May 16, 2025
DULUTH, Ga. – Churches gave more than $1.25 million over the past year through the Mission Georgia offering, which provides funding specifically for sharing the gospel in Georgia where more than 9 million residents don’t go to church.
Beth Ann Williams, head of women's ministries for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, made that announcement on Tuesday at a meeting of the Executive Committee in Macon.
“That surpassed last year’s total by approximately $300,000,” said David Melber, chief operating officer at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. “What this shows is that, while our churches are fully committed to reaching the nation and world with the gospel, they are not overlooking the need to share the gospel in our own state.”
Mission Georgia is a multi-faceted initiative that allows the Georgia Baptist Mission Board to minister in many ways, including helping to rescue teenage girls from human traffickers, finding forever homes for foster care children, providing prenatal care and counseling for mothers-to-be to ensure they deliver healthy babies, helping at-risk children learn to read, helping immigrants learn English and find jobs.
Lorna Bius, a mobilizer for Mission Georgia, said the state faces major spiritual battles and the offering empowers grass-roots ministries to get engaged.
“The needs are so great all across our state,” Bius said. “By working, giving and praying together, we can meet those needs.”
Bius said Mission Georgia seeks to provide gospel-centered care in every Georgia community through local churches. But, she said, that can’t happen without financial support.
That’s why the nearly 3,600 churches of the Georgia Baptist Convention support the Mission Georgia offering, one of three major offerings recognized by Georgia Baptist churches. The others are the Lottie Moon Christmas offering to support international missions and the Annie Armstrong Easter offering to support North American missions.
Bius said Mission Georgia concentrates on helping the state’s most vulnerable through prayer, manpower and funding to change lives.
“It’s thrilling, really, to see how Georgia Baptists are coming together to impact our state,” Bius said.
