DECATUR, Ga. (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's governing board, at its Oct. 11-12 meeting, endorsed the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, joining many governmental and religious bodies in the global fight against extreme poverty, hunger and disease.
Jack Glosgow, moderator-elect of the Fellowship and a pastor from Zebulon, N.C., said CBF will “demonstrate tremendous responsiveness” to the decision by its annual general assembly last June to pursue the UN goals. The message of the council's Oct. 12 endorsement, he said, is “we've taken seriously what you brought us in Colleen Burroughs' motion.”
Burroughs, executive vice president of Passport Camps in Birmingham, Ala., made the motion at the June general assembly urging CBF to adopt the Millennium Development Goals as a framework for fighting urgent global issues. That motion asked the council to study the issue. The council's endorsement, approved without opposition, will be presented to the general assembly for approval in June.
The Coordinating Council, meeting at First Baptist Church of Decatur, Ga., also heard a report on sluggish contributions to CBF, which reached only 86 percent of the amount budgeted for the recently concluded fiscal year and ended the year with a shortfall.
The council was briefed on the global development goals, as well as work already underway by CBF missionaries that addresses the social needs targeted by the UN in 2000. The eight goals, which have been targeted for completion by 2015, are detailed on the UN's website (www.un.org/millenniumgoals):
— Reduce by half extreme poverty and hunger.
— Achieve universal primary education.
— Promote gender equality and empower women.
— Reduce child mortality by two-thirds.
— Reduce maternal mortality by three-fourths.
— Reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
— Ensure environmental sustainability.
— Develop a global partnership for development.
“For the first time in history we have the technology, the resources and the knowledge to get this done,” said Erin Tunney, senior international policy analyst for Washington-based Bread for the World, who briefed the Coordinating Council on the goals. “All we lack is the will. As Christians, we have the opportunity to get involved and help achieve these goals.”
In budget matters, CBF leaders reported the Fellowship received $19,103,539 in total revenue, including $14.8 million in undesignated receipts, for the 2006-07 fiscal year, which concluded June 30. Expenses for the year totaled $21,619,206.
According to financial reports presented to the council, much of the drop in revenue was in undesignated receipts, the category that includes contributions from churches and which accounts for about 56 percent of the organization's revenue.
“I really don't know why” undesignated gifts are down, said Daniel Vestal, CBF executive coordinator. The $8.2 million in undesignated gifts from churches and individuals for 2006-07 was about $700,000 less than the previous year, continuing a three-year downturn, according to financial data.
Vestal estimated about $100,000 of the drop represents a trend of state CBF organizations passing less of the money they receive from churches on to the national CBF. Additionally, he suggested, donations to churches themselves are down. “My hunch is, if church budgets are down, we suffer.”
The Fellowship's financial report indicated the organization finished the fiscal year 2006-2007 on June 30 with a shortfall of $649,974 in unrestricted funds and $2.5 million total.
The Fellowship funds its own missions work in the United States and abroad and provides funding to partner organizations, such as CBF-related seminaries. Individuals and churches donated $5.7 million in support of CBF's global missions offering in 2006-07. Another $3.7 million from a previous designated gift also supported missions.
The mission funds, coupled with undesignated gifts and other income, allowed CBF to spend $21.6 million during the year for all ministries. “That's a remarkable figure to me — $21 million went to the work of Christ,” said Vestal. “I think that $21 million is a victory.”
This year the Fellowship is shifting its fiscal year to October-September. During the three-month transition period, July to September, giving rose to 91 percent of budget, CBF leaders said.
-30-
— This article includes information from Lance Wallace of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.