FENTON, MI – “There are places where we need to truly impact Michigan, and this offering gives us the opportunity to do that” – Tim Patterson, Executive Director, Baptist State Convention of Michigan.
Every year Michigan Southern Baptists set aside the month of September to focus on the missions and ministries that are touching the lives and changing hearts across the state. It’s all part of the Frances Brown State Mission Offering and Week of Prayer for State Missions. This year’s theme is “Sharing the Light”, based on the passage in John 12:46 where Jesus says, “I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me would not remain in darkness.”
This year’s week of prayer begins on Sunday, September 11th and continues through the following Sunday, September 18th. Our goal for the State Mission Offering is $90,000. It is a big step forward from offerings of past years, but the challenge is so much greater, as well. The funds raised during this time of prayer and giving will be shared in the areas of “Starting, Strengthening, and Sending”. It’s a unique opportunity for Michigan Southern Baptists, for you and me, to directly support the ministries that are “punching holes in the darkness” here in Michigan.
The “Sharing the Light” emphasis has a number of new tools to share the mission with our Michigan Southern Baptist churches in a range that have not been available in the past. There are four videos available to help church leadership educate their members about the Michigan mission field and the kind of ministries the offering supports. The first video describes the “Sharing the Light” theme through the words of the BSCM Executive Director, Dr. Tim Patterson. The other three tell the stories of church planters and pastors who are carrying the Gospel in three different areas of our state. A packet of promotional materials including the DVD with all of the videos is being prepared for every church and will be delivered mid-August.
All of the promotional materials are also available online at www.bscm.org/smo. Some of the other materials include a poster, flyers, bulletin inserts, and prayer bookmarks. The BSCM leadership and State Mission Offering committee are encouraging church and mission leaders with a heart for the mission field here in Michigan to use these exciting new tools to help their churches catch the vision of what we can do together as we go forward “Sharing the Light”.