Alabama Baptist churches recognized for record Cooperative Program gifts

Shades Mountain Baptist Church, Birmingham Association, and South Sauty Baptist Church, Marshall Association, were recognized during the annual meeting of Alabama Baptists for their Cooperative Program (CP) giving in total dollars and per resident member respectively.

Alabama Baptists may have missed the 2003 Cooperative Program (CP) base budget by just under $20,000, but that did not keep them from giving a record amount through the CP, said John MacLaren, director of the office of stewardship and CP with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. “Alabama Baptists once again gave record gifts through the Cooperative Program during 2003 by giving $40,407,998.”

The churches giving the most in total dollars between Jan. 1, 2003, and Dec. 31, 2003, were:

Shades Mountain, Danny Wood, pastor — $557,769.46

Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, Homewood, Gary Fenton, pastor — $493,198.54

Hunter Street Baptist Church, Hoover, Buddy Gray, pastor — $403,333.37

First Baptist Church, Trussville, Gary Hollingsworth, pastor — $385,643.98

First Baptist Church, Montgomery, Jay Wolf, pastor — $384,076.15

The top five churches in total dollars given per resident member were:

South Sauty, Jerry Butler, pastor, 42 resident members gave $19,260 for per resident member amount of $458.57

Isney Baptist Church, Choctaw Association, Jim O’Neal, pastor, 68 resident members gave $17,235 for per resident member amount of $253.45

Evergreen Baptist Church, Barbour Association, Earl Ledbetter, pastor, 37 resident members gave $8,927 for per resident member amount of $241.26

Gateway Baptist Church, Montgomery Association, Gary Sanders, pastor, 184 resident members gave $41,593 for per resident member amount of $226.05

First Baptist Church, Tuskegee, Tuskegee Lee Association, David Bentley, pastor, 25 resident members gave $5,302 for per resident member amount of $212.08

“Our success in doing and supporting missions since 1925 has been the Cooperative Program,” MacLaren said.

“The Cooperative Program continues to be supported by the churches of our state.”

While the average state convention across the nation sends 32.4 percent of CP dollars to Southern Baptist Convention causes, the ABSC sends 10 percent more.

The eight associations in the ABSC with 100 percent of the churches contributing through the CP during 2003 also were recognized. They were:

Autauga Association — Bill Morgan, director of missions (DOM); Bethlehem and Pine Barren Association — Wayne McMillian, DOM (Ladell Blanton served as DOM in 2003); Chilton Association — Larry Felkins, DOM; Hale Association — Denny Goodwin, DOM; Judson Association — Bob Pemberton, DOM; Sand Mountain Association — David Patty, DOM; Tuscaloosa Association — Jerry Wilkins, DOM. (TAB)