Editorial: Mission Georgia gives churches a means to make statewide impact

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It’s great to see Georgia Baptist churches getting behind the Mission Georgia offering in a big way this year.

And why not? The Mission Georgia offering provides churches a means to make a huge gospel impact in our state.

With the pandemic subsiding and worship attendance on the rise, churches are poised to potentially top the $1.25 million given last year through the Mission Georgia  offering.

Churches have already gotten off to a strong start this year, having given $551,291 through the end of July. Georgia Baptist Mission Board Chief Financial Officer David Melber said that's $130,204 more than had been given at the same point last year, a 31% increase.

That’s a good sign as congregations gear up to receive Mission Georgia offerings during September, the month designated by the Georgia Baptist Convention for that purpose.

Those offerings are used to bring hope and help to some of the most vulnerable people in the state, including little girls and boys who have been forced into prostitution by human traffickers in the Atlanta area.

It’s hard for the average person to imagine the hopelessness and helplessness a child must feel when forced into the sex trade. Human trafficking isn’t just criminal; it’s barbaric; it’s unthinkable.

Georgia Baptists are helping free victims of human trafficking, whether children or adults, and are helping them to find homes and jobs, while also sharing the gospel with them.

That good doesn’t stop there.

The Mission Georgia offering also helps orphaned children who have been stuck in foster care to find forever families in Christian homes, helps mothers-to-be get the prenatal care and counseling they need to deliver healthy babies, helps immigrants who settle in Georgia find homes, get jobs, learn English and hear the gospel, and so much more.

One arm of the multi-faceted ministry even helps children who can’t read get the educational help they need to catch up with their classmates, a vital ministry because studies show that kids who can’t read by fourth grade are the most likely to end up in prison as adults. Interestingly, many of these children, along with their parents and siblings, are coming to know Jesus as a result of this outreach.

Ministries funded by Mission Georgia are gospel-centered, meaning that they’re not just doing good deeds, but they’re intentionally telling people about Jesus. That’s why people are being saved and lives are being transformed.

The Mission Georgia  offering, the Lottie Moon Christmas offering and the Annie Armstrong Easter offering allow churches to extend their reach beyond their local communities to shine the light of Christ into the state, nation and world.

To learn more about how your church can support the Mission Georgia offering, go to https://missiongeorgia.org.