Thank you, Tennessee Baptists, for prayerfully and financially supporting missions and ministry through the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions.

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PLANNING GUIDE AND PROMOTION IDEASSeason of Prayer for State Missions & Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions

Dear Pastor, WMU Director, Churchwide Missions Coordinator, or other Missions Leader:

Any way you slice it, Tennessee is a mission field. Just look across our state. We have more than 145 global people groups now living in Tennessee – more than 40 of those identified by the International Mission Board as among the most unreached. There are great physical needs in 91 of our state’s 95 counties, and everywhere you look the number of spiritually lost people is increasing daily as the population of Tennessee continues to grow.

But there is great news. God is up to something in Tennessee. I hear stories every week about changed lives and this year’s Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions promotional materials will introduce you to just a few of those stories.

I hope your church will participate in the Week of Prayer for State Missions and the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions (the goal this year is $1,925,000). The suggested dates are September 10-17; however, the dates are not nearly as important as your church committing itself to pray for the great needs of our state.

I thank God for you, and pray His blessing on you, as you reach Tennessee for Christ and change your world.

It is a joy to be on this journey with you.

Randy C. Davis,President-Executive DirectorTennessee Baptist Mission Board

SUGGESTED DATE FOR THE WEEK OF PRAYER: September 10-17, 2017STATEWIDE GOTM GOAL: $1,925,000THEME: At All Costs, OBEY!

SCRIPTURE:

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22 (NIV)

“Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” Matthew 22:36-40 (HCSB)

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (HCSB)

Thank you, Tennessee Baptists, for prayerfully and financially supporting missions and ministry through the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions.

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PLANNING GUIDE AND PROMOTION IDEASSeason of Prayer for State Missions & Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions

SUGGESTED MUSIC: Congregational Worship Songs:“Yes, Lord, Yes” ................................................................. #445 (2008 Baptist Hymnal)“Trust & Obey” ..................................................................#500 (1991 Baptist Hymnal)“Hear the Call of the Kingdom” ..................................................... Keith & Kristyn Getty“Lord, Here Am I” .............................................................#537 (2008 Baptist Hymnal)“People Need the Lord” ......................................................#359 (2008 Baptist Hymnal)

Contemporary Christian Music:“Love Like That” .................................................................................. Sidewalk Prophets“Do Something”......................................................................................... Matthew West“Are We There Yet” ......................................................................................... Sonic Flood“Be One” .....................................................................................................Natalie Grant“Give It All Away” ............................................................................... Sidewalk Prophets

AVAILABLE PROMOTION MATERIALS: These materials can be found on the GOTM DVD mailed to churches and at www.goldenoffering.org:

• GOTM Promotion Videos1. Overview (2:21)2. A Message from Randy Davis (2:20)3. Thank You Tennessee Baptists (1:23)4. Church Planting – Forward Church, Knoxville (3:42)5. Community Garden – Spring Creek Road Baptist Church, Chattanooga (2:32)6. Collegiate Disaster Relief (4:29)7. Tennessee Baptist Fellowship of the Blind (3:36)8. Baptist Collegiate Ministries ETSU (3:56)9. Summer Missions Travel Teams (2:59)

• Poster• Prayer Guide• Planning Guide & Promotion Ideas• 2017-18 GOTM Allocations• My Golden Dollars Making a Difference• Speakers List• Sermon Outline• Teaching Guides for preschoolers, children, students, and adults • One Annual Church Missions Offering• GOTM Artwork/Graphic Resources - bulletin ads, logo, theme graphic, etc.

These items are included in the material mailed to churches with a standing order for GOTM/State Missions Week of Prayer materials: Poster, GOTM Envelope, Prayer Guide, Speakers List, and GOTM DVD. Churches without a standing order receive an order form for requesting materials.

Thank you, Tennessee Baptists, for prayerfully and financially supporting missions and ministry through the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions.

