Holified-Holmes Church Planting Offering
In the past 14 years the population in our 3 counties has grown by 40,000 people. In the same time frame our average Sunday School attendance has dropped by 420 people. Today, 75% of your neighbors say they do not belong to a church – any church. Church is defined as anything that calls itself a church. Of those who say they are a church member, only a small fraction actually attend. In 2002 the Association made a broad move to make a difference. We started the Holifield-Holmes Church Planting Offering. The Holifield-Holmes Church Planting Offering recognizes that it takes all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people. We also recognize that for us to reach 200,000 people in the tri-county area it will take a combination of existing churches and new churches to do the work. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, more people began to relocate in the rural areas of our association. This is not a task that our 65 existing churches can take on by themselves. The need is staggering. The Holifield-Holmes Church Planting Offering is our Association’s method for providing crucial funds to start new churches and missions in
To date, the Holifield-Holmes has helped 6 new churches get started. Our goal is to plant at least 2 new churches each year in the association. In order to do this and continue the support we are already committed to, we must raise minimumly $30,000 per year. Your Strategy Team needs your help to carry the word back to your churches. Help us spread the word that the Holifield-Holmes Church Planting Offering is making a difference. When your church starts a mission at an apartment complex, or with a culture group that isn’t being reached you will need resources. The Holifield-Holmes Church Planting Offering will be there to provide for new church starts in south
The main Ingathering Day for the Holifield /Holmes Offering for Church Planting is the Sunday before the annual Spring Meeting of Gulf Coast Baptist Association. Churches are to take the offering and bring it and/or a report to the Spring Meeting the following evening.