Rivers Baptist Church - Christ alone - and Him crucified

- A Queensland Baptist Gift Foundation Article -

A must read book is “Father to the Fatherless” (The Charles Mulli Story) by Paul H. Boge.

At six years of age, Charles Mulli awakes one morning in his Kenyan hut to discover his parents have abandoned him. Forced to beg from hut to hut in search of food, Charles scrapes out a meagre existence while trying to come to terms with his abusive past (involving a violent, alcoholic father) and seemingly hopeless future.

As a teenager, Charles is invited by a friend to a crusade where he commits his life to Christ. That act begins a unique adventure of faith, miracles and a passion for reaching street children.

Through hard work and trusting and serving God, in the Church and community, Charles becomes quite wealthy and acquires considerable property assets across Kenya. He has a wife (Esther) and eight children when God challenges him to use the money and assets He has entrusted to him, for a special ministry.

In 1989, the Mully Children’s Family (MCF) Orphanage was founded and established by Charles and Esther Mulli in response to the desperate needs of street children, abandoned children and HIV/AIDS orphans in Kenya.

This book has a marvellous message of the Man. The Miracles. The Mission.

It is this kind of obedience and sacrifice that inspires Christians all around the world to reach out to the poor, the widows, the abandoned, the alcohol and drug addicted, the homeless and other disadvantaged and marginalised people, in the Name of Jesus Christ.

Queensland Baptist Churches and individuals within those Churches are involved in a whole range of outreach ministries and Queensland Baptist Care has special centres like Orana Youth shelter and New Hope Transition House, Glendyne Education and Training Centre, Southside Education Centre and numerous other ministries that cater for individuals from one or more of the dysfunctional situations mentioned above.

This is faith in action - this is the gospel of Jesus Christ, dealing with the spiritual, physical, emotional and intellectual needs of individuals and families.

The title of this article “Doing God’s work with a Will” has a double meaning - It is saying that Christ’s followers are to align their wills with the plans and purposes of God and also provide a portion of the value of their estates for the Lord’s work, by way of a Will or other written directive. This, of course, is in addition to giving a proportion of income during one’s lifetime.

The Queensland Baptist Gift Foundation is an excellent vehicle by which a gift in a Will (or from other sources) can be made, to further the work of God’s Kingdom, particularly in providing church buildings and funding the outreach ministries to the many people in our society who need to experience the convicting power of the Holy Spirit in order to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus.

It is thrilling to see what God has done through the Queensland Baptist Baplink deposit fund where the combined funds of Churches and Individuals currently amount to nearly sixty million dollars – of which a major proportion is loaned for Church buildings and other projects to reach more people with the Gospel.

Such “pooling” of funds can be increased as God’s people leave a portion of their Estate for the general purposes of the Gift Foundation so that Queensland Baptist Churches may benefit from the “Grants Scheme”.

In 2006, Gift Foundation grants included… school chaplaincy, resources for youth activities, a retreat for pastor’s wives and church worship and office equipment: Grants were received by …Cooktown Baptist Fellowship – Kalbar Community Baptist Church – Vietnamese Grace Church - Bethel Dalby Program (aboriginal Christian life training) - African Church Mission Queensland.

The Gift Foundation can advise on the different ways a person can leave a gift from their Estate when they go to be with Jesus. It could be one of the following:

• A gift in a Will to the Gift Foundation to be held in perpetuity for the interest earned to be distributed to their Church and/or other ministries (the Will may also include a provision for distributing the whole or part of the capital amount at a future date).
• A gift in a Will directly to their local Church
• A gift in a Will to the Gift Foundation for general purpose use, including grants to Churches and associated Queensland Baptist ministries.
• A letter to family. Rather than specify a bequest in their Will, some people may prefer to entrust this matter to one or more of the beneficiaries under the Will. This can be done by way of a letter to the beneficiaries (usually family members) requesting that a gift (whether a nominated amount or a percentage of the inheritance) to the Queensland Baptist Gift Foundation and/or their local Church be made from a beneficiary’s share of the bequestor’s estate.

In seeking counsel on leaving a gift to God’s work from one’s Estate, a person may like to speak with their Church Leadership or the Voluntary Co-ordinator of the Queensland Baptist Gift Foundation who can be contacted on 3351 7720, 0400.795.302 or by email t.m.owens@bigpond.com.au.

• A distribution from a Family Trust. People with Family Trusts or Discretionary Trusts often find these a useful way of maximising their Church giving, provided of course the Church can be appropriately classed as a beneficiary under the trust deed. Similarly, the Queensland Baptist Gift Foundation could be named as a beneficiary and moneys distributed at appropriate times to be used at the discretion of the Foundation Trustee. Please consult your legal adviser on the best way to achieve this.

Finally, those who have no family could prayerfully consider leaving the bulk of their Estate to God’s work through Queensland Baptist Ministries. Those with family could consider leaving at least 10% of their Estate before providing for family. God has not left His people without a starting point for giving to His work. In His Word, God has commended the tithe, 10% of income, to be brought into the ‘storehouse’ (the local church) plus offerings to the local Church or further afield, over and above the tithe, as He prospers and directs.

Not all of God’s people will be required to surrender ALL for a special ministry as were Charles and Esther Mulli but Jesus does command all His followers to build up “Treasures in Heaven” by providing cheerfully and sacrificially for the extension of His Kingdom.

May God bless you as you prayerfully consider the spiritual significance of each monetary decision, act upon it and experience the magnificent blessings that God has in store.

Trevor Owens