2017-2018 GOLDEN OFFERING FOR TENNESSEE MISSIONS ALLOCATIONSImpacting the spiritually lost and meeting needs in Tennessee through:Revitalizing Churches ................................................................. $105,000

Maximizing the impact of existing churches through Church Renewal Journey, Theological Education Assistance, and Church Revitalization Initiatives.

Reaching the Lost ....................................................................... $677,000Reaching the spiritually lost in communities and social circles through churches planting churches, City Reach initiatives, ministry during community outreach events like Bonnaroo, and evangelistic conferences and prayer rallies.

Serving People Groups in Tennessee .......................................... $138,000Ministering to the nations and diverse peoples in our state through ministry to Hispanic congregations and other ethnic groups, All Nations Camp, Literacy Missions, and Restorative Justice Ministries.

Meeting Human Needs ............................................................... $335,500Serving the needs of people throughout Tennessee through Christian Women’s and Men’s Job Corps, Disaster Relief, Compassion and Regional Ministries, as well as reaching developmentally delayed youth and adults through Special Friends Camp.

Equipping Future Generations .................................................. $378,500Preparing future generations of leaders for Tennessee ministries and missions by supporting the work of Baptist Collegiate Ministries, investing in BCM Campus Missionaries and Collegiate Disaster Relief ministry, providing college scholarships, nurturing Tennessee missionaries and their families, training student summer missionaries, and providing evangelistic camping events for youth and children.

Five Objectives in Associational Ministries ................................ $192,500Returning 10% of everything a church gives through GOTM to the association of which they are a member to assist the association in advancing the Five Objectives adopted by the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

GOTM Promotion ........................................................................ $99,000Telling the story of GOTM ministries and how they impact the cause of Christ in Tennessee.

Total 2017-2018 GOTM Goal .................................................... $1,925,000For more information go to:

WWW.GOLDENOFFERING.ORGTo request promotional material, contact Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union:

800-558-2090 extension 7923 or 615-371-7923.

GROWING MORE THAN TOMATOES What do tomatoes and church have in common? Well, plant one and you might just grow the other. That’s what happened to Spring Creek Baptist Church, Chattanooga. The church had been plateaued for a number of years, but believed the key to revitalization was in serving its community. That’s when members came up with the idea to turn a vacant lot adjacent to the church into a community garden. “That lot had been vacant for ten years,” said Pastor James Julian, “And the church wanted to turn it into something productive for the Lord. We’ve given away countless amounts of squash, tomatoes, and okra, and we’ve been able to reach about 100 different homes. We’ve seen growth through that as some of our newer church members are coming because of what we’ve done through the garden. “Of course, the main reason for serving our community is because it opens the door to sharing the gospel. We knew that was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”

Tony Anderson is pastor of Oasis Baptist Church, an African-American church that partnered with Spring Creek to grow the garden and reach the neighborhood for Christ. “I see the garden and the churches coming together as sending a message to people that there is unity in Christ and that the church is here to serve others and share the love of Christ,” he said. A third church, a Hispanic church plant, Por La Fey,

is also involved. Together three churches have seen people who have lived in the neighborhood for decades, but had no interest in church, become saved, baptized, and set on the road to discipleship. Golden Offering funds given by Tennessee Baptists have helped support the ministry effort. “To see these really diverse churches coming together to do this work is pretty amazing,” said Randy C. Davis, Executive Director and President of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. “And as Tennessee Baptists give through the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions, we’re seeing some great work done for the Kingdom.”

PRAYER GUIDE

STUDENTS ON MISSION The collegiate party scene for fall and spring break has reached epic proportions. College students by the thousands descend on South Texas and Florida to go wild. It is the essence of decadence. However, not all college students indulge. Some spend their breaks sweltering in stifling humidity, ripping water-saturated drywall from the homes of strangers. “Never thought I’d’ve seen nothin’ like this,” commented Tyrone Lemon, a Baton Rouge, La., homeowner, whose house was flooded by the more than 31 inches of rain that inundated that city last year. “I always thought it would happen to other people, but not here.” Lemon said he felt hopeless and desperate by the damage done to his home and the area until students from Baptist Collegiate Ministries at the University of Tennessee, Tennessee Tech, and Belmont University converged on the area during their fall break to assist as Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers. The students removed mud, ripped out dry wall and carpet, prayed with people, and shared the gospel with them. “Christ definitely calls us to love people and serve them,” said UT student Erica Irwin. “I just felt like He was calling me down here during my fall break to serve these people. They’ve been through a lot. I just wanted to offer any help I could.” The beauty of it all? Tennessee Baptists made it possible to send out the next generation of ministers and missionaries through their giving. “The Cooperative Program and the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions allows us to partner together to use all of our resources to reach spiritually lost people for Christ,” said UT BCM Director Rodney Norvell. “In this situation, Disaster Relief and Baptist Collegiate Ministries, both of which are [financially] supported, were able to work with a church to reach Louisiana.”

Thank you, Tennessee Baptists, for prayerfully and financially supporting missions and ministries through the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions.

The Week of Prayer for State Missions and the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions highlight and support missions and ministries in Tennessee. In 1902 W.C. and Mildred Golden challenged Tennessee Baptists to pray for and give to missions within the state and initiated the offering. The offering was named after them in 1943. Today, churches are still encouraged to learn about, pray for, give to, and serve in missions and ministries in Tennessee. Pray for our missionaries and ministries this week.

Pray about how YOU can reach, connect, and give through state missions.

SUNDAY – At All Costs, OBEY!“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22

• AskGodtorenewyourfocusonHimandgiveyouadesiretoabideinHim(John15:4),sothatyoucanobeyHimatallcosts.

• AskGodtoopenyoureyestoopportunitiesandtogiveyouboldnesstosharethegospeltoday(Ephesians6:19).

