Nine churches to be recognized for Cooperative Program Giving during 2016 Annual Meeting

DALLAS - This year, during Texas Baptists’ Annual Meeting in Waco, nine churches will be recognized for their Cooperative Program giving. Since 1925, the Cooperative Program has provided the fuel to fund missions work in Texas, the United States and around the world.

"Over the past 91 years Texas Baptists have seen God do some amazing things through the unselfish giving of partnering churches," said Chris Liebrum, director of Cooperative Program Ministry.

Five churches will be recognized for top giving based upon church size, including: Green Acres Baptist Church, Tyler; Pioneer Drive Baptist Church, Abilene; Bacon Heights Baptist Church, Lubbock; First Baptist Church, Caldwell; and South Seminole Baptist Church, Seminole. Four additional churches will be recognized for top giving among ethnic congregations, including: The Fort Bend Church, Sugar Land; Chinese Baptist Church in Houston; Northside Community Church, San Antonio; and Vietnamese Baptist Church in Houston.

“South Seminole Baptist Church is a small church in a small West Texas Town that has a big heart and a generous heart,” said Dr. Ricky Guenther, pastor of South Seminole Baptist Church in Seminole. “Helping people: whether in our town, our state, our nation or our world, it is important to each of our church members. And being able to do this through the Cooperative Program allows us to accomplish one of the many tasks our church has. We feel it is our commission to give to help but also to go and help. At South Seminole Baptist Church we believe in missions, the Cooperative Program and being a Texas Baptist Church.”

“My church gives to missions through the Cooperative Program because we believe in a collaborative partnership between the domestic Church (the home), the local Church (the community), and the global Church (Texas Baptists),” said Dr. Jason Atchley, pastor of Bacon Heights Baptist Church in Lubbock. “Giving and going on mission are the heartbeats of the Cooperative Program and the overall DNA of Bacon Heights Baptist Church.”

In 2015, Texas Baptists churches contributed $30.2 million for causes in Texas such as ministerial scholarships for university and seminary students, financial support for existing churches to start new churches, Baptist Student Ministries on 115 university campuses statewide, chaplaincy, health and human care ministries, Texas Baptist Men, and more.

“Participating in the Cooperative Program helps us accomplish our mission not only locally, but also globally,” said Stan Allcorn, pastor of Pioneer Drive Baptist Church in Abilene. “Just as Jesus multiplied what was placed in His hands by the young lad, so too, the CP multiplies the influence and Gospel impact of our congregation worldwide.”

In addition to Texas causes, last year Texas Baptists churches provided $13.1 million to Cooperative Program giving for the Southern Baptist Convention, Texas Initiatives and Partnerships and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, for a total of $43.3 million in overall Cooperative Program giving.

To learn more about the Cooperative Program, visit texasbaptists.org/cp or call (214) 887-5477.