State Missions: Now More Than Ever!

By: Barry G. Allen- President & CEO

As I reflect upon my 44 years of vocational involvement in state missions in Kentucky, I am struck by the dramatic changes that have occurred in the population, especially from the immigration of the many and varied people groups who have come to Kentucky, the impact of the secular culture on all Kentuckians and the exponential power of technology that spreads instantaneously the negative impact of the secular culture. As a result, the challenge of the Acts 1:8 challenge has become more formidable than ever, and “state missions” now has an “international missions” element inherent in it.

Since 1913 Kentucky WMU has taken an annual offering through the churches for state missions. In 1976 the offering was named for Eliza Broadus, who was a contemporary of Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong, and who led Kentucky WMU in 1913 to begin a state missions offering. And now, more than 100 years later, this offering is more important than it has ever been because of the growing number of lost, unchurched and dechurched people of the Commonwealth as well as the impact of secularization. This offering undergirds, enhances and supplements on-going ministries as well as special projects focused on reaching the lost and making disciples in Kentucky. You may live in or near a community that is impacted directly by ministries that receive funding from this offering.

Because of the added importance of this offering in the future for reaching Kentucky for Christ, let me encourage you not only to continue to give generously to and through the annual offering, but also to consider making a legacy gift now and/or through your estate plan for the benefit of state missions through the Eliza Broadus Offering. In this way you could continue to contribute to this vital effort beyond your lifetime. What a legacy that would leave of your love for Christ and His mission in Kentucky!

You could begin now to contribute to an existing perpetual endowment administered by the KBF from which the earnings are added annually to the offering. Or, you may prefer to establish an endowment yourself. This is the season of prayer for state missions and the EBO offering. What a wonderful time to give Laurie Valentine or me a call to assist you.

For more information, please call us at (502) 489-3533 or toll free in KY at 1(866) 489-3533.

The information in this article is provided as general information and is not intended as legal or tax advice. For advice and assistance in specific cases, you should seek the advice of an attorney or other professional adviser.

Bold Hope

By: Barry G. Allen- President & CEO

It’s that time of year when we Kentucky Baptists are called upon to focus our praying, giving and going on those in our home state who are without Christ in their lives. And what would we do without the able leadership of Kentucky WMU to guide and assist us in this focus?! Thank you, Joy Bolton, and your staff.

The theme of this year’s state missions emphasis and the Eliza Broadus Offering is “bold hope.” The focal scripture passage is 2 Corinthians 3:12 (NIV 1984): “Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.” As George Beasley-Murray observed in his commentary, this hope combines a confidence as to the glory that attaches to the gospel proclamation in the present with the expectation of a revelation of that glory in the future. At the heart of the gospel is the manifestation of a glory that has a future, namely, that of the incarnate, crucified and risen Christ returning in majesty for the victory of the kingdom. So, whatever is our lot in the present, our lot in the future is a glory that will be vindicated in the triumph of our Lord. Therefore, we can afford to be very bold in our praying, going and giving.

How fortunate we Kentucky Baptists are to have in place all across this state a variety of ministries to facilitate our giving and going. These include: food ministries, prison, pregnancy care, drug addiction recovery, disaster relief, collegiate ministries, ethnic, church planting, evangelism and missions camps.

I urge you to let the Eliza Broadus Offering provide you an easy, effective and efficient channel through which you can give to support all of these ministries all across our state. Begin now to pray with boldness (1) for your state missionaries and volunteers who deliver these ministries 24/7 in your behalf; (2) for how much and in what way you will give through the offering; and (3) for an openness for how God can use you this next year as a volunteer in one or more of these ministries.

For more information, please call us at (502) 489-3533 or toll free in KY at 1-(866) 489-3533

The information in this article is provided as general information and is not intended as legal or tax advice. For advice and assistance in specific cases, you should seek the advice of an attorney or other professional adviser.

Chain Reaction

By: Barry G. Allen-President & CEO 

How fortunate we Kentucky Baptists are to be engaged in connecting women, men, girls and boys to Jesus Christ 24/7 in local communities, throughout the state, the United States and around the world through our larger family of Great Commission service ministries. Our Baptist family includes our churches, associations, mission boards, educational institutions, children’s ministries, youth camps, stewardship services, news journals, human need ministries, collegiate ministries, healing ministries and missions support services. Cooperation is still Kentucky Baptists’ way to advance the Kingdom of Jesus Christ at home and beyond.

At different times throughout the year, we give special focus prayerfully and financially to specific aspects of our cooperative missionary, educational and benevolent ministries. Our methodology includes a “week of prayer” and the “collection of a special offering” over and above our on-going giving. We have weeks of prayer and offerings for international missions, North American missions, state missions, associational missions and other selective ministries.

It’s time now to focus on state missions and the collection of the Eliza Broadus Offering. The suggested dates for the “week of prayer and offering” are September 11 – 18. This year’s theme for our focus is “chain reaction,” based upon John 4, Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, and especially John 4:39a, which records her testimony that resulted in “a chain reaction” among her fellow Samaritans.

I’m praying every pastor and mission leader of every Kentucky Baptist church will contact the Kentucky WMU office now to request the planning guide for use by their churches. Call today toll free 866.489.3534. State missions has taken on a new international dynamic as the whole world has come to Kentucky. As a result, we must adjust accordingly our thinking, planning, praying, going and giving.

Like the Samaritan woman, many Kentuckians are waiting to receive the living water only Jesus can provide. Let’s start a chain reaction where we live by encountering those who are without Christ and telling them where to find the Living Water.

Mary Pat Price: A Kingdom-Minded Steward

Mary Pat Price was known to Baptists around the world as a kingdom-minded steward. She demonstrated in a variety of ways with her time, talents and treasures her love for Christ and His mission in this world, and her love for family.

