NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Southern Baptist Convention Cooperative Program receipts for December increased nearly 19 percent over last year and the fiscal year’s first quarter showed an increase of more than $4 million over last year’s first quarter, according to Morris H. Chapman, president and chief executive officer of the SBC Executive Committee.
For December 1998, the CP receipts totaled $12,495,070 compared to December 1997 of $10,518,445, an increase of $1,976,625 or 18.79 percent.
For the SBC’s fiscal year first quarter (October through December), CP gifts totaled $39,964,086, an increase of $4,399,833 or 12.37 percent, over the same period last year of $35,564,253.
Designated gifts for the month of December also showed significant gains: $3,800,963 compared to last year of $2,661,053, an increase of $1,139,909 or 42.84 percent. For the first quarter, designated gifts totaled $8,558,859 compared to the same period last year of $7,707,660, an increase of $851,199 or 11.04 percent.
For the SBC’s Program Allocation Budget, at the end of the first quarter, the required budget amount of $38,751,430 was surpassed by $1,212,655 or 3.13 percent. For the month of December, CP gifts were $422,073 short of the required monthly budget figure of $12,917,143 or 3.27 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
