Leaders from United Hmong Baptist, East Madison Baptist, Transformation, and Iglesia Hispana Madison enjoy lunch together after the quarterly meeting.

At our January 22 meeting more than 40 pastors and leaders from a cross section of our churches gathered for the first official meeting as the Executive Team as the Southern Wisconsin Baptist Association.    Leo Endel was our guest speaker and he brought the benefits of giving through the Cooperative Program.   The Cooperative Programs is how all Southern Baptist churches across the country can participate in missions.   The challenge he laid before the churches of the SWBA is to raise their percentage of giving one percent over the next three years.

Here is the challenge:  Give .25 % more to the association and .75% more to the Cooperative Program each year over  the next three years.   This challenge would help both the SWBA and Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention work to take a major step in becoming more self-sufficient.    Leo will be coming back at our September 10 meeting at Waterbrook Community Bible Church in Tomah to share about the plan more in depth.  We are asking all of our churches to prayerfully consider what God is calling them to do in the area of missions giving.