Through the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger (TBOWH), Texas Baptists have supported specific ministries to help hungry people. Since 1996, in fact, we have contributed over $10,000,000 to buy and distribute food, to help people grow their own food, to drill water wells, to provide job training, to start microenterprises, and to sustain a host of other Baptist ministries in dozens of countries on every continent. Through the Offering, the hungry have been fed, the poor have escaped poverty, and the good news of Jesus Christ has been proclaimed across the globe.

Beginning right now, Texas Baptists have the opportunity to enlarge our ministries in behalf of people who struggle with hunger and poverty. Inspired by the goal of Texas HOPE 2010 to “bring hope to every heart,” we can continue our support for the ongoing work of the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger while adding support for several Texas-focused initiatives: (1) Urban and Rural Poverty Initiative; (2) Border Ministries; (3) Disaster Relief; (4) Christian Women’s and Christian Men’s Jobs Corps.

Our specific goal is to raise and dedicate $2,000,000 to reach out to people in need with tangible help and Christ’s love beginning in the fall of 2009 and culminating at year’s end in 2010. These funds will be distributed as follows:
2009 TBOWH worldwide ministries- $700,000
2010 TBOWH worldwide ministries- $700,000
Texas Urban and Rural Poverty Initiative- $250,000              
Border Ministries- $150,000
Disaster Relief- $100,000
Christian Women’s and Christian Men’s Jobs Corps- $100,000

Meeting these goals will require that we raise approximately $600,000 more by the end of 2010 than the Offering has traditionally generated. This goal sounds daunting until we put it in perspective. If only one out of twenty Texas Baptists gave $10 per month to the Offering, together we would give over $12,000,000 each year.

The individual goal we are suggesting for church members this year is to give the cost of one meal each month to the Offering. For many people that works out to about $10 a month. Looking at it that way, the thought of raising $1,000,000 each year doesn’t seem quite so lofty.

We have the knowledge, the opportunity, and resources to make critical, life-saving and life-affirming differences in a world of hunger and poverty. God insists that we be faithful followers of Jesus and good stewards of our opportunities.

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