• AskGodtogiveyouwisdomtoknowwhatHeisaskingyoutodo(James1:5)andthewillingnesstoobey,atallcosts.

MONDAY – Reaching the Lost “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20

• PrayforthealmostfourmillionpeopleinTennesseewhohavenorelationshipwithJesus;thattheeyesoftheirheartswouldbeenlightened(Ephesians1:19).

• PrayfortheTBCethnicchurchesastheylookfornewwaystoengagetheircommunitieswiththegospel.AsktheLordtogivethemapassionandvisionforpeopleoutsideoftheirownethnicgroup(Psalm86:9).

• AskGodwhereHewantsyoutogoandmakedisciples.

TUESDAY – Serving People Groups in Tennessee“All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.” Psalm 86:9

• Prayforthe145differentpeoplegroupsthatliveinTennesseetohavegospelencounterswithTennesseeBaptiststhroughdailyinteractions,literacyministries,prisonministries,etc.

• AskGodtouseyou,yourfamily,andyourchurchtoengagethesepeoplegroupsforthesakeofthegospelusingthegiftsHehasgivenyou.

• AskGodtogiveyouHispassionforHispeople(Psalm117:1).

WEDNESDAY – Meeting Human Needs“Vindicate the weak and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 82:3-4

• Prayforthe16.7percentofTennesseanslivingbelowthepovertyline.AskGodforopportunitiesforyou,yourfamily,andyourchurchtoengagethemwiththegospelandloveofJesusChrist.

• AsktheLordtouseyoutoencourageCompassionMinistryleadersandvolunteersastheyserveHiminTennessee(1Thessalonians5:11).

• PrayforthepeopleofGatlinburgastheyrebuildtheirhomes,lives,andcity.LookforopportunitieswithinDisasterReliefforyou,yourfamily,andyourchurchtomeettheneedsofTennesseanswhohaveexperiencedtragedy.

THURSDAY – Equipping Future Generations“This will be written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.” Psalm 102:18

• Seven out of ten Tennessee college students are spiritually lost. Pray for Baptist Collegiate Ministries as they serve over 350,000 students on more than 20 campuses.

• Pray for students and young adults as they serve as missionaries in Tennessee, the United States, and around the world during their school breaks.

• Ask the Lord to show you how you can help equip future generations by sharing the gospel with an international student, disciple a younger believer, or opening your home to college students (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

FRIDAY – Revitalizing Churches“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

• Pray for the more than 250 Tennessee Baptist Convention churches that are already experiencing some level of revitalization.

• Pray for the leaders of struggling churches to have a renewed sense of fear of the Lord and love for His Bride. Ask for the Lord to use you to encourage these leaders in your community (Hebrews 3:13).

• Ask the Lord to prepare the hearts of the believers in struggling churches to receive help from their brothers and sisters in Christ and seek the Lord’s will for His Bride.

SATURDAY – Reaching the Lost“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

• If current trends continue, nine out of ten children, 18 years and younger, will not surrender their lives to Christ by adulthood. Pray that Jesus will be lifted up and will draw these children to Himself through you, your church, and various evangelistic events (John 12:32).

• Ask the Lord to sanctify you, your family, and your church. Beg His Spirit to come and saturate every faculty, subdue every passion, and use every power of your nature for obedience to Him today for the sake of His Name and glory (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

• Pray for pastors, church planters, ministry leaders, and volunteers who are sharing the gospel as they are serving across Tennessee in churches, college campuses, camps, and other places.

SUNDAY – At All Costs, OBEY! “And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:36-39)

• Ask the Lord to grow you, your family, and your church in love for Him and your neighbors.• Ask the Lord to give you the desire to proclaim the gospel to your neighbors, in your

community, city, and across the state of Tennessee.• Ask what the Lord would have you give to the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions to be a

part of His work across our state (1 Corinthians 10:24).

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MISSION FIELD It’s easy for Jim Florea to see his mission field because he’s standing in the middle of it. “Take that road up about half a mile and there are 10,000 college students,” he says. “Go that direction and you’re in the middle of an upper middle class neighborhood. And look all around us. We’re standing in the middle of the original neighborhood that’s been here for decades. Nearly all of these people are unchurched, and we want to be their church.” Florea is a church planter sent out by The River Community Church, Cookeville, to plant in a Knoxville neighborhood known to house one of the most prolific drug dealers

in town. This isn’t where he intended to land when he arrived in Knoxville. That changed after a conversation with Phil Young, Director of Missions for the Knox County Association of Baptists. “Jim had a place in mind, but we knew this neighborhood was a strategic opportunity and needed a church,” Young said. “Meanwhile, we had a church that

was closing its doors. The remaining members wanted to see a thriving church in this neighborhood and saw an opportunity to be a part of something new. The potential for reaching a large number of people with the gospel in this area is significant.” Forward Church officially launched Palm Sunday with more than 60 people and is made possible by the cooperation of The River Community Church, the Knox County Association of Baptists, the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and church-planting funds made available through the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions. “Thank you Tennessee Baptists for giving to the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions,” Florea said. “Because you gave, churches are being planted all across Tennessee.”

“Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22

The Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions is church planting across Tennessee where there is no gospel witness. It’s churches coming together to serve their neighborhood to see people saved, baptized, and set on the road to discipleship. It’s Baptist Collegiate Ministry sharing the hope of Jesus on a campus awash in cultural relativity and godlessness.

Tennessee Baptists contributing through The Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions provides invaluable financial support for Tennessee ministries. The annual offering sustains ministries not funded through the Cooperative Program. The eternal impact of this offering in the lives of others is immeasurable. Thank you for making it happen!

THE GOLDEN OFFERING FOR TENNESSEE MISSIONS