‘My Florida, My Mission’ theme of 2008 Week of Prayer for State Missions

By Barbara Denman
Aug. 1, 2008

JACKSONVILLE (FBC)—Florida Baptists look to the month of September as a time of awareness, reflection and prayer for the missions opportunities in the state.

The Week of Prayer for State Missions, most often observed during the first week of September, concludes with Florida Baptists giving to support these missionary needs through the Maguire State Mission Offering.

The growing missionary needs in Florida cannot be met by Cooperative Program gifts alone. The offering complements Florida Baptists’ commitment to the Great Commission and their mission field.

The offering has a missionary purpose—helping new congregations through no-interest church site loans, supporting partnership pastors and spreading the gospel through evangelistic ministries.

Through their gifts, Florida Baptists reach out their hands of compassion to the uninsured sick, the refugee, the urban poor, the incarcerated and the migrant farm laborer. The offering enables a mission enterprise that develops Christian believers through youth and family camps, strengthens churches in Florida communities, and helps rebuild lives in the aftermath of disasters.

This year’s state mission emphasis, with the theme “My Mission. . . My Florida,” will highlight seven of the 26 ministries funded through the offering—interest-free loans for new churches; ministries to migrants and immigrants, free medical clinics for the needy; mobile dental unit; urban missions camp; and college students conducting summer vacation Bible schools in needy South Florida churches.

Without Florida Baptists’ gifts to the state mission offering, these 26 ministries—which serve to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the state—could not be done.

This year’s offering promotion focuses on the passage found in Mark 5:19.

After being healed by Jesus, the possessed man begged the Master if he might be allowed to stay with the Son of Man. “Jesus said to him. ‘Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.”

To embrace the words of their Savior, Florida Baptists must return to their homes, their neighborhoods and their communities to tell the great things the Lord has done for them.

For just like the newly healed man, the greatest witness of all is the testimony of a changed life—a walking demonstration of how Christ can change lives.

Florida Baptists believe that living in the Sunshine State is not by accident, but a plan of God to take the life-changing gospel message to those around them. This is their Florida; this is their mission.

To transform their state with the gospel, Florida Baptists have adopted a Great Commission strategy of evangelizing new believers, planting new churches and strengthening 2,800 existing Florida Baptist churches to more effectively reaching their own communities.

When giving through the Maguire State Mission Offering, Florida Baptists are claiming their state as their own mission field, just as Jesus urged the healed man to do. By giving sacrificially, Florida Baptists extend His hand in salvation, forgiveness and compassion.

By giving to the Maguire State Mission Offering, Florida Baptists are proclaiming: “My Florida, My Mission.”

Resources are available to help churches participate in the week of prayer and offering emphasis.

A four-color Florida-inspired planning guide for the 2008 Maguire State Mission was sent to pastors, ministers of education and mission leaders of every Florida Baptist church on Aug. 1. Components of the complete multimedia resource include video stories, age-group mission studies, overviews, planning tips for promotion, clipart—all found on the easily accessible DVD found in the guide.

A sample of the English prayer guide and poster can be found in the back inside cover of the planning guide. Additional materials, designed to be distributed in Bible studies and during Sunday worship and Wednesday services, can be ordered by mailing the card attached to the back inside cover;by going online; by phone at 800-226-8584, ext. 3151; or by e-mail at MSMO@flbaptist.org.

The state mission offering prayer guide and poster are available in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. Additionally, video stories featuring the people and ministries funded by the offering are available in Spanish and French.

All resources, including the video segments, are available on-line for churches to download.