As news of Hannibal-LaGrange University’s financial challenges has spread across Missouri, Baptist churches from across the state are rallying to help. Desiring to sustain HLGU’s mission of Christian higher education for generations to come, these churches are meeting to discuss how they can best support the school.
On Sunday, March 27, 2022 Immanuel Baptist Church in Hannibal met in a special
called business meeting. At the church’s request, HLGU officials presented the school’s financial situation. In response, church leaders reviewed cash reserves and made a recommendation to immediately give $100,000 to the school.
For Immanuel Baptist, which runs around 170 on a typical Sunday, such a proposal was an act of faith. Only four years ago, Immanuel’s cash reserves were under $40,000. Yet as church members considered how the church has been provided for financially and the impact HLGU has in the community and throughout northeast Missouri, the need to act sacrificially became clear.
Pastor Anthony Schindler stated, “HLGU is vital to the Christian work occurring both in our church and throughout the state. Our hope is that God uses this gift to spark an outpouring of generosity from other churches and individuals to provide for HLGU, both for its immediate needs and for the next generation of Christian leaders it will train.”
One-week prior, rural Edgewood Baptist Church outside Bowling Green, MO took a similar step of faith. Pastor Mark Albee brought HLGU’s financial plight to the attention of the church during a regular business meeting. As discussion proceeded, this small church kept increasing the amount they wanted to give.
“It started at $2,500, then $5,000, then $10,000,” said Albee. “HLGU provides a great Christian liberal-arts education that helps students to develop a Christian worldview. Our members, many of whom have close connections to the school, recognize its incredible value to our community and our church. We want to provide for HLGU to keep its mission alive for a new generation of students.”
Other churches giving or pledging large gifts to the school in the last two weeks include Waypoint Church in Harvester, Lynwood Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau, and First Baptist Church of Kearney.
HLGU leaders expressed gratitude for this support. Executive Vice President Robert Matz stated, “We exist to serve the churches, to train future leaders across a wide variety of disciplines in a distinctively Christian environment that integrates Christian faith and learning. These gifts from churches from across the state speak to the value that Missouri Baptists see in institutions like HLGU. We greatly appreciate them and pray that God will multiply them beyond measure to allow us to continue providing the high-quality unapologetically Christian university education for which we have become known.”