NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) - Year-to-date contributions through the Southern Baptist Convention's Cooperative Program are up nearly 1 percent compared to the same time frame in 2003, according to a news release from SBC Executive Committee President and Chief Executive Officer Morris H. Chapman.

As of Nov. 30, 2004, the year-to-date total of $31,990,255.02 for Cooperative Program (CP) Missions is .96 percent, or $305,705, ahead of the $31,684,550.02 received at this same point in 2003. For the month, receipts of $14,727,082.50 were 7.62 percent, or $1,214,557.01, below the $15,941,639.51 received in November 2003.

For the SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget, the year-to-date total of $31,990,255.02 is 104.77 percent of the $30,533,615.68 budgeted, or $1,456,639.34 above budget to support Southern Baptist ministries globally and across North America.

At the close of their last fiscal year, Oct. 1, 2003, to Sept. 30, 2004, Southern Baptists recorded a 3.64 percent increase in CP giving, for a record total of $189,865,254.85.