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| "EVERY FRIEND...A GIVING FRIEND!" |
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AN URGENT APPEAL FOR IMMEDIATE RESPONSE! Luke 11.5-8; Luke 16.9; 1 Corinthians 16.1-2 THE PRESSING NEED 1. We continue to run monthly deficits in our General Fund --
2. General Fund offerings are the only source we have to supply the essential services and benefits we have committed to our missionaries:
3. The services we have committed to our missionaries are still modest and very conservative -- especially when compared to benefits of missionaries who raise their own support through deputation; but they are benefits and services that we believe the supporting churches want our missionaries to have…and want us to provide for our missionaries. 4. As we have continued to provide broader and more generous services for our missionaries (e.g., raises in salaries, especially over past 3 years + significant increases in hospitalization premiums + increased costs in Mission Sheets printing to make it more attractive, etc), the offerings to the General Fund have not kept pace with the increased disbursements. 5. Not only can we NOT CONTINUE to provide the present level of essential services and benefits unless we significantly increase the offerings to the General Fund, but WE CAN’T PRUDENTLY CONSIDER MAKING COMMITMENTS TO APPROVE SUPPORT FOR ADDITIONAL MISSIONARIES…and to broaden our outreach into other unreached areas of the world. 6. Our commitments to our missionaries have always been: “We will commit the funds as the Lord provides.” It has been that way from the beginning when Brother Brandon went to Cruzeiro do Sul, Brazil and Brother Hallum went to Iquitos, Peru. God has never failed to provide for the needs of our missionaries -- but HE HAS ALWAYS PROVIDED THROUGH THE OFFERINGS OF OUR MISSIONARIES’ FRIENDS. 7. We believe that the FRIENDS OF BFM will respond generously to meet our missionaries’ needs if we inform you and appeal to you. “WE WISH YOU HAD TOLD US” Just a few years ago, we faced a similar financial crunch. At that time, we made up for the deficit we were facing by informing our missionaries that we must suspend their monthly expense allowances for a couple months until we could catch up financially. When word of this necessary measure reached some of our supporting churches, a pastor said to us Directors: “We wish you had told us you had this need. We would have wanted to make some extra measures and make it up so the missionaries would not have to do without their needed funds.” We are telling you we have this need because we believe you would want to know! THE GOAL 1. We hope to make a personal appeal to EVERY FRIEND OF BFM IN EVERY SUPPORTING CHURCH to enlist you in the cause of MAKING FRIENDS FOR ETERNITY through their offerings (Luke 16.9) -- and, at the same time, TO BE A FRIEND BY THOSE SAME OFFERINGS. 2. Our immediate goal is to increase our regular monthly giving to the General Fund by at least $5000 per month. 3. Our goal is also to increase our 2004 Thanksgiving Offering by another $25,000 by beginning our appeal immediately and urging each FRIEND OF BFM to begin right now to set something aside each week as the Lord prospers them to have it ready by next Thanksgiving Offering time. (1 Corinthians 16.1-2; 2 Corinthians 8.10-11; chapter 9.1-5) THE APPEAL 1. We make our appeal to the individual FRIENDS OF BFM who are members of supporting churches. You are the source of all our offerings.
2. Furthermore, we believe that there are many FRIENDS OF BFM among the members of our supporting churches, who love missions and love our missionaries, but who are not giving personal offerings. Not because they are indifferent or uncaring, but because they have not been presented with the urgent needs, have not been personally challenged to give personal offerings, and given the specific opportunity and plan to do so. 3. We are making our appeal through the Mission Sheets, since the Mission Sheets is the most direct channel of communication to the supporters of our missionaries. 4. These appeals will also be posted on the website: www.baptistfaithmission.org. 5. We do everything we do with prayer to God for His blessing upon it; and that God will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Romans 15.30-32 Luke 11.1-13 6. We also base every appeal squarely upon the Scriptures, showing our warrant from the Word of God for everything we are doing and everything we are asking for. See 3 John 5-8; Romans 16.2; 15.23-29; 2 Corinthians 10.13-17. THE NAME FOR THE APPEAL 1. Our appeal is named very simply: “EVERY FRIEND…A GIVING FRIEND”. (It is not deliberate or intentional -- but it just so happens that the beginning initials of Giving Friend (G.F.) are the same beginning initials of General Fund). 2. We base our appeal upon Paul’s appeal to the Corinthian church (and the other churches involved in this special offering) from 1 Corinthians 16.1-2: Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also; (2) On the first day of the week LET EACH ONE OF YOU LAY SOMETHING ASIDE, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.” 3. The name will also remind all the FRIENDS OF BFM to urgently petition the Lord of the Harvest to give them the needed bread that their missionary friends need to continue on their missionary journeys -- as the importunate friend did at his sleepy neighbor’s house when his friend came to his house on his journey…and he had nothing to set before him. Luke 11.5-13 3. We also emphasize that BFM began with FRIENDS committing to give voluntary personal offerings. The strength and supply of BFM has always been OUR MISSIONARIES’ PERSONAL FRIENDS. NO “EITHER/OR”s -- ALL “BOTH/AND”s 1. We don’t have the choice between so-called “local” missions and so-called “foreign” missions. It can’t be “either/or”; it must be “both/and.” It’s all one Commission -- to go into ALL THE WORLD and preach the Gospel TO EVERY PERSON…beginning where each one of us is and continuing to reach out to the regions beyond us until we have gone into the uttermost parts of the world. (See Matthew 24.14; Acts 1.8; Romans 16.26-27) 2. Nor are we asking any of our missionaries’ friends to choose between giving your offerings to the General Fund or to continue to give designated offerings to our missionaries’ specific projects. Here again: it is not an “either/or” proposition; it must be “both/and.” Our missionaries have no other way to fund their building, special projects, and other specific requests except by asking for specific designated funds. We understand that, we appreciate that, and will not compete against that. But, we do appeal also that the FRIENDS OF BFM consider that the only way we have to fund the essential services and benefits we have committed to our missionaries (and, humanly speaking, keep them on the field) is FROM THE GENERAL FUND. 2. We also emphasize that we are not and will not infringe upon the authority or autonomy of any church or pastor. In fact, what we want to do is REINFORCE and SUPPORT the pastor’s efforts to promote the interests of BFM to the members of his church. 