THEY CALL IT DIGNITY. WE CALL IT A MISSION.
Edward D Lacey
Last year at our family Christmas, our oldest daughter, Tamara, gave each adult member of our family $5 with a challenge to use it in some fashion, as God leads, to magnify the Kingdom. Then, this Christmas we are to share what we did with it and tell of the results. For about 8 months the $5 bill she gave me has worried my mind and heart continuously. It almost became a burden until I was driven to prayer. Following only a few days of prayer I received a letter from Guidestone Financial Resources (formerly the Southern Baptist Annuity Board) asking us to remember our Mission:Dignity ministry this year at Thanksgiving and Christmas time. Somehow, I just knew in my heart this was where God wanted me to invest my $5. But the amount was so small --- how could a mere $5 make any difference? And, with Lottie Moon, and all the other expenses of Christmas, how could I afford to add anything worthwhile to it? Then, I remembered the widow and her 2 mites. Her's was perhaps the greatest financial gift ever given by anyone. It has been multiplied many-fold because of the witness of her sacrifice. At least, it has become the best inspiration for giving that has been used for 200 centuries.
My first church paid me a salary of $100.00/week. This was almost 1/3 their annual offerings received. No other church I've pastored has come close to paying me 1/3 of their budget, nor would I have wanted them to. They all paid me sacrificially. This $100/week plus the pastorium was our total "package". We had no health insurance, no travel allowance, no books or education allowance, etc. Still, they took great care of us. Most of the families had gardens, were good deer and coon hunters, and fishermen. They were so generous that our freezer and pantry remained well stocked. They showed us great love, and we loved them in return.
Our denomination is filled with bivocational and full-time pastors and wives who have faithfully and sacrificially served God’s people most of their lives. These are men and women who served small, rural churches that paid only modest salaries and neither the church nor the pastor could afford to contribute to the pastors’ retirement, and now they find themselves without a pastorium and struggling to meet even basic needs. Many of these saints even opted out of the Social Security program (which is allowed for ministers by the IRS) in order to live. Therefore, having paid nothing, or very little into the Social Security Administration many have little or no SSI. Pastors are considered self-employed by the Social Security Administration and must pay 15% of their income unless they opt out of the program. Often, these loyal soldiers of the cross had to work extra jobs just to make ends meet. Thankfully, since 1918, GuideStone Financial Resources has been on a “Mission” to provide “Dignity” to retired Southern Baptist ministers, workers or their widows.
God’s promise to provide for His faithful servants, and our opportunity to act on that promise, are at the heart of the Mission:Dignity ministry. Join us in extending God’s care and compassion to His faithful servants — providing the comfort and dignity they deserve.
Mission:Dignity
currently helps almost 2,000 retired SBC ministers, workers or their widows by
providing monthly income to qualified recipients and pays out more than
$6.5 million annually in assistance. The majority of the
funding for this ministry comes from the direct gifts of individuals, groups and
churches in our Southern Baptist family to the
Mission:Dignity ministry.
All gifts to
Mission:Dignity go to help those in need with
nothing taken out for administrative expenses and are tax-deductible to the
maximum amount allowed by law.
Mission:Dignity currently helps more than 2,000 people with extra money needed for housing, food and vital medications. It has also ensured a well-deserved dignity, independence and, often, the ability to continue serving.
This year, I will be proud of my small gift (we were able to add a little to it) and will share joyfully with my family the whole story behind it. It makes me feel good inside to know that it might be used to pay for someone's prescription or even multiplied by the Lord to help even more.
E. Davis Lacey
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