GEORGETOWN, Texas — Cecil Ray, for many years a leading figure in efforts to convince Southern Baptists to give more money to religious causes, died Aug. 23.
Ray, 88, of Georgetown, Texas, worked from 1961 to 1975 with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, promoting the Cooperative Program and stewardship and encouraging Baptist Christians to be generous in their tithes and offerings and churches to share more of their offerings for missions.
He was general secretary of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina from 1976 until 1983. Between 1984 and 1988 he was national director of Planned Growth in Giving, a 15-year challenge to Southern Baptists to dramatically increase their support for world missions. The idea was to raise funds for Bold Mission Thrust, a Southern Baptist Convention emphasis launched in 1979 aimed at sharing the gospel with every person in the world by the year 2000.
Ray was the author of several books, including “Living the Responsible Life” (1975), “Christian Family Money Management” (1969) and “Witnessing-Giving, These Go Together” (1988).
A native Texan, Ray was a graduate of Howard Payne University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was ordained by Immanuel Baptist Church, San Angelo, Texas, and was pastor of churches in Llano, Rowena, Dublin, Sulphur Springs and Lubbock, Texas.
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