Cooperative Program tops budget by $12.5M; gains to aid Southern Baptists in disaster recovery

by Staff                                                                                                   Vol. XVIII, No. 10, Nov/Dec 2005

Cooperative Program giving for national causes in 2004-05 finished above giving for the previous year, the 11th rise in 12 years. Receipts totaled $195,948,422.55, an increase of $6,083,167.70, or 3.20 percent over the 2003-04 amount of $189,865,254.85.

 Importantly, 2004-05 contributions exceeded the approved budget by $12,496,728.55 and because of budget actions taken in September, the extra amount will be redirected to meet extraordinary hurricane recovery needs of Southern Baptists.

On Sept. 19, the Executive Committee, acting ad interim on behalf of the Southern Baptist Convention, voted unanimously to use beyond-the-budget Cooperative Program contributions for SBC national causes, received for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, in three areas of great need among Southern Baptists. One-half of the total is earmarked for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (to aid faculty and students recover from losses and to help rebuild the campus), one-fourth will go to the three state conventions most affected by the hurricane (to keep ministers in the field and to assist churches in recovery), and one-fourth to the North American Mission Board (to support the extensive hurricane disaster relief operations).

The committee also voted that the same formula be followed with beyond-the-budget receipts for the Cooperative Program Allocation Budget during the first quarter (October, November, December) of the new fiscal year.

The Cooperative Program is separate from the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Fund of which 100 percent of monies go to aid the needy in the general public. [BP]