[1]January marks the beginning of the year-long recognition of the 75th Anniversary Celebration of the Cooperative Program. Southern Baptists' are celebrating under the theme, Partners in the Harvest. The goals for the celebration include:
• Baptizing 1 million people this year
• Record numbers of our members involved in volunteer mission projects
• Giving $750 million in Cooperative Program (CP) and other mission gifts (Lottie Moon, Annie Armstrong, state offerings, etc.)
Since the announcement of the celebration during the SBC in Atlanta last June, churches across the convention have been signing up to participate in this monumental missions celebration. The pastors and churches featured in this article are representative of thousands of churches across the convention who are participating in this emphasis.
[2]To find out how your church can become a Partner in the Harvest, call your state Cooperative Program office or the Cooperative Program Development Division of the SBC Executive Committee at 800-722-9407.
Don Reeves
Pastor
Grant Avenue Baptist Church
Corvallis, Oregon
Montia Setzler
Pastor
Magnolia Avenue Baptist Church
Riverside, California
D. L. Lowrie
Pastor
First Baptist Church
Lubbock, Texas
David B. Fannin
Senior Pastor
Nassau Bay Baptist Church
Houston, Texas
"We believe that our giving is a reflection of our commitment. We are committed to reaching our community, our state, our country and the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our gifts to the Cooperative Program not only prove that commitment, but also provide the means for it to be fulfilled."
Clint Henry
Pastor
Cherry Lane Baptist Church
Meridian, Idaho
Rob Grimm
Pastor
First Southern Baptist Church
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
"Having served as a pastor in South Dakota for fifteen years, I have grown to appreciate the dynamics of the Cooperative Program. Southern Baptist churches in 'pioneer areas' such as the Dakota Southern Baptist Fellowship could not survive without the financial assistance of the Cooperative Program."
Bill Bowen
Pastor
First Baptist Church
Mena, Arkansas
"For seventy-five years the Cooperative Program has set the pace for funding world evangelization and provides the model for the new millennium."
Nick Garland
Pastor
First Baptist Church
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
"For us, giving to the Cooperative Program is a way to make an eternal difference one life at a time … touching lives and shaping destinies with the impact of the gospel."
George Ray
Pastor
Emmanuel Baptist Church
Rochester, Minnesota
Don Samples
Pastor
Orville Baptist Church
Orville, Ohio
"We are a small congregation in a small town. The world has never heard of us. Yet, through the Cooperative Program, every penny we give is matched with pennies from all across America to produce the largest response to the Great Commission the world has even known. What an exciting thought, 'little ole us' influencing the world!"
Jim Wells
Pastor
Oakwood Baptist Church
Kansas City, Missouri
J. Gerald Harris
Senior Pastor
Eastside Baptist Church
Marietta, Georgia
"I am committed to leading Eastside Baptist Church to getting in on what God is up to as we become Partners in the Harvest. Southern Baptists are amassing more missionaries, more mission volunteers, and more resources for the sake of the gospel than ever before in the history of the world. This is big! This is exciting! Count us in!"
Jim Guenther
Pastor
Trinity Baptist Church
Niskayuna, New York
"There was a time when our church depended on the Cooperative Program for help to survive. Now we depend on it to help us thrive as a Great Commission church, reaching the world with the gospel."
Mark Hui
Pastor
Chinese Baptist Church
Brooklyn, New York
"We are very thankful to be part of the Cooperative Program for the past twenty-five years. Let us as Southern Baptists, together, support and share what we have for those who are in need of His salvation through the Cooperative Program."
Allen Shouse
Pastor
East Williamson Baptist Church
Williamson, West Virginia
"I believe in the Cooperative Program. It is the best source for missions and other outreach ministries. The verse of Scripture found in Acts 1:8 is truly active in the Cooperative Program. I would really encourage any church that has not increased their Cooperative Program giving up to plan to do so."
Joe R. Wren
Pastor
Summerville Baptist Church
Summerville, South Carolina
"Partners in the Harvest provides churches in the SBC an opportunity to call attention to the rich history of the CP, recognize what we are currently doing through the CP, and stretch ourselves in service to the Lord in the future through continued cooperation."
Jim Henry
Pastor
First Baptist Church
Orlando, Florida
"My fellow pastors, I encourage each of you to 'get in on it!' Though there is always the obvious temptation to use these monies for more "pressing" apparent needs in the church, our church has found that in giving generously through missions, we have pleased God and have seen Him provide. Someone has said that the best way to make a contribution to life is leave the woodpile bigger than you found it. My fellow pastors, I believe God will bless all who will join heart and hand with Christ in spreading the Good News."