Do you have fond memories of your childhood? I do. One of the most vivid memories I have dates back to 1988, when I was a Mission Friend. While most of the memory revolves around the snacks we had that day, I remember so clearly the challenge to tell others about God’s love. As a preschooler, I participated in activities that helped to lay the foundation for doing missions and telling about Jesus. I learned that all people need God and they come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ.

While I did not know it at the time, I learned that telling about Jesus is a way of fulfilling Christ’s command to go into all the world. As I grew in my faith, I learned that every believer should witness because Christ commands us to and because of what it does for the people who hear the gospel.

Any person who is not a believer is one who needs to be reached through telling about Jesus. The 2020-2021 em- phasis for the Eliza Broadus Offering for State Missions is: “To the Least of These.” As we engage in sharing our faith, we must consider the example of Jesus and His instructions to believers. In Matthew 25:40, like the disciples, we must understand that the Lord evaluates our work through our sacrificial love. Are we faithful with the things He has given us? Are we faithful in using all that we have to serve the least of these?

In the EBO pastor’s sermon outline, Dr. Todd Gray challenges us to remember that “the faith that saves is a faith that reveals itself in service to others, especially the least of these fellow followers in Christ.”

Kentucky Baptists, we have an opportunity to give generously, serve faithfully and live sacrificially for the sake of the gospel. Together, we can respond with commitment, obedience and in adoration of King Jesus. We can personally commit to take the gospel to every home, obediently share when the Holy Spirit leads and sacrificially give so that all Kentuckians have an opportunity to hear.

The 2020-2021 EBO materials will feature five ministries dedicated to reaching displaced people and those struggling with hunger insecurity, serving people living in poverty, equipping language groups for the work of the church and raising up the next generation of Christ followers.

Posters, prayer guides and envelopes will begin to hit your mailbox in early August. Begin planning your offering campaign with the Churchwide Plans. These plans give you tips for planning your giving emphasis, ideas for encouraging missions support and helpful tips. Please use these resources to promote the Season of Prayer for State Missions during Sept. 13-20 or at another time that fits your church calendar. Keep in mind that your church can give to support state missions year round.

Additional resources and emphasis videos can be found at www.kywmu.org/ebo.

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Liz Encinia is executive director-treasurer of Kentucky Woman’s Missionary Union.