Skip to main content
Advanced Search
Home > Business Services > The Baptist Record > Special Cooperative Program Edition
Download this article pdf
PLANNING THE FUTURE — Aubrey Boone (left) and Glenn Bourne, laymen at First Church, Winona, discuss the need for Cooperative Program promotion in their church. The church currently gives 30.25% of its undesignated gifts to CP. (Photo by Tony Martin)
By Tony Martin Associate Editor
Many churches have legacies, be it the long tenure of a popular pastor, a history of consistent numerical growth, a stance it took in the community, or simply how long it has been in existence. For First Church, Winona, that legacy includes a decades-long commitment to Cooperative Program (CP) giving.
First Winona is probably best known in the Southern Baptist Convention as being the home church of Arthur Flake. Flake’s seminal work, Building a Standard Sunday School, which encompasses “Flake’s Formula,” has long been the foundation of Sunday School work among Southern Baptists. These days, however, First Church, Winona, is noted for its aggressive ministry through the Cooperative Program.
Aubrey Boone has been a member of First Church, Winona, for many years and has long been a champion for CP. “Over 50 years ago we decided that the church was a missions-minded church, and agreed to give 15% of our undesignated offerings to the Cooperative Program. Our goal was to increase that by one percent a year until we reached 50%. For a long time we gave one-half percent (more each year). We’ve never reached that 50% goal — you know how Baptists are. It went along real good for a long time, but over the last several years we haven’t talked about it like we should have.”
In 2009, the church gave 27.3% of undesignated gifts to CP. In 2011, 30.25% has been set aside for CP.
Dorothy Box has been a part of First Church, Winona, for 80 years. “My mother had me on cradle roll when I was two weeks old,” she said. “We had gotten up to 32.5% Cooperative Program giving at one time.”
“There were a lot of us who didn’t really understand what the Cooperative Program was about,” said Glenn Bourne, the church’s chairman of deacons. “We knew it was about missions, but one of the things many of us didn’t realize is that here in the state (through the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board) we had assets galore funded by the Cooperative Program that we never took advantage of to do ministry in the local area here. Several of us have been made aware of this, and that has made us extremely loyal to the Cooperative Program.
“You can’t be loyal to something unless you completely understand it, so when we got involved in several things and saw how the money was being used, I came back with a whole different perspective on what we were funding and what we weren’t taking advantage of.
2011 COOPERATIVE PROGRAM MISSION BUDGET
GRAND TOTAL = $33,001,945
“I remember when I joined the church in 1996. I was walking up the steps out there, and I teared up because I saw the percentage the church was giving to the Cooperative Program. I thought, ‘You’re walking the walk and talking the talk.’”
“I had a pretty passionate discussion with a deacon about six weeks ago,” said Bourne, “and he was talking about some choices that might need to be made concerning the Cooperative Program. I said, ‘let me tell you something. When the choice comes down to cutting on the lights in the building, that’s the time we’ll have to sit down and talk about this. Until then, you can forget about even bringing it up.’ I might have overstepped my bounds, but right now we’re far removed from that.”
“One of the reasons I’m so thankful for the Cooperative Program is because I can remember when the missionaries would have to come around to the church and raise money,” said Boone. “The schools had to come around to raise money, too, and the ones that had the best speech and the ones that looked the best got the money. Then God gave us the Cooperative Program. Then none of them would have to spend their time and money coming around to the churches. We could pool all of it together through the Cooperative Program and fund all of it. I can’t conceive of anybody not wanting to take advantage of that.”
“This all came about with the envelopes and the giving through Sunday School,” said Box. “I remember when the deacons had to go around and knock on doors every Monday to collect money to pay the preacher. After the Cooperative Program, people were aware of what was needed and they gave. It’s a blessing. I believe that. I believe it’s why our church has survived to this point.”
The group stressed the need to continue to promote the ministry of the Cooperative Program.
“We just need for folks to be made aware of these things. Some people have the idea that giving to the church is something they can or can’t do. They don’t realize the benefit they get from giving,” said Boone. “As long as I have anything to say about it, we’ll continue giving to the Cooperative Program.”
Church Offering Categories based on church offerings reported on the 2009-2010 Annual Church Profile. Cooperative Program Gifts are actual receipts posted by the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board from October 2009 - September 2010.
