Dates to Know
January 9 – Missionaries will receive their emailed statements of December Support Received.
January 11 – All missionaries will receive their final December support on this day, regardless of the day that they normally receive support.
January 16 – December financial reports will be due, along with any remaining receipts or financial paperwork for 2016.
June 19-22 – Family Fellowship Week with Memorial Baptist Church in Ocala, FL. Begin arranging your summer schedule to be with us!
New Missionary
Matthew and Rebecca Rose have been accepted with World Wide as our newest missionaries to Kenya. They are sent out of Grace Baptist Church of Hinesville, GA, with Pastor John Mills, where Bro. Rose has been serving as the youth director for the past five years. The Roses have four daughters: Deborah (5), Hannah (4), Esther (2), and Lydia (1). Please pray for the Rose family as they begin deputation.
New Baby
Congratulations to Matthew and Nikki Brown on the birth of 
Judah Lee, who was born on Christmas day! Judah weighed 6 pounds 13 ounces, and was 20 inches long. Praise the Lord for a safe delivery, as there were several complications during the pregnancy. Mom and baby are doing great! Judah is the Browns’ third child, joining Joshua (3) and Julie (1). The Browns minister in Cambodia.
Family Fellowship Week Change
Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew, our annual Family Fellowship Week for 2017 is being moved to Memorial Baptist Church in Ocala, FL, with Pastor Michael West. It will still be held on June 19-22, 2017. Please check your calendars and make arrangements accordingly.
SecureCloud Packets
At the end of each month, we scan any mail that has come to the Office and place it in your SecureCloud folder. This would include check stubs for all bills paid by the Office, as well as any cards or correspondence from donors. Please be sure to check your account periodically, especially this month, as many missionaries have received Christmas cards and letters, which would be available to you there.
Missionary Orientation School Online Update
In 2016, we launched a website for our new Missionary Orientation School (MOS), so missionaries can take classes online to assist in beginning deputation or refresh their memory on various topics. We have recently updated this website, so that any user can take notes online while watching the lessons. (See the photo below for the icon to access this notes feature.) On the main homepage for the videos, users can now see two new links for “Public Notes” and “My Notes” from which you can access or download all your notes at once, or you can click through individual lessons to see your notes there as well.
We would like to encourage all current students to work on finishing these classes as soon as possible in the new year. If you do not have a user a account and would like to take these courses, please contact our office and we will be happy to send you credentials so you can avail yourself of this opportunity.
January Income Totals
During a typical month, we close the books on the 25th, and any checks received after that date are posted to the following month. Due to receipting requirements, we cannot do this in the month of December. As a result, please be aware that your December support total may be higher than normal, while your January support total may be lower than normal. Please be sure to plan ahead for this!
Housing Allowances for 2017
Housing allowances previously in place have automatically rolled over to the new year. Missionaries who are ordained are eligible to have a housing allowance in place, which can provide certain tax benefits. If you did not have a housing allowance in 2016 and would like to have one for 2017, or if you have questions regarding this, please contact our office.
New Excel Template
A new Excel template for the year 2017 will be available during the second week of February. This will give us time to review the need for any possible updates. January financial reports will be due on March 1. Should you wish to complete your report before the new template is available, you are welcome to submit it on the 2016 template.
New Mileage Rate
Beginning January 1st, the IRS mileage rate has decreased to $0.535 per mile for business/ministry miles. This change will be reflected on the new Excel template for 2017.