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Today's China is a world of rapid change. It's home to 1.3 billion individuals-one-fifth of the world's population. Village dwellers flock to trendy megacities with exploding populations. And China holds its own in the world's economy. It's very different from the vast farmland Lottie Moon entered in the 1800s (Lottie was born on December 12, 1840). But one thing hasn't changed: China's need for a Savior.
Lottie Moon-the namesake of the international missions offering-has become something of a legend to us. But in her time Lottie was anything but an untouchable hero. In fact, she was like today's missionaries. She was a hard-working, deep-loving Southern Baptist who labored tirelessly so her people group could know Jesus.
Her Mission
When she set sail for China, Lottie was 32 years old. She had turned down a marriage proposal and left her job, home and family to follow God's lead. Her path wasn't typical for an educated woman from a wealthy Southern family. But Lottie did not serve a typical God. He had gripped her with the Chinese peoples' need for a Savior.
For 39 years Lottie labored, chiefly in Tengchow and P'ingtu. People feared and rejected her, but she refused to leave. The aroma of fresh-baked cookies drew people to her house. She adopted traditional Chinese dress, and she learned China's language and customs. Lottie didn't just serve the people of China; she identified with them. Many eventually accepted her. And some accepted her Savior.
Her Vision
Lottie's vision wasn't just for the people of China. It reached to her fellow Southern Baptists in the United States. Like today's missionaries, she wrote letters home, detailing China's hunger for truth and the struggle of so few missionaries sharing the gospel with so many people-472 million Chinese in her day. She shared another timely message, too: the urgent need for more workers and for Southern Baptists passionately supporting them through prayer and giving.
In 1912, during a time of war and famine, Lottie silently starved, knowing that her beloved Chinese didn't have enough food. Her fellow Christians saw the ultimate sign of love: giving her life for others. On Christmas Eve, Lottie died on a ship bound for the United States.
But her legacy lives on. And today, when gifts aren't growing as quickly as the number of workers God is calling to the field, her call for sacrificial giving rings with more urgency than ever.
The Christmas offering, launched at her suggestion, was named for her in 1918.
Today's China is a world of rapid change. It's home to 1.3 billion individuals-one-fifth of the world's population. Village dwellers flock to trendy megacities with exploding populations. And China holds its own in the world's economy. It's very different from the vast farmland Lottie Moon entered in the 1800s (Lottie was born on December 12, 1840). But one thing hasn't changed: China's need for a Savior.
Lottie Moon-the namesake of the international missions offering-has become something of a legend to us. But in her time Lottie was anything but an untouchable hero. In fact, she was like today's missionaries. She was a hard-working, deep-loving Southern Baptist who labored tirelessly so her people group could know Jesus.
Her Mission
When she set sail for China, Lottie was 32 years old. She had turned down a marriage proposal and left her job, home and family to follow God's lead. Her path wasn't typical for an educated woman from a wealthy Southern family. But Lottie did not serve a typical God. He had gripped her with the Chinese peoples' need for a Savior.
For 39 years Lottie labored, chiefly in Tengchow and P'ingtu. People feared and rejected her, but she refused to leave. The aroma of fresh-baked cookies drew people to her house. She adopted traditional Chinese dress, and she learned China's language and customs. Lottie didn't just serve the people of China; she identified with them. Many eventually accepted her. And some accepted her Savior.
Her Vision
Lottie's vision wasn't just for the people of China. It reached to her fellow Southern Baptists in the United States. Like today's missionaries, she wrote letters home, detailing China's hunger for truth and the struggle of so few missionaries sharing the gospel with so many people-472 million Chinese in her day. She shared another timely message, too: the urgent need for more workers and for Southern Baptists passionately supporting them through prayer and giving.
In 1912, during a time of war and famine, Lottie silently starved, knowing that her beloved Chinese didn't have enough food. Her fellow Christians saw the ultimate sign of love: giving her life for others. On Christmas Eve, Lottie died on a ship bound for the United States.