“But generous people plan to do what is generous and they stand firm in their generosity.” Isaiah 32:8
Dear Giver,
Thank you so much for your commitment to tithing. Your generous offering through the Cooperative Program provided support for a loving missionary family to live in our village. They blessed us with staple food items, clothing for our children, and books for our school. Their kindness intrigued us, and we began to attend prayer meetings in their home. Over several months, we began to learn more about Christianity and the Bible. The missionaries taught us Jesus’ love by their actions. My wife, daughters, son, and I are new believers and encouraging our friends to attend the missionaries’ home church. Thank you! Joseph, Age 43, Congo, Africa
Thank you for your heart for giving. Your church offering is providing a scholarship for me to attend seminary. I am a wife and mother of two small children, and without this scholarship, it would not be possible for me to go back to school. I am working toward my master’s degree in marriage and family counseling, and look forward to helping hurting families and individuals. Thank you. Marissa, Age 34, Mill Valley, California
Thank you for giving an offering to your church. Your money helps my church provide a safe place for kids like me [to go] after school. We play fun games, make neat artwork, and always get a healthy snack and supper. The teachers tell us that God loved us so much He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us. Without our after-school program, a lot of my friends would be by themselves until their moms got off work. Your offering gives us a place to go where we feel loved. Thank you! Kayra, Age 9, The Bronx, New York
Thank you for your tithe. Through the Cooperative Program, you have provided funding for retired ministers and their wives who could otherwise not afford high-skilled nursing care at the Baptist Home. After pastoring 40 years in a small, country church , I don’t have enough money saved to provide the care my wife needed when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Your gift is blessing us with a nice place to live as we continue to age together. Thank you! Bill, Age 81, Okmulgee, Oklahoma
MISSIONS ALLOCATIONS
GRAND TOTAL
$33,001,945
A PASTOR’S HEART — Andy Fullington has been pastor of Shiloh Church, Sontag, for two years. Fullington states that “missions have always been at the heart of Shiloh.” (Photo by Tony Martin)
Shiloh church is located in the small community of Sontag in Lawrence County, northwest of Monticello. In this rural Mississippi setting, the church has participated in significant ministries over the years and has flourished. In the belief of the pastor, that’s because of a commitment to missions — especially through the Cooperative Program.
The church has been ministering to the community since 1845. Andy Fullington is the pastor. “God is doing some great things here,” Fullington said. “He is moving in the hearts of people and they really seem on fire for God right now… I think a revival has broken out.”
The church recently dedicated a new fellowship hall. “It’s been a privilege just to be a part of what God is doing here,” Fullington said. “This April, I will have been pastor two years, but I did a six month interim prior to that. This is my first pastorate, my first church, and the people really stepped out on faith when they called me. We’re kind of — how should I word this? — in the middle of the country, but people come from all over.
“Missions are at the heart of Shiloh, and have always been at the heart of Shiloh,” Fullington continued, “not only in just giving, but in serving. We still have a great program for RAs, GAs, and Acteens. We’ll have in the high 80’s (in attendance) on Wednesdays, and Sunday School will run from 110-120. Discipleship training will run from 70-80 on average.”
The church has been giving more than 20% to the Cooperative Program for years. “I looked back to the 1980’s to see when the church was really giving. In the late 80’s and early 90’s, we were giving 23% – 24%. From 1995 to 2006, the church gave 25%. The church went through a period without a pastor and things got a little rough, but even then the church was able to give 20% and this doesn’t include Lottie Moon, Annie Armstrong, and other special offerings.”
In recent times the church has maintained giving to Cooperative Program at 27.5%. “We’ve been able to do that even in the middle of a building campaign,” said Fullington. “The Lord is working through the people here. It’s very humbling. We’re mostly just middle class, hard working folks who believe in giving generously to the lord.
“Even while we’ve been maintaining the 20%-plus level of giving, we’ve gone through three building programs,” Fullington stated. “One was the educational wing which was paid off in five years. Another was the remodeling of our nursery, and that’s been paid off, and a remodeling of our sanctuary, which is paid off. In a lot of churches, missions are one of the first areas cut when the church is building but we’ve been able to maintain at least 20% for well over 20 years.”
Fullington received the call to ministry about three years ago. He started seminary at the New Orleans extension branch. He owns a landscaping business. His wife Donna teaches at Hillcrest School in Jackson and the couple has two children.
Fullington is bivocational. “As long as the Lord allows me to be bivocational, I’ll keep the landscaping business,” Fullington said, “but the work of the church always takes precedence.”
The church has been loving and faithful, according to Fullington. He commutes daily from Terry. “That has been good, because our youth pastor has been able to take advantage of the parsonage,” he said. “He was able to come on board after I’d been here a month. He’s the first youth pastor this church has had.”
The church has a huge number of children, according to Fullington. “We had 125 in Vacation Bible School. When you drive down these county roads, you don’t see that many houses, but they just come out of the woods.”
As evidence of the missionmindedness of the church, Fullington said in addition to the CP giving, they have an active men’s ministry that has done local missions and ministry work. “I want our folks to be able to step out on the national level in doing missions,” Fullington said. “We have had two missionaries come out of this church, and the church has been active in other local missions. Our ladies are very involved in WMU, and some on the state level. Betty Newsom is the Region 7 coordinator for the Missions Service Corps. Shane Mason, also a missionary, is trying to get back to an area in (an international mission field that is unnamed for security reasons). Several of our ladies have been involved in Honduran mission trips. Missions have been at the heart of this church.”
Fullington believes part of his responsibility as pastor is to “sort of inject an excitement for missions into the church. If the pastor isn’t excited about going and being involved in missions, it’s going to be difficult to inspire the rest of the church.”
Fullington is also a cattle farmer and has been for over 20 years. “I’ve come to see that it’s time to slack off some in tending to cattle, and maybe it’s time to tend to some sheep.
“We give all credit to the Lord for what He has done,” Fullington said. “Missions were at the heart of Jesus. We’re His hands and feet. Shiloh means ‘place of peace,’ and it’s been a wonderful place of peace for my family and me.”