She was born in Shelby County, Kentucky, three miles outside Shelbyville “not in a hospital.” Upon graduation from Bagdad High School, she attended Bethel Junior College and graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1943. Her ministry assignments were as Youth Director at the First Baptist Church Clarksville, Tennessee, and then at First Baptist Church Frankfort, Kentucky.

While attending the 1957 state WMU convention at Jonathan Creek Baptist Assembly, she met J. Brandon Price, a young lawyer who was in attendance on youth night. Actually, a mutual friend prearranged their meeting. They married soon thereafter. She and the late Judge Price had two sons, J. B. and Kent. J. B. is a computer analyst, and Kent is an attorney. She has two grandchildren.

As a long-time resident of Paducah, Kentucky and a long-time member of First Baptist Church, Mary Pat’s service to Christ through her church and community is legendary. The Kentucky Baptist Foundation had the good fortune of having the benefit of her service for two terms on its Board of Directors.

On March 26th, 2010, God welcomed Mary Pat Home. While we will miss her, her lagacy will live forever.

Over the years, Mary Pat utilized all of the services of the Kentucky Baptist Foundation, including our private estate and charitable gift planning consultation service with trust counsel Laurie Valentine. She made regular and on-going cash contributions to endowment funds that provide perpetual support for ministries near and dear to her heart. She purchased life insurance policies on the lives of her two sons the death proceeds of which will fund two perpetual endowments in their names. Each endowment will provide support to five different ministries. And, finally, she and her sister, Jane Kent, each established a charitable remainder trust with the gift of their Shelby County family farmland. In addition to significant tax benefits Mary Pat received an income benefit during her lifetime. At her death the trust assets funded an endowment for her perpetual support of 8 more ministries.

Collectively, Mary Pat set in place a kingdom-minded stewardship plan that will perpetuate her Christian legacy and provide on-going financial support, until Jesus comes again, through 17 ministries from Paducah to the ends of the earth.

The Lord blessed us with the life of Mary Pat Price. May He add His blessings to the multitudes that will benefit from her faithful stewardship and may others emulate her example.

Partners In Philanthropy- John And Kay Trisler

            John and Kay Trisler are among the finest of Kentucky Baptist couples.  They have lived their lives as ambassadors for Christ and distinguished themselves as servant leaders in a variety of ways through the Harrodsburg Baptist Church, Mercer Association and KBC-related ministries.

 John was born and reared in Harrodsburg, and Kay in Danville.  Kay lived near the FBC and was there every time the doors opened.  FBC is where Lottie Moon was a member during her years as a school teacher in Danville.

It was no coincidence that WMU would provide an important pathway for Kay’s servant leadership development and service from a GA to the Executive Director-Treasurer of Kentucky WMU.  Other servant leadership responsibilities include the Marshall Center for Christian Ministry board, Western Recorder board, KBC Committee on Nominations, Harrodsburg CLC Director, Mercer Association internship, and various roles in her church, association and Kentucky WMU.  She is a Southern Seminary graduate.

With an engineering degree from the University of Cincinnati and an MBA from Xavier, John enjoyed a successful 18-year career with IBM and another 13-year career with Lexmark.  From an IBM engineer in Danbury, CT to the VP of Manufacturing in Lexington, KY, and then to VP at Lexmark in Lexington, John distinguished himself as a servant leader in his professional life as well as in his church and community life.  He retired in 2001, only to be called two years later into public service as the Mercer County Judge Executive for six years.  He retired again July 31, 2009.

John has served as deacon chair, Sunday school teacher, and finance committee chair at Harrodsburg Baptist and on the board of the Harrodsburg Baptist Foundation and the Kentucky Baptist Foundation.

Kay and John have been married 48 years and have two married children: Stephen (Toni) and Amy Adkins (Tim), and three grandchildren: Jonathan Trisler, Kaysie and Ella Adkins. 

John Trisler served sixteen years over three different terms on the KBF board of directors.  Throughout those years of service, John shared the benefits of his wisdom, work and wealth.  He served faithfully and effectively on the executive, investment, and real estate committees of the board.  Recognizing his cool, calm, and collected leadership style his fellow board members also elected him to serve as chairperson.

               

Through the years, John and Kay have been most generous in utilizing the KBF as a fiduciary of funds they have given for the benefit of the various charitable causes in whose missions they wanted to invest for eternity, including the establishment in 1996 of the John D. & Kay H. Trisler Endowment in honor of their first grandchild, Jonathan Owen Trisler.  They established this perpetual endowment with an initial modest gift and continue to make periodic gifts to increase the principal for investment to increase the earnings for distribution to the charitable beneficiaries they designated.  Those beneficiaries are Kentucky WMU for its Heritage Fund uses, the Marshall Center for Christian Ministry and the Kentucky Baptist Foundation.

               

John and Kay have stated, “We see the mission of the KBF as a way for us to make stewardship decisions by the establishment of endowment funds that help provide perpetual financial benefits to our choice of many Kentucky Baptist causes.  We encourage others to take this opportunity to praise God and help other people and organizations in our state.”

               

May the Lord add His blessings to their lives and to the multitudes that will benefit from their generosity until Jesus comes again.  And, may more of us seek to emulate the example of the stewardship of their lives and the financial resources the Lord has entrusted to them to manage in His behalf.

               

                Contact Laurie Valentine at 502-489-3533 and 866-489-3533 (Toll-free, KY only)
or Barry Allen at 502-489-3421 or 866-489-3421 (Toll-free KY only) for assistance in how you can provide perpetual benefits to the causes which are near and dear to your heart.