NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Southern Baptist Convention Cooperative Program receipts for May were up more than 7 percent and the fiscal year’s total more than 8 percent compared to last year, according to Morris H. Chapman, president and chief executive officer of the SBC Executive Committee.
For May 1999, CP receipts totaled $13,780,657 compared to May 1998 of $12,835,511, an increase of $945,146 or 7.36 percent.
For the SBC fiscal year, October through May, CP gifts total $112,779,048 compared to the previous year’s total of $104,076,805, an increase of $8.7 million or 8.36 percent.
Designated gifts for the month of May were $18,570,071 compared to the same month in 1998 of $18,294,230, an increase of $275,841 or 1.51 percent. For the year to date, designated gifts total $124,315,889 compared to the previous year’s total of $122,773,822, an increase of $1.5 million or 1.26 percent.
For the SBC’s Cooperative Program Allocation Budget, the May CP receipts exceeded the required monthly budget figure — $12,917,143 — by more than $863,514, or 6.69 percent. For the budget year to date, the required amount of $103,337,148 was exceeded by nearly $9.5 million or 9.14 percent.
The SBC Cooperative Program total includes receipts from individuals, churches, state conventions and fellowships for distribution according to the 1998-99 Cooperative Program Allocation Budget.
The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists’ method of supporting missions and ministry efforts of state and regional conventions and the Southern Baptist Convention. Designated contributions include the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions, the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American missions, world hunger and other special gifts.
State and regional conventions retain a percentage of Cooperative Program contributions they receive from the churches to support work in their areas and send the remaining funds to the Executive Committee for national and international ministries. The percentage of distribution is at the discretion of each state or regional convention.
