Do you ever wish you knew more about the results of state missions and the Eliza Broadus Offering?  Ever wonder if your offering dollars make a difference?

I feel the same way at times. I know that our praying and giving is having an impact but there is nothing like seeing the results or receiving an email with a story about someone coming to faith through state missions. I received such an email just before Christmas.

The email included a link to a video of the baptism of a student from Japan at Murray First Baptist Church. Keith Inman, pastor and former Collegiate Ministry Director for the Kentucky Baptist Convention, was so excited to be baptizing this student.

In the video another international student read the testimony of the Japanese student who is studying ESL (English as Second Language) at Murray State University. The great thing about his testimony is the connection of international missions and state missions. The first Christian this student met was a missionary in Japan who did student work. He would hang out with the Japanese students, play Frisbee or cards, or visit coffee shops. After seeing how kind this Christian missionary was, the Japanese student became interested in his faith. The missionary shared stories from the Bible, explained who God is, and what makes Christianity different from other religions.

Then Tucker (American name that he chose) came to Murray to study. There he met students from the BCM (Baptist Campus Ministry) who befriended him and shared their faith. Over Thanksgiving break, Tucker went home with another student and began to realize that God had been orchestrating his life for many years. In the car, he believed that God is holy and that he was separated from God by his sin. In that moment he believed in what Jesus had done for him

Before baptizing Tucker, Keith asked everyone who was present who had any part of his journey to faith to stand, including things like giving him a ride to Walmart and subject of Jesus came us. Keith said, “You never know how God is going to use the faithfulness of His people to help a young man or a young woman to understand that God is at work.”

Thank you for your gifts to the Eliza Broadus Offering which provides funding for Baptist Campus Ministry and outreach to international students. You were a part of Tucker’s salvation story.

Focus on WMU will be observed in February. We are asking every WMU group to receive a Focus offering for EBO. The timing of the 2017 hurricanes impacted EBO giving, yet state missions needs go on. Your gift now will make an impact. Be sure to see the video from Dr. Paul Chitwood for Focus on WMU and EBO

And if you want to see the video of Tucker’s baptism and share it with others, it is available online and may be downloaded to share with others. The video will touch your heart and allow you to see EBO at work for yourself!

Each year a new committee convenes to pray and discuss ideas for the state missions emphasis. Each committee works on a theme that will be used nearly two years after their initial meeting. Working this far in advance is necessary in order to research stories and prepare materials.

It is always fascinating to me to see how a particular emphasis fits the circumstances and needs at the time it is used. This is the result of prayer and God’s leadership in this process.

Our 2017 emphasis, Rise Up and Shine, focuses on Kentucky Baptist ministries to internationals. From college campuses to large cities, and in small communities and out of the way places like Oneida Baptist Institute, internationals have come to Kentucky to study, work, and make a life.

While we want to welcome these who have come, concerns about immigration and many related issues have been front page news. There are no easy answers to many of the associated problems. But scripture is clear: “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:17-19 NIV).

In my Children in Action group, a retired missionary to Central Asia portrayed a refugee for the children, explaining why she needed to leave her homeland to protect her family from war. This missionary has lived where danger make people willing to risk everything to live in another country. We wanted the children to understand and care.

Nik Ripken, author of The Insanity of God and The Insanity of Obedience, poses a question that makes me uncomfortable: “What if the worst persecution today was having little or no access to Jesus. Am I a persecutor when I keep my faith to myself, only within the environment of the church?”

God is sending the nations to Kentucky. Watch the 2017 state missions video of Nik giving suggestions for how we can minister to internationals. It all begins with friendship, a meal, and some simple questions to show your interest.You will also want to read the article “Internationals in Your Community: Thoughts from The Insanity of Obedience by Nik Ripken.”

In this month of response to hurricanes, remember to support the Cooperative Program and the Eliza Broadus Offering first. Our channels of mission support put ministries like Disaster Relief in place before they are needed. Keep the foundation strong even as you give an extra offering for specific relief efforts. Let’s Rise Up and Shine!

