As John McCullough commenced 52 years in ministry, the last 15 bivocationally at Berea Baptist Church in Big Spring, Texas, his church donated $30,000 to the IMB and $27,000 to Send Relief in his honor.

Berea Baptist has always been passionate about missions, giving over 15% of their undesignated receipts to missions work locally, statewide, nationally and globally. But when the church of around 25 members realized they had too much space for their mostly aging congregation, and a local church needed the facilities, they chose to sell and rent space at Crossroads Baptist Association’s offices for Berea Baptist to continue meeting.

John McCullough

Instead of putting all the profits into savings, they donated a substantial portion of those funds to various ministry and mission work in honor of their retiring pastor, who is an IMB trustee

McCullough, who also served as the associational missionary for Crossroads Baptist Association, retired from that position in April. While he’d moved 380 miles across the state, he has been making the drive weekly to continue pastoring the congregation. Sunday, Sept. 26 was his last Sunday before he retired from Berea Baptist.

During McCullough’s time as trustee, he’s been especially passionate about the work God is doing in Southeast Asia, his area of focus as a trustee. He’s been on trips to the region, and seen his daughter, son-in-law, and grandson accompany him and catch the same vision.

“We wanted to do what we could do there, knowing that there’s an incredible move of God in [that part] of the world,” McCullough shared. “We wanted to make that an emphasis.”

The IMB donation will go toward ongoing mission projects in Southeast Asia. The Send Relief donation will go to water well projects and other humanitarian aid work.

Worshipers light candles at a shrine in Southeast Asia. Buddhism is the predominant religion in the nation.

“When one of our board members, Pastor John McCullough, casually mentioned that he had a check to pass along to the IMB from his church, I had no idea of the significance of that gift,” said IMB President Paul Chitwood, “not only in terms of its amount but also in what it symbolized of a church family that wanted to honor its retiring pastor and steward its remaining resources well for the kingdom.”

Chitwood added, “When I heard the story, I was not only blessed by it, but I wanted others to hear it. I thank God for this incredibly generous act and know it will inspire others toward greater generosity.”

This was a fitting way to honor McCullough’s retirement, Bobby Scoggin, Berea Baptist’s trustee/treasurer, said.

“Bro. John’s been a big blessing in my life,” Scoggin said. “I was saved under Bro. John. He’s been my pastor since I was saved.” The donation was in line with the direction McCullough has led the church – to have a heart for the nations.

Because of generous gifts from churches like Berea Baptist Church, last year, IMB workers across the globe engaged 247 people groups, 769,494 individuals heard the gospel, 86,587 people were baptized, 18,380 new churches were planted, 127,155 pastors received training, and 144,322 people professed faith in Christ.

To learn about more ways the generous gifts of Southern Baptists are making an impact worldwide, order your free Global Impact Guide.

To find out more ways to give to the work God is doing among the nations through your IMB missionaries, visit imb.org/generosity.