NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Southern Baptist Convention Cooperative Program receipts for July, and the fiscal year’s total, increased more than 5 percent over comparable periods for the previous year, according to Morris H. Chapman, president and chief executive officer of the SBC Executive Committee.
For the month of July 1999, CP receipts totaled $14,550,691 compared to July 1998 of $13,797,941, an increase of $752,749 or 5.46 percent.
For the SBC fiscal year, October through July, CP gifts totaled $140,363,718 compared to the previous year’s total of $132,927,617, an increase of $7,436,100 or 5.59 percent.
Designated gifts for July 1999 totaled $6,408,273 compared to July 1998 of $6,765,560, a decrease of $357,287 or 5.28 percent. For the SBC fiscal year, designated gifts totaled $145,327,832 compared to the previous year’s total of $144,364,306, an increase of $963,526 or .67 percent.
For the SBC’s Cooperative Program Allocation Budget, the July CP receipts were $1,633,547 over the monthly required figure of $12,917,143, an increase of 12.65 percent. For the year to date, the $129,171,435 required for the 10 months thus far of the SBC fiscal year has been exceeded by $11,192,282, an increase of 8.66 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.
