“Oh! That my words could be as a trumpet call, stirring the hearts of my brethren and sisters to pray, to labor, to give themselves to this people.”
Lottie Moon, missionary to China
This year our church family is going to take up the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. Four questions that should be asked before we take up this offering are the following:
- Who was Lottie Moon?
- What is the Lottie Moon offering?
- What is it used for?
- Do we have an offering goal in mind?
Who was Lottie Moon?
Moon, Charlotte (Lottie) Diggs (1840–1912) Southern Baptist missionary in China. In 1872 she was appointed a missionary to China by the Southern Baptist Convention Foreign Missions Board and she spent the rest of her life in northern China, first in Tengchow and later in P’ing-tu. She established a church, and her first converts were baptized in 1887. Within two decades P’ing-tu became the greatest Southern Baptist evangelistic center in all of China. She wrote books that stirred interest in foreign missions. Her impact on board policy was immense and included her call for more women missionaries, for new missionaries to be involved in mission work immediately (rather than waiting to complete language study), and for establishing regular furloughs for all missionaries. She started the women’s Christmas offering, later named in her honor. [Kurian, G. T. Nelson’s New Christian Dictionary]
What is the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering? What is the offering used for?
It’s an offering for international missions. Churches — big and small — pool their resources to send and sustain missionaries who find and engage the lost. Together, we take Jesus’ gospel to every corner of the world. This legacy goes all the way back to the 1880s when Lottie Moon, a missionary to China, urged churches to work together to send more missionaries. That call still moves us today. Every year, Southern Baptists collect the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering where 100% of your gift goes to international missions, not overhead. Every dollar you give helps the hurting, shares the gospel, and plants healthy churches that multiply. [IMB promotional material, emphasis mine]
Do we have an offering goal in mind?
Yes, the Road Church’s goal is a modest one. We hope to raise $500 for foreign missions through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Please note that this offering does not reduce the amount that we send our Global Partners each month. Southern Baptists across this nation have a goal of $215 million dollars. Yes, that’s the number. By God’s grace, we can be a part of that by raising $500 to help fund gospel work in other nations. Thank you for praying and participating in this.
Bonus Question: How can we learn more about missions and about this offering’s impact in particular?
Two opportunities are coming: 1) On Sunday, November 15th, during adult Sunday School, Robyn Cross will be discussing her recent trip to Croatia and filling us in on God’s activity during the Oasis Conference and beyond. And 2) On Sunday, November 22nd, during adult Sunday School, Marlene Darnell will be presenting some material on her mission work in Togo, West Africa as a career International Mission Board (IMB) missionary. She can give us first-hand knowledge of the impact of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Please plan on attending these encouraging meetings.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Dale
