Golden Offering and Sunday's Music

I've been a Tennessean for over twenty years now. I suppose I'll always be a Tennessean since my children and grandchildren are. Of course I'm still an Okie too. That's one of the cool things about living in the United States - everywhere you live you are part of that community and part of the United States but you're still connected to your home and roots.

One of the great things about being a Southern Baptist is that no matter where you live in the USA (or abroad) you are automatically connected to other Christians and wonderful mission work around the world. That mission work is funded primarily through the Cooperative Program giving of all our Southern Baptist Churches. Cooperative Program

As Southern Baptists we also support our missions through special offerings. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering supports International Missions. The Annie Armstrong Offerings supports North American Mission Board missions and then in Tennessee we have the Golden Offering for State Missions. When I first moved to Tennessee it was called The Golden State Offering. I never could figure out why we were taking up an offering for California. Well, I guess I wasn't the only one that was a little confused, so they changed it to Golden Offering. Just like the Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong offerings the Golden offering was named after a lady who had a huge heart for missions.

At Hilldale (for my readers from around the world - haha) we don't actually push these individual offerings - which is a good thing. I know that sounds terrible coming from a man who is died-in-the-wool 100% Southern Baptist. Several years ago we began encouraging our people to give to missions every month. Those missions dollars are divided up between Lottie and Annie and other missions organizations. We found that our missions giving is 10 times more this way. Think of it this way. A person may have given $20 to the Lottie Moon in the past. Now that person is giving $20 a month to missions. I wasn't a math major, but it seems pretty obvious that in the end that is a whole lot more giving to missions.

So why tell you all of that on my usual day for posting about Sunday's music? Because this coming week, Sept. 12 - 19, is the week of prayer for our state missions. We're going to sing some songs about God's great gift of salvation as a celebration of what God is doing across the state of Tennessee through our combined giving through the Gold Offering for State Missions.

Here's the entire service.

Jesus Saves
Mighty to Save


Choir Anthem – There is Joy
     Solo – Diane C.

Fellowship song – Rise Up and Praise Him

There is Power in the Blood
You Are My King

Special Music – Shannon Jones

Message – Dr. Larry D. Robertson

Invitation song – Are You Washed in the Blood?

Offertory – Debbie Bryant

See you Sunday! (If you live in Clarksville and don't go to another church already.)