Why Give to the Annie Amstrong Easter Offering
Dear Southern Baptist family,
North America is often perceived as a bastion of gospel witness. In some places, it’s true. The Church has a strong presence. Overall, though, an estimated 75% of North America’s 366 million people do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Secularism continues to rise, and the nations are drawn here bringing a multitude of languages and religions.
To reach this challenging mission field, NAMB sharpened its focus over the past ten years to planting strong, gospel-proclaiming churches. We plant churches everywhere for everyone, but we emphasize large, unreached population centers where more than 80% of North Americans live. In the last decade, we have seen substantial growth.
In Columbus, Ohio, there were four churches planted in 2010. By 2020, Southern Baptists had planted 58. In Kansas City, there were three churches planted in 2010, and there were 60 by 2020. In New Orleans, there were zero churches planted in 2010 and 53 planted by 2020, and in our nation’s capital, there were 18 churches planted in 2010 and 178 by 2020.
Your gifts to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering® made this possible. You helped us develop a successful strategy for assessing, developing and caring for missionaries who are planting healthy, Multiplying Churches. Beacons of light are being established in cities that desperately need a strong gospel presence. People are coming to faith in Christ, being baptized and discipled.
In 2020, there were monumental challenges for your missionaries. They experienced the pandemic shutdowns as they were nurturing young churches or preparing to launch new ones. Yet, they moved the mission forward. Plants like Redemption Church in Brooklyn and Journey Point Church in Denver provided food and supplies to people in need while building bridges to share the gospel. In Puerto Rico, missionaries ministered through earthquakes and tropical storms by repairing roofs, distributing clean water and giving shelter to the homeless. With each act of compassion, they shared the hope of Christ.
Your Annie Armstrong Easter Offering gifts help transform lives. And now, your help is needed more than ever.
NAMB experienced a 20% decrease in giving to the offering in 2020 due to COVID striking SBC churches right as the offering season launched. With your generosity, 2021 will be the Annie offering comeback year to keep North American missionaries on the field and to send even more.
Please pray for your missionaries and invest in their work by giving generously to keep God’s mission moving forward. We can’t do it without you.
Serving together,
Kevin Ezell, President