BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Bolstered by a nearly 19 percent increase in voluntary donations, the Southern Baptist Historical Society finished 2000 in the black, according to a report by the group’s executive director.
The largest increase came from the Baptist General Convention of Texas, which upped its contribution from $10,000 in 1999 to $25,000 last year, Charles Deweese reported in a recent paper. Overall, contributions accounted for 60 percent of the society’s annual income of $170,000, said Deweese. That included an $18,000 donation in office space by the Tennessee Baptist Convention, where the society for Baptist historians has been housed for a year.
Other gifts came from Baptist state conventions, colleges and universities, churches and individuals, Deweese reported. Remaining income came mostly from dues, product sales and endowment funds.
Formed in 1938, the society functioned for many years as an auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Historical Commission, a Southern Baptist Convention agency dissolved in 1997. Since then, the Historical Society has functioned as an independent organization, hired two staff members and sought to broaden support in churches, associations, state conventions and seminaries.
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