3. We do desire, however, that every pastor encourage every member of his church to prayerfully consider how he/she may personally partner and participate with us to significantly increase our offerings to the General Fund…and give them liberty to do so. THE PLAN Here is the direct appeal we make to every FRIEND OF BFM: 1. MAKE A PERSONAL COMMITMENT TO GIVE A MONTHLY OFFERING TO BFM’s General Fund. Every believer…every disciple of Jesus Christ must be personally involved in taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all the peoples of the world. 2. MAKE A PERSONAL COMMITMENT RIGHT NOW TO GIVE A PERSONAL OFFERING TO NEXT YEAR’S 2004 THANKSGIVING OFFERING. Paul wrote the Corinthians and reminded them that, a year before his writing them, they had made a public commitment to give a generous offering to the special collection he was gathering for the needy saints in Jerusalem. 2 Corinthians 8.10-11. And in this I give my advice: It is to your advantage NOT ONLY TO BE DOING WHAT YOU BEGAN AND WERE DESIRING TO DO A YEAR AGO; but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. 2 Corinthians 9.1-3. Now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you; for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, THAT ACHAIA WAS READY A YEAR AGO; and your zeal has stirred up the majority. Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, YOU MAY BE READY. We recognize that many of our missionaries’ friends already do this:
We wish to encourage and commend you for your service to the Lord and to our missionaries. But, we also recognize that there are many FRIENDS OF BFM who are not giving personal offerings, either monthly or to the Thanksgiving Offering. We make a personal appeal to you to prayerfully commit to begin doing so. 2 Corinthians 8.7. But as you abound in everything -- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us -- SEE THAT YOU ABOUND IN THIS GRACE ALSO. 3. We can’t dictate what any one should give. You must decide this with God in your own heart. 2 Corinthians 9.6-7. But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. SO LET EACH ONE GIVE AS HE PURPOSES IN HIS HEART, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. However, we would like to give each FRIEND OF BFM a rule by which to at least begin: (a) WOULD EACH FRIEND WHO IS NOT GIVING A PERSONAL OFFERING TO THE THANKSGIVING OFFERING COMMIT A YEAR IN ADVANCE TO GIVE $1 PER WEEK ($52) -- OR PERHAPS COMMIT TO GIVE THE EQUIVALENT OF ONE DAY’S WAGE? OR ANOTHER MORE GENEROUS OFFERING OF YOUR OWN DESIGNATION. Think about it this way: YOU GIVE THE EQUIVALENT OF ONE YOUR DAY’S WAGE SO OUR MISSIONARIES CAN DO THEIR DAY’S WORK. That’s what we do with the General Fund -- we fund and finance our missionaries’ daily ministries and works. Give them one of your day’s wages so they can do their day’s work. WE WILL HOPE THAT EACH ONE WILL PURPOSE IN HIS OR HER HEART TO GIVE MUCH MORE THAN THAT -- BUT IF YOU MUST BEGIN SOME WHERE, BEGIN THERE AND GROW FROM THERE. (b) Now -- let’s talk about your MONTHLY OFFERING: again, you are free before God to give as you purpose in your heart -- but, if you are not giving a personal offering to BFM, would you consider committing to make one MONTHLY OFFERING of ONE TENTH OF YOUR USUAL WEEKLY TITHE OFFERING TO YOUR CHURCH’S MINISTRY? To most of us, that is less than the cost of an average fast-food meal. For example: if you make a usual $100 WEEKLY offering to your church’s ministry, would you commit to give a MONTHLY personal offering of $10 to BFM’s General Fund to keep your missionaries’ needs supplied. Are there 500 FRIENDS OF BFM who will give an additional $10 monthly offering to make up the $5000 monthly deficit? Are there 200 FRIENDS OF BFM who will give an additional $25 monthly offering? Are there 100 FRIENDS OF BFM who will give an additional $50 monthly offering? Do you see how easily this can be done without taking anything away from what you are already giving and will not deprive our missionaries of any of their other needs? We can’t help believing there are -- and that you will respond when you know how urgently your missionary friends need your help. 4. You shouldn’t undertake this without praying to God for His supply. So, IF YOU ARE WILLING TO MAKE THE PERSONAL GIVING COMMITMENT -- WOULD YOU ALSO MAKE THE COMMITMENT TO PRAY TO GOD AND TRUST HIM TO SUPPLY YOU WITH AN OFFERING TO GIVE? That is what God promises to do. 2 Corinthians 9.8-15. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: (Psalm 112.9) “He has dispersed abroad, Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service NOT ONLY SUPPLIES THE NEEDS OF THE SAINTS, but also IS ABOUNDING THROUGH MANY THANKSGIVINGS TO GOD, while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the Gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. THANKS BE TO GOD FOR HIS INDESCRIBABLE GIFT! Offerings may be given to your church treasurer to be added to your church's offerings for the General Fund -- or sent directly to our Treasurer:
If you are giving increased personal offerings in response to this appeal, would you please designate yourself by name (if you choose) and add "Giving Friend"? GOD BLESS YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED PARTNERSHIP WITH US IN MISSIONS!
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