As 2012 nears an end, giving from churches toward the South Carolina Baptist Convention’s annual budget was running short of needs through the end of November.
Through Nov. 30, receipts were $576,652, or 2.21 percent, below budgeted needs, according to information released by Pam Carroll, the SCBC’s chief financial officer.
The $28.6 million SCBC budget year runs from January through December.
Jim Austin, the state convention’s executive director-treasurer, noted that giving was down “only 1.18 percent from this same time a year ago” and commended the “faithful giving of South Carolina Baptists – during a struggling economy.”
“With a strong December, we could fully meet our budget goal,” said Austin, “and ensure that funding for such vital ministries as ‘My Hope’ continue.”
“My Hope” will be Billy Graham’s final crusade, which will be viewed in homes throughout the United States and Canada next November. Austin said the SCBC staff will be providing multiple workshops next year in preparation for “this historic and timely effort.”
“Gifts through the Cooperative Program help fund strategic ministries such as ‘My Hope’,” Austin said.
At the national level, year-to-date contributions to Southern Baptist national and international missions and ministries received by the SBC Executive Committee are 7.59 percent over the same period last year, according to a news release from SBC Executive Committee president Frank Page.
“I am greatly encouraged at this positive report,” Page said. “It is too early to speculate whether this is a sign that our ‘1% CP Challenge’ is beginning to make an impact, is the result of an improvement in the economic prospects of our people and churches, is the effect of the state conventions that are moving closer to a 50/50 division between the state portion and the SBC portion of the Cooperative Program, or is merely the timing of the monthly gifts from the churches and states. Whatever the cause, I am thankful for this increase in gifts through CP.”
A Cooperative Program survey conducted by LifeWay Research showed that 7 percent of pastors accepted the “1% CP Challenge” in their churches’ current budget year, with another 8 percent of pastors planning to lead their churches to accept the challenge in the next budget year.
– With reporting from Baptist Press.