Association Missions Offering Update

As of June 17, 2009, Dover Baptist Association has received $8,679 for this year's Association Missions Offering.  That amount includes gifts from two churches that participated in the Association Missions Offering for the first time.

The Dover Baptist Association Missions Offering benefits a variety of area ministries.  Among other things, Dover's 2009 offering will help strengthen marriages, minister to collegiate students and inner city residents, encourage business people to live their faith, offer a Gospel witness to the Muslim community, and help a new church.  The ministries that benefit from this year's offering will provide medical care for the uninsured, guidance for those with an unplanned pregnancy, shelter for homeless persons and battered women and their children, help with home repairs for the elderly, hospitality for the out-of-town families of hospital patients, and job training.  This year's offering will also help Dover's partners in Baltimore and South Africa and aid ministers in need.   

The 2009 Association Missions Offering goal is $26,000.  Gifts toward the goal now come to $8,679.  This year Dover Baptist Association has challenged each church to exceed its average annual gift (based on the last three years) or $100, whichever is greater.  To date, eight Dover churches have qualified for matching gifts that will benefit the recipients of this year's Association Missions Offering.  The cumulative qualifying gifts total $1,156.  Dover will match those and other qualifying gifts, up to a grand total of $20,000.  To date, church gifts plus matching gifts total $9,835. 

From 2006-2008, Dover Baptists gave an average of $25,304 per year, so we expect more gifts before this year's deadline.  Gifts for the 2009 Association Mission Offering must be received in the Dover Baptist Association Office by October 30, 2009.  (Any funds received after the deadline will go toward the next year's Association Missions Offering.)

Imagine what a difference your 2009 gift, plus your church's match-the-challenge gift, matched by Dover's match-the-challenge gift would make to these ministries and those they help.  Especially now, thank you for the extra effort your church will make to help others through this year's Association Missions Offering!