I had the blessing of growing up in a Southern Baptist church that taught and supported the Cooperative Program. These lessons came alive when missionaries visited and spoke at our church, telling us the results of giving. The greatest impact for me personally was with our seminaries that made education and training possible for me as I pursued God’s call on my life into the ministry.

It has been important to me as a pastor to give the Cooperative Program priority and to encourage generous giving by the churches I have served. It has blessed me and the lives of many others as we work together to fund missionary work, seminaries, state conventions and so many other ministries that impact all our lives.

We must continue to teach it and give generously to the Cooperative Program to ensure these vital works continue for others.

— Pastor Jesse Reeder, pastor of Moulton Baptist Church (Muscle Shoals Association), serves as a trustee for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.