I seem to be going thought a phase of using questions as post titles... ah well.

The decision to cease publication of the Baptist Times, essentially at the end of December 2011, left me, like presumably many others, having paid an annual subscription of which a substantial part was 'unused'.  This week, a letter arrived from BT inviting me to consider donating my refund to Home Mission - something I have cheerfully elected to do.  Because of the date at which my subscription began, I was entitled to a refund of £20.04.  I expect this is about the average, since no new subscriptions would have been taken out once the closure was announced, and most people would be part way through the year.

£20.04 on its own is not much, but multiply that by hte number of former BT subscribers, and it becomes substantial.  I have no idea what the circulation of the BT was - 1000? 2000? 5000?  Suppose it was 1000, and suppose everyone donated their refund of, for sake of argument £20... that would be £20,000 which could help fund two full time or four part time ministerial posts for a year (or more at a lower proportionate rate).  £20k is perhaps not a massive sum of money, but could, for example, provide substantial grants to 20 churches for mission projects, or pay for important training for community workers or evangelists.

There is a line in the old Graham Kendrick song 'rejoice, rejoice, God is in you' that says God 'turns our weaknesses into his opportunities'... I think this is one such, and I hope both that BT readers are generous in their response and BUGB HM creative in their employment of this money.