As 2021 draws to a close, I want to sincerely thank you and your church for its gifts through the Cooperative Program this year. I believe there truly is no better investment of your church’s mission giving than the Cooperative Program.
I couldn’t begin to list all the mission and ministry that your church, along with hundreds of other IBSA churches, helped accomplish this year, but I wanted you to know just a few highlights. Together, we saw 13 new churches started here in Illinois, and another 16 joined IBSA as fully constituted churches. Our family of Baptist churches is growing! In fact, almost 60 new churches are in some stage of getting started throughout our state.
Your giving has also helped train hundreds of pastors and thousands of church leaders in more effective ministry. You’ve helped us engage 35 churches and 15 local associations in intentional revitalization processes. Your CP giving made it possible for Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers to distribute about $7 million in donated food to needy families. And because you helped us reopen IBSA camps this past summer, 112 students professed faith in Christ!
Because a significant percentage of every CP dollar you give is sent on to join with gifts from other churches in other state conventions, your church is also an important partner in ministry and mission across America and around the globe.
While this year’s CP giving from churches has seen signs of recovery from 2020 levels, here in Illinois we have not yet returned to the pre-pandemic CP giving level of 2019.
If your church has given what you can this year, please accept my heartfelt thank you. You share in all the spiritual fruit described above.
If your church has been financially blessed this year, and you could give more to missions before 2021 ends, would you prayerfully consider giving additionally to CP as this year ends?
We need a surge in year-end gifts if we are to meet this year’s CP budget and ministry needs, and your additional gifts will help us fill the remaining gap.
You can give your year-end Cooperative Program gift through your church’s regular process, or if time is of the essence, you can give online here.
Thanks again so much for your partnership in missions and ministry. Merry Christmas!
Nate Adams