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.