The Foreign Mission Board met in regular monthly session at 3:00 P.M. on Thursday,
January 10, 1963, with Dr. Roberson presiding.
Present: T. F. Adams, Joseph P. Edmondson, J. Levering Evans, Horace Ford, Stuart
Grizzard, Josiah Hoover, Mrs. Clyde V. Hickerson, L. Howard Jenkins, W. Rush Loving,
J. Walter Martin, Ryland 0. Reamy, Meredith Roberson, J. Roy Clifford, H. Addison
Dalton, James T. Todd, Mrs. John C. Tyree, P. Earle Wood, E. Norfleet Gardner, N.C.,
Baker J. Cauthen, Cornell Goerner, Winston Crawley, E. L. Deane, E. L. Hill, E. L.
Wright, Rogers M. Smith, Franklin T. Fowler, Joseph B. Underwood, Elmer S. West,
William M. Dyal, Bill Cody, Edna Frances Dawkins, Jesse Fletcher, Floyd H. North,
Fon H. Scofield, lone Gray, Genevieve Greer, Inez Tuggle.
Guests: Dr. Eual Lawson, associate secretary of the Evangelism Department of the
Home Mission Board; Dr. Paul Meigs, secretary of evangelism of the Florida Baptist
Convention; Cathryn Smith, missionary to North Brazil; Cecil L. Thompson, missionary
to Argentina.
Dr. Ford led in prayer.
Dr. Cauthen gave the following report of the Executive Secretary:
REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
At this first meeting of the Board in 1963, our hearts are filled with gratitude
for His blessings received in the year that is closed. We enter the new year with
1,627 missionaries plus twelve missionary associates. We have reason to believe
that the concern for world missions is deeper in the hearts of Southern Baptists
than ever in our history.
This has been reflected in the giving which has been experienced throughout 1962.
The total contributions during 1962 came to $19,673,233. Of this large amount of
money, $8,452,410 came through the Cooperative Program, and the sum of $9,349,594
came through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
Some days are required for closing the books related to miscellaneous income, and
when the full amount is in hand it is anticipated that the income for the year will
be in access of $20,000,000.
During recent weeks we have been awaiting the final amount of funds for capital
purposes to be received through the Cooperative Program. The amount that was
finally received was $1,202,410. A good bit of this money has already been appro¬
priated during the last three months, and the remainder of it will be recommended
for appropriation shortly.
The secretaries of the Board will be meeting in the next few days with the Executive
Board of Woman's Missionary Union to review the appropriations to be recommended from
the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering now being received. As is well known, the offer¬
ing that is now being received has as its objective the goal of $10,700,000. It
will be several months before we know the final amount of the offering, but every
indication up to the present is that very great blessings have been experienced in
the offering. I have learned in the last few days of churches which have gone beyond
$25,000 in their gifts and one that has reached $35,000. It is interesting that in
the places where growth in giving through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is ex¬
perienced, there is a parallel experience of growth in giving through the Cooperative
Program. It seems also most striking that this growth in giving through the Lottie
Moon Christmas Offering and the Cooperative Program is also parallel by growth in
the number of people who are volunteering for mission service and the appointment
of people who go.
It seems to be a fair conclusion that when there is growth in any phase of missionary
response it blesses the total life of the church. Responding to our Lord in the
matter of missions is like responding to His instructions concerning prayer. When¬
ever God's people pray, the total life of the individual or the church is blessed.
We must regard the growth of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering as being of very
great significance from the standpoint of its spiritual values as well as the highly
important aspect of reinforcing the work of missions around the world with financial
undergirding.
We need to keep in mind at all points that one half of all we do, mission work is
made possible through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
