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Wright urges churches to up Lottie goals
Baptist Press
August 26, 2010
3 MIN READ TIME

Wright urges churches to up Lottie goals

Wright urges churches to up Lottie goals
Baptist Press
August 26, 2010

MARIETTA, Ga. — Southern

Baptist Convention (SBC) President Bryant Wright is challenging individual

churches around the convention to set record goals for this year’s Lottie Moon

Christmas Offering.

Wright, pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in suburban Atlanta, was elected

SBC president in June and launched Pray4SBC.com where he is posting monthly

videos directed at SBC pastors and church leaders.

“There’s no doubt when we give more to missions we have a greater heart for

going on missions,” Wright said in his August video. “… No matter what size

church you pastor, think of what it will do for the Kingdom of Christ for us to

exceed the Lottie Moon Offerings that we’ve had in our churches in the past. It

will allow us to do more for international missions, as well as more for

missions, than perhaps in the history of the convention.”

BP file photo by Bill Bangham

Bryant Wright, senior pastor of the 7,600 member Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., and president of the Southern Baptist Convention, wants more churches to set record Lottie Moon Christmas Offering goals.

Wright read from a letter from Kyle Waddell, pastor of Pine Level Baptist

Church in Early Branch, S.C. Several years ago Waddell’s church had a Lottie

Moon goal of $2,500, but Waddell challenged the church “to think about the

money they spent around Christmas” and to give a special gift to missions. That

year the church gave more than $10,000, an amount it has exceeded twice during

the past three years. Waddell said he hopes the church can give $20,000 this

year.

Wright’s August video, at eight minutes, also features an interview with

Roswell Street Baptist Church pastor Ernest Easley, who helped lead his church

to increase dramatically its offering to missions.

Roswell Street, in Marietta, Ga., has one missions offering each year which

funds the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for the International Mission Board,

the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for the North American Mission Board and

state missions.

By having a combined offering, Easley said, “we’ve been able to give more to

each one of those (offerings) annually than we’ve ever given before in the

history of our church.” In an example Easley cited, the church had a goal of

$150,000 for missions but gave $318,000.

In the video, Easley also gave

examples of how he and the church staff sparked members to give such a large

amount.

In addition to the video, Pray4SBC.com features a daily devotion written by

Wright, as well as the opportunity for church leaders to join Wright’s prayer

team.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Compiled by Michael Foust, an assistant editor of Baptist

Press.)