In the past, our church family participated in the Janie Chapman Offering for State Missions. We usually have a week of prayer and a study of some sort. This year our Women on Mission did a study, and I did a presentation a couple of Wednesdays ago. This Sunday we will put the State Mission Offering envelopes in the back of the pews. One little change: the offering will be divided between the Janie Chapman State Missions Offering and the Transition House.
Here is the status of the Transition House. We currently have one resident there now. We were able to help a young lady in a bad situation get into a safe one. We are currently waiting on our second resident…or should I say “second, third and fourth?” The next lady coming in is from the Charleston Rehab Center. This lady has brand new twins, just one month old, a boy and a girl. As will be the norm, our residents that come out of the Charleston Center are usually away from their home…a good thing. But that means they do not have a support system here. They start from scratch on finding a job, day care, or whatever they need. We are their support system.
How does the offering help? The residents are required to pay some minimal amount to help maintain the Transition House. The offering will help cover the times when they do not have, but are looking for, a paying job. Even when we are “sponsoring” them, they will be volunteering in the community. As we say, if you don’t have a job, working on your sobriety and sanity is your job. So, half of the offering given during the State Missions Offering season will go to The Janie Chapman State Missions Offering and half will go to the Transition House. It will provide major relief to these ladies.
Let me anticipate a question: why not just have two separate offerings? If you have been a Southern Baptist very long you probably know my reasoning. Every year we are asked to have special offerings for Lottie Moon-International Missions; Annie Armstrong North American Missions; Janie Chapman State Missions; Associational Missions; World Hunger in October; Connnie Maxwell Children’s Home; SC Home for the Aged Mothers Day; add things like Disaster Relief Offerings, our own folks raising funds, Friends of Bonnie Doone, Low Country Crisis Pregnancy, James Island Outreach, Operation Christmas Child, etc, etc. As you can see, it is possible to have a “special” offering every month of the year. So, on this one, we are combining. After all, if you want to see missions in the trenches, join us in the work at the Transition House.
See you Sunday, good Lord willing…
Pastor Tom
