The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is an important part of the Christmas season for Baptists all over the world. It not only allows them the opportunity to honor Lottie Moon’s legacy of mission work and give to international missions, but it also gives them opportunity to inspire the next generation of missionaries.
At First Baptist Church Moore, Oklahoma, Paulia Box Merrell wanted to motivate kids in a more visual way. Through Moon’s efforts and those of her missions team, 13 different displays can be found around the First Baptist Church facility. Each exhibit features items and clothing from countries all over the world, including a special recreation of what Moon’s house looked like when she was in China. They also have a sign explaining what is on display and specific ways people can be praying for the country.
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“There are so many people who aren’t going to be able to go on mission trips, but if they see these and they read and they learn about what the need is for the country, that is really our purpose for this,” Merrell said. “It’s to give them some encouragement and some insight to what’s out there.”
Bringing Moon’s vision to life
Each year, the number of displays has grown, representing the many countries missionaries serve in. Typically, they begin as drawings and sketches that Merrell creates. From there, her husband and the missions team work to bring her vision to life. They work to get authentic items from the countries tied to the displays, but also use a bit of creativity to fulfill Merrell’s vision when in need.
One of the newer displays is of the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, in Israel. It depicts a man, woman and child wearing clothing from the region standing in front of a partial recreation of the wall. Like in real life, pieces of paper are stuck in the crevices of the wall which represent the papers that visitors write prayers on and stick in the wall.
Merrell comes from a family of missionaries, herself serving in Asia for eight years. She has a passion not only for the displays, but also for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, as it played a key role in her family’s work.
“If our family hadn’t received the offering, we wouldn’t have been able to survive,” she said. “I have an aunt and uncle who were missionaries for 30 years, and if they hadn’t received the offering, they wouldn’t have been able to do much. It’s really important to us.”
And her hope is that the displays spark an eternal interest.
“Our world is in such a need right now,” Merrell said. “We are told to go and give. Our goal is to inspire the next generation of missionaries.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story originally appeared in the Baptist Messenger.
