Since 1995, Kentucky Baptists have given to fund the ministry and mission of Oneida Baptist Institute through the Barkley Moore Father’s Day Offering. Since that time, we have sent $3,452,158 to help fund the faithful work of OBI. This does not include the amount we have given through the Cooperative Program.
Each year around this time, KBC churches receive an update from the school about how their gifts are being used and a reminder to promote the Barkley Moore Offering. This offering plays a vital role in OBI continuing its mission of educating young people for time and eternity.
Dr. Barkley Moore, bearer of the offering’s name, was a 1958 graduate of OBI and served as president of the school from 1972-1994. Dr. Moore was viewed as a father by many students who traversed the landscape of the OBI and poured out his life for the advancement of its mission.
OBI’s current president, Larry A. Gritton, Jr. says, “Kentucky Baptists have been wonderful partners in our work and have been incredibly generous to our ministry. Without Kentucky Baptists there would be no Oneida Baptist. Many churches bless OBI through Cooperative Program giving and many bless OBI monthly. Tuition and fees only drive about 10% of the OBI budget, so we rely heavily on the generosity of God’s people. Every dollar matters to our ministry and your gifts through The Barkley Moore Father’s Day Offering will help change young lives for all of eternity. Thank you, Kentucky Baptists, for investing in God’s kingdom by blessing OBI.”
Whether your church gives through an offering collected or through a special designated gift, your giving makes a difference. Here are five things that happen when you give to OBI.
1. The gospel advances internationally: Not everyone is aware of the international impact of this Kentucky Baptist school. Oneida typically educates students from 15 – 20 different countries who hold to a wide variety of religious beliefs, or no belief at all. Many of these students respond to the gospel during their time at OBI. In a recent year, every graduating senior professed faith in Christ. These students return to their home countries having heard the gospel, and in many cases having received Jesus as Savoir and Lord.
2. Lives are changed: My role with the Kentucky Baptist Convention allows me to attend OBI’s board meetings, where we often hear directly from students who have found new life in Christ or began to walk with Jesus more intentionally during their time at Oneida. One student, Sam from Korea, said, “When I first came to OBI, I never imagined this small community would help me grow so much, especially in my relationship with God.” This is a common testimony from those who spend time at this special school.
3. You leave an indelible mark: Recently, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman reflected on his time spent as a teenager at this mountain institution. Coleman said later in an interview with Lawrence Smith, “I stood up there in front of those kids and admitted to them that I didn’t want to be there in those seats when I was present. But I did share with them that if I could stand up there as the Attorney General … it didn’t matter where those kids were from, what their family background was, what challenges they had in their lives, that God had a plan for them.” This is just one example of the kind of impact you are having through your investment in the work of OBI.
4. You impact eastern Kentucky: OBI not only has an international impact, but even more so in the mountain region where the school is located. Of the nearly 300 students who attend OBI, many of them are residents of the 10 to 15 counties surrounding the school. Clay County, home to OBI, registers a church attendance of only 8.6%. While the Kentucky Baptist churches in that area are doing good work, OBI is one more way we are working together to advance the gospel in our own state.
5. You meet pressing needs: Many of the local students who attend OBI come from impoverished circumstances. According to recent statistics, the poverty rate for those in Clay County under the age of 18 is 47%. Clay County’s poverty rate is more than double the national average, ranking it in the bottom 5% of all U.S. counties for household income and economic opportunity. At OBI the students from these homes are not only receiving an education for time and eternity, but also many of their basic needs are being met. The care for these students goes far beyond the classroom into their homes and into their families.
An investment in Oneida Baptist Institute in a sound investment that yields a gospel return. Will you and your church consider investing in their mission through the Barkley Moore Father’s Day Offering?
Dr. Todd Gray 