Updated Thursday, May 01, 2008

BSC income picks up in April

From staff reports

Baptist State Convention (BSC) Cooperative Program income edged ahead of last year's pace through the first four months of 2008 but remained more than 9 percent behind budget expectations.

Through April, the BSC had received $11.23 million toward its

Cooperative Program budget, BSC records show. That's 1.46 percent ahead of the $11.07 million received at that point last year.

The amount is $1.14 million, of 9.18 percent, behind budget, which calls for $12.37 million through April.

Three of the BSC's four giving plans are ahead of last year and continue to be paced by Plan D, which sends a larger percentage to special missions and to Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute is up 16.84 percent from 2007.

Churches have sent about $1.99 million through the plan during the first four months of 2008.

Plan A, the largest and original giving plan and favored by most churches, is up 1.58 percent, at $7.23 million.

Plan B, which sends a lower percentage to the Southern Baptist Convention than Plan A, is up more than $49,000, or 5.64 percent from last year. Churches have used Plan B to send more than $918,000 to the BSC through April.

Plan C, the only option that forwards money to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, is down 14.7 percent from 2007. N.C. Baptist churches have given about $546,560 through April, a decrease of more than $94,000 from last year.

Two of the three missions offerings are up from last year.

The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions is up a whopping 74.52 percent after a slow start, which may be attributed in part to Easter coming early in the year. Through April, N.C. Baptist churches have contributed $3.34 million to the offering, up from $1.95 million at the same time last year.

The N.C. Missions Offering is 1.91 percent ahead of last year's pace. Congregations have given more than $327,000, up from less than $322,000 in 2007.

The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions is down 9.87 percent from this period last year. The offering had raised $8.29 million through April, a drop from the $9.12 million in 2007.