While state Cooperative Program receipts trailed budgeted needs through the first half of 2016, giving from South Carolina Baptist Convention churches was slightly ahead of last year’s giving pace.

Pam Carroll, the SCBC’s chief financial officer, reported CP gifts received from churches through June 2016 were $13,703,922 (or $125,701 more than was received through the first six months of 2015).

However, giving totals were still more than a half-million dollars short of budgeted needs of $14.25 million for the first half of 2016.

At the national level, year-to-date CP contributions to Southern Baptist Convention were 5.22 percent above the SBC Cooperative Program budget projection, and were 2.88 percent above contributions received during the same time frame last year. The SBC fiscal year runs from October to September.