State Baptists give record CP amount despite missing budget goal

Alabama Baptists gave a record amount through the Cooperative Program (CP) in 2006 but failed to make the $42,645,000 base budget goal, falling short by about $75,000 with $42,569,779. The amount was almost $150,000 more than what was received in 2005.
  
“We at the (Alabama Baptist) State Board of Missions (SBOM) are grateful for the missions support of Alabama Baptists,” said Bobby DuBois, SBOM associate executive director. 
  
“Even though we are a few thousand dollars short of our base budget goal, 2006 is still the largest single year of Cooperative Program giving … To God be the glory for that statement of support from God’s people called Alabama Baptists,” he said.
  
“The Cooperative Program giving in 2006 was very close to the base budget mark,” said Rick Lance, SBOM executive director. “Although a shortfall is never welcomed, the differential is miniscule compared to the total amount of the budget.”
  
And unusual outside factors might have kept that last piece of the pie from coming in as it normally would — such as closing the state’s books before 2006’s last offering plate was passed, DuBois said.
  
“The 2005 year ended with five business days after the last Sunday of the month. That meant that churches had a full week to get their gifts in before the close of the last business day of the month,” he explained. “The 2006 year ended with the last business day on the 29th — Friday — and Sunday on the 31st. Since our books close at the close of the last business day of the month, then some of our churches did not send their gifts (for Sunday, Dec. 31) until the week of Jan. 1.” 
  
That means collections from December’s last Sunday will count in 2007’s total budget receipts instead.
  
“The calendar arrangement did have an impact on our 2006 Cooperative Program budget total,” DuBois said. 
  
Alabama Baptists have not missed the base goal since 2003, and that year’s shortfall was the first in 12 years. When the budget is not met, Alabama Baptist entities and the Southern Baptist Convention receive less money, as their allocations are pre-fixed percentages, DuBois explained.
  
The state CP causes budget fared much better with the 2006 goal of $500,000 being surpassed by $67,015.
  
State Baptists also gave generously to sister churches in Alabama that suffered arson attacks in 2006 — a total of $192,000 in aid. 
  
And disaster relief giving totaled $224,175.
  
Though final totals are not in yet for the year’s two major missions offerings — Annie Armstrong and Lottie Moon — DuBois expects them to do well, “[k]nowing Alabama Baptists and their passion for missions support.”
  
“Alabama Baptists continue to be committed to the causes of local and global missions through the Cooperative Program,” Lance said. “We thank God for the sense of partnership evidenced in Alabama Baptist life. This sense of dedication will make an eternal difference in people’s lives.”