English
Korean
Spanish
We’ve had a tremendous summer of ministry—a lot of hard work, but very rewarding. Many of you were a part of it. I pray you’ve experienced the same in your local church.
As I look back, I’m reminded of this year’s significance for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, along with Southern Baptists around the world. Throughout the year, we have celebrated two foundational pillars that define who we are as Southern Baptists—the Cooperative Program and the Baptist Faith and Message.
For 100 years, Southern Baptists have seen God use the Cooperative Program to take the gospel to the ends of the Earth. We’ve seen churches planted and generations of pastors trained at our seminaries. We have seen SBTC Disaster Relief leaders and volunteers practically and compassionately minister to people in some of the worst situations they’ll ever face.
As I have said before, there is so much we accomplish when we work together, and there is no greater way for Southern Baptists to join together than through the Cooperative Program.
“The SBTC was established for missional cooperation and theological agreement. Today, affiliated churches continue to demonstrate that missional cooperation by contributing through the Cooperative Program.”
The SBTC was established for missional cooperation and theological agreement. Today, affiliated churches continue to demonstrate that missional cooperation by contributing through the Cooperative Program, and they express their theological agreement by affirming the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. In doing these things, we have seen God bless us beyond anything we could ask or imagine.
From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you for all that your church does for the kingdom of God. As you read through the pages of this month’s issue of the Texan, I pray that you, too, will celebrate God’s favor on the churches of the SBTC. I pray you will celebrate the inspiring stories of how God works each year through the Reach Texas State Missions Offering—of which every single dollar is allocated for missions and evangelism.
In October, there are two opportunities for us to celebrate CP. One is CP Sunday, which is Oct. 5. Make plans now to mark that occasion by reaffirming your church’s commitment to the Cooperative Program. Resources are available at sbtexas.com/cp.
The second opportunity is our annual meeting, where we gather as a network of churches to celebrate the Lord’s work in Texas and beyond. Join us Oct. 27-28 at Southcrest Baptist Church in Lubbock. The Monday evening session will be a historic moment: Jeff Iorg will bring special greetings from the SBC Executive Committee, Kevin Ezell will recognize and pray over our Send Network SBTC church planters, and Paul Chitwood will deliver the message as numerous missionaries and missionary couples are commissioned during the International Mission Board Sending Celebration. This will be followed by a reception for everyone to attend. I can’t wait to see you there. You can find more information about the annual meeting at sbtexas.com/am25.
I love you and I am honored to serve you!
