The Legacy of Dr. Ray E. Roberts Looms Large in Ohio

“The story of Southern Baptists in Ohio cannot be told apart from the life and ministry of Ray E. Roberts, transplanted North Carolinian whom God brought to Ohio by the way of Kentucky,” former Ohio Baptist Messenger Editor L.H. Moore in his 1979 book, The History of Southern Baptists in Ohio.

The Ray Roberts State Missions Offering is a fund supported by Ohio Southern Baptists and managed by the SCBO to further God's Kingdom in the state of Ohio. It is named after one of the earliest pioneers of Southern Baptist Cooperation in Ohio who also served as the first Executive Director of the SCBO.

Dr. Ray Roberts first visited Ohio in 1951. In July of 1952, he began serving as a missionary in Ohio for the Home Mission Board, Kentucky Baptist Convention, and White Water Baptist Association.

Upon his arrival, Roberts shared his burden for Ohio and its lost population.

“It is my deep conviction,” Roberts said. “That the ripest field for Southern Baptist work in the USA lies within the boundaries of the state of Ohio. This conviction has not been formed by hearsay, but as I have come face to face with undeniable facts. Every preacher who has been privileged to come in contact with the work in Ohio shares my conviction.”

On January 8, 1954, the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio was organized under Dr. Roberts’ supervision with thirty-nine churches representing ten thousand members.

Roberts served the SCBO as Executive Secretary for twenty-five years, during which time the convention grew to include fourteen associations and 449 churches. Upon his retirement, the SCBO State Missions Offering was renamed the Ray Roberts State Missions Offering in his honor.

Throughout his tenure, Roberts kept the goal of SCBO in mind. “There are no geographical boundaries on the great commission, and it would certainly be a gross sin if we fail God in this ripe field of opportunity,” he said. “The goal for our work is a Southern Baptist church in every community in Ohio.”

The vision of Ray Roberts continues in today’s SCBO. Funds from the Ray Roberts State Mission Offering are split 50/50 between church planting efforts in Ohio and Ohio Disaster Relief.

Churches and individuals can contribute financially to state missions any time, but one week of September is set aside each year to emphasize the importance of mission work in Ohio.

Many churches around the state will take this opportunity to join together in prayer, to share stories and testimonies of God's continued work in Ohio, and to collect financial gifts in support of the Ray Roberts Offering. To contribute online visit https://scbo.org/give.