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PLANNING GUIDE AND PROMOTION IDEASSeason of Prayer for State Missions & Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions

PRAY…PLAN…PROMOTE

• Pray for guidance as you prepare and lead your church. Pray that your congregation will have a greater awareness and commitment to state missions.

• Plan early for promoting and participating in the season of prayer for missions in Tennessee and the Golden Offering.

○ Set an offering goal for your church. ○ Choose calendar dates for your church’s Week of Prayer and Golden Offering emphasis. ○ Review the 2017-18 promotional materials and videos on the GOTM DVD or at

www.goldenoffering.org. ○ Order or print promotion materials you plan to use. ○ Prepare how you will use materials and videos to help your church learn about the needs

and opportunities in Tennessee. • Consider creative ways to promote the emphasis for all ages in your church—preschoolers,

children, teenagers, adults—and through churchwide opportunities. Include praying, giving, and getting personally involved in some way that may come to light as each age learns about the various ministries supported by the offering.

• Use the Sermon Outline to help the congregation understand the spiritual importance of this annual emphasis.

• A children’s sermon in a worship service can help children learn about state missions and encourage them to give to the Golden Offering.

• Make and use a visual to keep before the people all month as you receive the offering. Keep it up to date. Publicize the amount given each week. Celebrate when you meet or exceed your church’s goal.

• Observe the Week of Prayer by having specific gathering times in your church or in homes each day to pray for and learn about state missions. See the Teaching Guide for Students for a prayer experience that can be used with any age group.

• Conduct a Golden Offering Kickoff event at the end of August or beginning of September to get everyone excited and to help them learn more about state missions.

• Use the Prayer Guide daily in all church gatherings during the Week of Prayer—worship, committee meetings, choir practice, at home, etc. Prayer Guides can be a bulletin insert, placed in pews, given out at the doors by children as people enter worship, placed on tables during fellowship meals, etc. Be sure that homebound members also receive a Prayer Guide.

• Place offering envelopes in the pews, bulletins, in Bible study rooms, missions education venues, etc.

• Display posters in prominent places throughout your church to draw attention to this special missions emphasis.

• Lead your church to pray for and give generously to the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions.

• Set an offering goal and challenge your members to respond generously.

Thank you, Tennessee Baptists, for prayerfully and financially supporting missions and ministry through the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions.

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PLANNING GUIDE AND PROMOTION IDEASSeason of Prayer for State Missions & Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions

• Promote the offering in your church newsletter and during pre-service emphasis.• Remind the congregation that 10% of your church’s offering is returned to your

association for ministry.• Share ways your church members are involved in ministries supported by the

Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions.• Invite a state missions speaker to your church (see the Speakers List).• Show videos before, during, or after worship services.• Share videos and other resources on your social media page(s). Visit

www.goldenoffering.org to download.• Use the hashtag #goldenoffering when using social media to promote the offering.• After reading through the 2017-18 Allocations List, My Golden Dollars Making

a Difference, and the statistics showing why Tennessee is a mission field in the Teaching Guide for Adults, use the information to help you form “Prayer Prompts” and use these in worship, in Sunday school classes, or any grouping. Type them on a bookmark and hand out on Sunday; use a few in each of your church’s newsletters or on your website.

• Keep the theme “At All Costs, OBEY!” in mind. Here are some key points to convey as you observe the Week of Prayer and promote the Golden Offering:

○ We are to be hearers & doers of the Word. ○ The command to obey is for ALL. ○ It is MY responsibility to be obedient. ○ Obedience calls for action and sacrifice. ○ If you love God, then you must love your neighbor and GO. ○ Who is your neighbor? ○ Tennessee is My/Your/Our mission field!

Thank you for promoting Tennessee missions and the Golden Offering in your church. For more information, visit www.goldenoffering.org or contact Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union at 800-558-2090 extension 7923 or 615-371-7923.

Written by:

Amy Leimer, William Carey Association WMU Director and member at First Baptist Church in Fayetteville.

Vickie Anderson, Tennessee WMU Executive Director and member at First Baptist Church in Spring Hill.