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April 22, 2009
Church kept its promise to pay off debt and contribute to CP
Enterprise Baptist Church in Clarke County, Mississippi kept its promise to support the Cooperative Program (CP). Pastor Cothern led his church not only to pay off debt from a recent building project but also to maintain their annual budgeted commitment to CP.
When Pastor Cothern was asked why the church didn't cut CP giving in light of their commitment to pay off capital building debt, he said:
"We wouldn't do that for two reasons," Cothern said. "First, we can't treat the lifeline of our missionaries that lightly. Church staff people wouldn't want that done with their salaries! It's just not right to treat the CP like that. Second, either our process of understanding the will of God together has credibility or it doesn't. If we vote on missions, we are to ask that God's will be done, and how we discover that together is what is important. The process can break down, but if it maintains its integrity, then that is the will of God as we understand it to be. So we obligate ourselves, and not satisfying that is not an option. I would have felt like we were not obeying the will of God."
Read the entire story.
Posted by bstroup at April 22, 2009 11:38 AM
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