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Richmond, Virginia
January 14, 1965
The Foreign Mission Board met in regular monthly session at 3:00 P.M. on Thursday,
January 14, 1965, with Mr. Reamy presiding in the absence of the vice-president.
Present: State Member: John Robert Stiff - Local Members: T. F. Adams, Wade
Bryant, Horace L. Ford,J. C. Hatfield, Mrs. Clyde V. Hickerson, H. Addison Dalton,
Joseph P. Edmondson, Curtis English, W. Rush Loving, J. Walter Martin, J. Leonard
Moore, Ryland 0. Reamy, D. 0. Rose, Edwin L. Shattuck, James T. Todd. Staff :
Baker J. Cauthen, Rogers M. Smith, Frank K. Means, Winston Crawley, Cornell Goerner,
John D. Hughey, Joseph B. Underwood, Everett L. Deane, E. L. Wright, Jesse C.
Fletcher, Edna Frances Dawkins, Louis R. Cobbs, E. L.Hill, Fon H. Scofield, Jr.,
Harold G. Basden, G. Norman Price, Floyd H. North, Inez Tuggle.
Mr. J. Walter Martin read a Scripture passage and led in prayer.
Dr. Cauthen gave the following report of the Executive Secretary;
REPORT OF EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
It is with great joy that we report that the Foreign Mission Board received
through the Cooperative Program at the close of 1964, the sum of $1,278,211.07
for advance. This represents 757. of all funds reaching the Southern Baptist
Convention after the operating budget of the Convention had been reached. It
was the first time advance funds have been made available since 1960.
It had been anticipated that at least $1,000,000 from advance funds would be
received. It was therefore a very great joy when the total reached $1,278,211.07.
During the years 1961-63, it had not been possible to receive all the Capital
Funds appropriated for the Foreign Mission Board because the Convention budget in
those years was not fully reached. At the close of 1964, however, in addition to
the advance funds, the sum of $367,870.00 was received to catch up the amounts
from Capital Fund appropriations which had not been previously available.
During 1964, the total amount received through the Cooperative Program by the
Southern Baptist Convention came to the sum of $20,891,636.00. Of this sum
52.277, came to the Foreign Mission Board for mission work throughout the world.
It is very significant that this percentage of the total Southern Baptist Con¬
vention Cooperative Program funds received by the Foreign Mission Board has
continued to increase during the period of advance.
In 1948, the total received by the Southern Baptist Convention through the
Cooperative Program was $6,000,837.00 of which 35.17. came to the Foreign Mission
Board. Advance funds began to be available in 1950, when the Southern Baptist
Convention received through the Cooperative Program the sum of $7,347,544.00
of which 417. came to the Foreign Mission Board. In that year $675,044.00 was in
the advance section.
As could be expected, the amount of advance funds fluctuated from year to year
depending upon the size of the Convention budget and the liberality of giving.
The largest amount ever received through the advance section of the Cooperative
Program was in 1957, when the sum of $2,445,226.00 came to the Foreign Mission
Board for advance. During that year the total received by the Southern Baptist
Convention through the Cooperative Program was $14,260,301.00 of which 497. came
to the Foreign Mission Board. That was the highest percentage of the Southern
Baptist Convention Cooperative Program funds received by the Foreign Mission
Board until the close of 1964 when it came to a total of 52.27%.
These figures refer only to the amount of the Cooperative Program funds received
by the Southern Baptist Convention. While there are variations from place to
place, in general, two- thirds of the Cooperative Program funds are retained in
the several states, and one-third of the funds are made available to the Southern
Baptist Convention. Of the one-third received by the Southern Baptist Convention,
the Foreign Mission Board during 1964 received 52.277..
It is encouraging to receive this reinforcement through the Cooperative Program
because the continued advance in foreign missions calls for growing financial
reinforcement. The Foreign Mission Board wishes to express its appreciation to
all Southern Baptists who have shared in strengthening the task of worldwide
missionary labor through the Cooperative Program.
