Mission:Dignity has been a tremendous blessing for north Arkansas resident Nancy Stanley.
Nancy served in the ministry alongside her late husband, Patrick, for more than 40 years. He pastored several years at First Baptist Church in Stillwell, Oklahoma, before they moved to south Texas, where he served at Wild Peach Baptist Church. The couple eventually moved to north Arkansas to be closer to family after Patrick suffered a stroke and could no longer pastor.
Patrick passed away in 2013.
“Mission:Dignity has been a tremendous blessing to me in that it has bridged the gap of where his social security was no longer available. Mission:Dignity has stepped in and picked up the slack,” Nancy said.
Additionally, Nancy said the Mission:Dignity support has been a blessing toward caring for her son, 58, who has down syndrome and is beginning to exhibit dementia.
“It helps to know I’ve got them. That they step in to help,” she said.
Nancy said she learned about Mission:Dignity from her son-in-law, Brad Banks, pastor at First Baptist Church in Owenton, Kentucky.
“Mission:Dignity has been a tremendous blessing and when we received that extra check that was a special blessing too,” she said referring to the 13th Check partnership through Mission:Dignity for Arkansas Baptists.
Stories like Nancy’s highlight the importance of Mission:Dignity.
According to a recent GuideStone article, Mission:Dignity helps more than 2,800 individuals yearly with extra money needed for housing, food and vital medications. Additionally, it said the ministry ensures a well-deserved dignity, independence and, often, the ability to continue serving the Lord.
“At GuideStone, our mission is to enhance the financial security and resilience of those who serve the Lord,” GuideStone President Dr. Hance Dilbeck said in the article. “What we hear from our recipients weekly is that these honorariums provide them with additional security — dignity — in their daily lives. I’m thankful we are able to join with churches across the Southern Baptist Convention to provide support for these retired SBC pastors and pastor widows.”
To celebrate and raise a special offering for Mission:Dignity, the Southern Baptist Convention has set aside the fourth Sunday in June – this Sunday, June 25. The article said churches, Sunday school classes and other groups can order or download free Mission:Dignity Sunday materials from GuideStone, or give by visiting MDSunday.org.
“Every day, we hear from these dear soldiers of the cross striving to finish well with the dignity they deserve,” said Aaron Meraz, director of Mission:Dignity. In the GuideStone article. “With 100 percent of donations given to Mission:Dignity going to help them continue to ‘bear fruit in their old age,’ our churches can be assured that their gifts are not only meeting physical needs but advancing the kingdom of God as well.”
Arkansas Baptists may give through the Arkansas Baptist Foundation by designating your check for Mission:Dignity. The Foundation has established a Mission:Dignity Fund to benefit Arkansas residents who meet the requirements. All contributions or designations to this fund will be distributed so that these recipients can receive additional assistance to meet their basic needs. You can also contact the Foundation at 501-376-4791 ext. 5907 or [email protected] about supporting this worthy cause.