill Davis Offering

The BGCT also supports the Southern Baptist Convention: International and North American mission boards, six seminaries and the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

The BGCT continues to be one of the largest financial supporters of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Baptist World Alliance.

SBC, CBF and BWA contributions are directed by individual churches as each church chooses. This list of ministries is representative and not exhaustive. Almost all of the ministries listed in Texas receive no other denominational support. Although there is no financial contribution, we also have close partnerships with the Baptist Standard, Texas Baptist Foundation and Baptist Church Loan Corporation.

Each of our 5,600 congregations does incredible ministry. Yet when we cooperate together, we can do so much more.

Randel Everett is executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board.