November 16

Dear Prayer Partners,

          As we approach the holidays, this is the time of year when Southern Baptists churches promote the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering .  For those of you who aren’t Southern Baptists and for you who are Southern Baptists but may not know much about the reasons for this offering, we’d like to take the opportunity to give you a few facts about it and the International Mission Board. 

          Lottie Moon lived from 1840 to 1912 and served as a missionary to China for 39 years.  As her passion grew for all Chinese people to hear the Gospel, she pleaded with supporters back home to send more missionaries and for Baptists to support them through prayer and giving.  Thus began the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.  100% of this offering is used to support International Mission Board missionaries around the world.  The remainder of their support comes from the Cooperative Program which churches voluntarily support throughout the year. 

          Currently, we have 5,607 missionaries working among 1,473 people groups.  God is doing an amazing thing – He is calling missionaries to the field in record numbers.  This is great because there are still 6,477 unreached people groups and 532 of those have more than 100,000 members.  Just to keep up with identified strategic global needs, we need to increase to 8,500 missionaries on the field in 2004.  This is a tremendous challenge for our mission board because giving to the Lottie Moon offering rose only 1.5% between 2000 and 2005, while the missionary count rose 8.7%.  There are approved missionaries waiting to go to the field – waiting until 2004.

          So, what can we all do?  We all want to reach the world for Christ.  Learn all you can about the LMCO and the International Mission Board at www.imb.org.  You will learn that your gift can and will impact the world.  Be involved in your church’s international emphasis for 2003.  The focus is the Balkans which are in our part of the world – Central and Eastern Europe.  If everyone increases their giving from 2003 by one-third, the challenge goal of $150 million will be met and hundreds of new missionaries will go to the fields.  Of course, you do not have to be Southern Baptist to contribute to this offering.  The web site will tell you how. 

          We do appreciate so much all your contributions.  You’ve made it possible for our team to be in  UFA  among  many  unreached people groups, such as the Bashkir, Tatar, Chuvash, Russian, Udmurt, Mari-El, and 106 other distinct people groups.  Our team would not be here without your prayers and support.  You all are ON MISSION WITH US.

The theme of the LMCO this year is THAT ALL PEOPLES MAY KNOW HIM:  FOLLOW GOD’S PURPOSE. 

“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him.”  Psalm 22:27 NIV
 

"Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, the ends of the earth for your possession." Psalm 2:8 

Our prayer for you this week is that you will follow God’s purpose and that ultimate purpose is worship.
 

Remember to regularly check our website  (www.hope4ufa.com) for prayer updates and ministry news. 

Blessings!

Chris and Eileen Carr and Larry and Josie Moon