As August comes to a close, we will close the books on the 2016 Eliza Broadus Offering. As of this writing (8/24/17), the offering stands at $1,212,880.36. Gifts will be received through August 31 for the 2016 offering. Thank you, Kentucky Baptists, for faithful giving.

The 2017 Rise Up and Shine materials were mailed in July and every church should now have their standing order of posters, prayer guides, and envelopes. Take note of the new envelope design which has the words State Missions Offering in a number of different languages used in Kentucky Baptist churches.

You may have noticed the copyright symbol ® used in connection with the words Eliza Broadus Offering and Eliza Broadus Offering for State Missions. Kentucky WMU began the annual Kentucky state missions Offering in 1913, named the offering for Eliza Broadus in 1976, and are the stewards of the offering to this day. We registered a trademark on the offering name because we understand the importance of this stewardship. In a day when materials can be easily copied and misappropriated, Kentucky WMU took this step as a protection for the name and use of the offering. Kentucky WMU will continue, as we have for many years, in a cooperative spirit to allocate the offering in consultation with the Kentucky Baptist Convention in order to enhance missions in Kentucky through the KBC, associations, affiliated ministries, and Kentucky WMU.

Missions Mobilization through the KBC is a prime area of ministry supported by EBO. Teresa Parrett is often the connector between needs and volunteers, between missionaries and resources. Teresa also works with persons that God is calling into missions to find their place of service. Just recently, Teresa joined us at Familyfest in Lebanon and was introduced to a lady with a heart for missions. When Teresa explained about Kentucky MSC and that she qualified to serve as a Kentucky missionary, tears came into her eyes. She told Teresa that she had wanted to serve in Africa as a missionary since she was a child, but life had taken a different turn. She told Teresa that her current ministry is now her Africa.

Teresa said “We hear this same story over and over, of how God calls people to serve many years earlier, and they are now finding their place in ministry. Many of them thought it would be international missions, but are finding out it is right here in Kentucky.”

Thanks to support from the Eliza Broadus Offering and the Cooperative Program, Teresa is helping to connect many volunteers with missions needs, helping Kentucky Baptists to Rise Up and Shine as we reach Kentucky and the world for Christ.

Thank you, Kentucky Baptists! You are people who just keep on giving! We share the state missions emphasis month after month, telling the stories and asking you to be generous. You respond with generosity and prayer support.

On August 31 we will close the books on an offering year and start all over on September 1. Some might wonder if we will ever get done. As long as there are people who have not accepted Jesus as Savior, we will keep sharing the Heart of the Story across our state. Here are some stories received this year.

Ben showed up at Hope House straight from prison. He came to know Jesus as Savior while in jail and came to get help with employment. Jobs are a real challenge for those with felony records, but Ben knew that Jesus wanted to do something great with his life and was one of the best students in the Jobs for Life program there. Now he is working at the Hope House warehouse and has a goal of becoming a drug and alcohol counselor. EBO had a part though a $2,000 grant this year.

Tommie was estranged from family, addicted to drugs, and homeless. He went to the Louisville Rescue Mission seeking services and hope. A volunteer built a relationship with Tommie and encouraged him to enter LifeChange. Today he has moved home, reconciled with family, gotten married and has a vision for starting his own business. EBO had a part through a $4,000 grant this year.

After speaking for Lincoln Association WMU a few weeks ago, I was invited to stop by the Unto Me Home in Stanford which opened in August 2015. Perry, the house coordinator, told me the story of how God had worked in his life through the ministry which provides shelter for people who are homeless. He now builds relationships with those who come seeking help and has a special understanding of their needs because he was once homeless, too.  Perry has reconnected with his wife and they have both grown spiritually. Since the Unto Me Home opened, there have been 70 people come through and 13 have professed Christ as Savior. Many have found employment and permanent housing. EBO had a part through a $1,000 grant this year.

Stories like this make me smile as I think of the impact of your faithful giving as God blesses EBO and uses it  for His glory and to proclaim the gospel. A new offering year will begin soon with the theme Be Ready – Live Ready. Are you ready?