Making Large Gifts Even Larger

Excitement was evident last Sunday as I was privileged to announce the receipt of two extraordinary gifts toward the ministries of First Baptist Church.  The first was a gift from Dr. James Pleitz, our beloved pastor emeritus, who went home to be with the Lord this past May.  Dr. Pleitz planned to give a sizable gift toward the payment of the Paul Royal Recreation and Outreach Center.  He gave the first portion of that gift several months ago, and his children, Nancy Hinson and Danny Pleitz, fulfilled their father’s wishes by presenting the final portion of that gift in memory of James and Margaret Ann Pleitz, a few days ago. 

The second gift comes from the Nellums Estate.  Bill and Sibyl Nellums joined First Baptist Church in 1962.  During their tenure, they were faithful and active in many areas of ministry.  The gift from the Nellums has two components.  First, in addition to leaving gifts to their family members and to the Baptist Hospital Foundation, they bequeathed a $420,000 cash gift that was presented to our church by their nephew a few weeks ago.  In addition to the monetary gift, they left their house at

420 South 2^nd Street

. Our corporate directors have received title to that property and it is now on the market.  Bill and Sibyl’s wishes were for these gifts to be used in a way that advances the mission and ministries of First Baptist Church.  While every gift, no matter how small or large, is significant to the work of the kingdom, to my knowledge, the Nellums’ gift is the largest one time gift ever received by First Baptist Church.

As we covenant to be good stewards of these gifts, our church family offers our heartfelt gratitude to the Pleitz Family and the Nellums Family for their generosity and their vision.

The work on the Paul Royal Recreation and Outreach Center was completed in February 2008 at a cost of $3.2 million. The gift from Dr. Pleitz reduced the remaining balance on the ROC to $641,000. 

As our Finance Committee, in consultation with staff and leadership, designated the monetary gift from the Nellums Estate, they have provided appropriations to areas that the Nellums were passionate about such as Transportation and History and Archives.

Because Bill and Sibyl were vitally interested in reaching children, students, and families for the future, we have appropriated $320,000, approximately half of the balance on the ROC, as we call upon the congregation to “match” the other half and pay off the balance on the ROC by December of this year.

Is this an attainable goal?  Absolutely!  You and I can make these large gifts from our senior saints even larger by bringing our generous and sacrificial gifts to complete the payment for the ROC.  And we can begin 2012 as a debt-free congregation.   Together, we can meet and surpass this goal.

This Sunday we continue our Awesome Wonder series as we explore “When Cymbals Clash” from Psalm 150.  At the beginning of the Midmorning Service, we will be celebrating the baptism of new believers.

On Sunday evening, the second August Concert, Praise God with the Harps! begins at six o’clock in the sanctuary.

These are exciting days to be a part of what God is doing at FBCP.  I look forward to seeing you in worship and Bible study this Sunday.