But her legacy lives on. And today, when gifts aren't growing as quickly as the number of workers God is calling to the field, her call for sacrificial giving rings with more urgency than ever.
The Christmas offering, launched at her suggestion, was named for her in 1918.
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Lottie Moon Christmas Offering
When it comes to reaching a lost world for Christ, some may wonder how far we’ve come and how much farther to go.
Today, we can identify the people groups that remain untouched by the Gospel. For the first time, it is conceivable that all people groups can be reached in the coming years with a Gospel presence. According to IMB’s 2009 statistical data* there were 506,019 baptisms, 204,192 churches. Church membership overseas was at 10.7 million, and there were 24,650 new churches.
Yes, there is still a long way to go, but progress is being made every day.
Now is the time to also take a fresh look at the challenges ahead and be ready to finish the task. With 45,560 churches in the Southern Baptist Convention, there is much work to be done.
Here’s a global snap shot of the work ahead of us:
- 4,743 people groups are not engaged at all with the Gospel
- 6,426 unreached people groups (those with less than 2 percent of people who profess to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ)
- 1.7 billion with little or no access to the Gospel
- 1.5 billion Muslims – 22 percent of the world’s population
- 950 million Hindus in the world
- Christian witness among China cities less than 1 percent
- 3 percent evangelical believers among Ethiopia’s 82 million people
- 355 million in South America do not know Christ
- Less than 1 percent Christian among more than 270 million living in the Central Asia region
- 650,000 Lezghi in the Causcasus Mountains fear evil spirits
- 97 percent of all Palestinians are Muslim
- 89 percent of North African and Middle Eastern people groups are unreached
- 311 people groups in India have no known evangelical believers
- Only 1,600 believers among 1.6 million Muong of Northern Vietnam
A little overwhelming isn’t it?
The task is doable, but it will take all of us – our churches, our missionaries, our national partners, our Great Commission partners.
Are we there yet? Not quite. But we’re on our way. The 2011 Week of Prayer for International Missions is December 4 - 11, 2011. The 2011 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering National Goal: $175 million; Calvary Baptist Church's Goal: $9,500.
Lottie Moon Christmas Offering
When it comes to reaching a lost world for Christ, some may wonder how far we’ve come and how much farther to go.
Today, we can identify the people groups that remain untouched by the Gospel. For the first time, it is conceivable that all people groups can be reached in the coming years with a Gospel presence. According to IMB’s 2009 statistical data* there were 506,019 baptisms, 204,192 churches. Church membership overseas was at 10.7 million, and there were 24,650 new churches.
Yes, there is still a long way to go, but progress is being made every day.
Now is the time to also take a fresh look at the challenges ahead and be ready to finish the task. With 45,560 churches in the Southern Baptist Convention, there is much work to be done.
Here’s a global snap shot of the work ahead of us:
- 4,743 people groups are not engaged at all with the Gospel
- 6,426 unreached people groups (those with less than 2 percent of people who profess to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ)
- 1.7 billion with little or no access to the Gospel
- 1.5 billion Muslims – 22 percent of the world’s population
- 950 million Hindus in the world
- Christian witness among China cities less than 1 percent
- 3 percent evangelical believers among Ethiopia’s 82 million people
- 355 million in South America do not know Christ
- Less than 1 percent Christian among more than 270 million living in the Central Asia region
- 650,000 Lezghi in the Causcasus Mountains fear evil spirits
- 97 percent of all Palestinians are Muslim
- 89 percent of North African and Middle Eastern people groups are unreached
- 311 people groups in India have no known evangelical believers
- Only 1,600 believers among 1.6 million Muong of Northern Vietnam
A little overwhelming isn’t it?
The task is doable, but it will take all of us – our churches, our missionaries, our national partners, our Great Commission partners.
Are we there yet? Not quite. But we’re on our way. The 2011 Week of Prayer for International Missions is December 4 - 11, 2011. The 2011 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering National Goal: $175 million; Calvary Baptist Church's Goal: $9,500.
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