Be Just the One: The Story of Dixie Farrior Jackson
Dixie Farrior Jackson certainly never envisioned her name would one day be attached to an offering for state missions. Born May 6, 1860, in Louisiana, Dixie lived with the security of loving Christian parents during the turbulent Civil War period. By the time Dixie was 12, the family had relocated to Dardanelle, Arkansas.
During the next six years, Dixie immersed herself in the best educational resources available to a young woman at the time. An ambition for acquiring knowledge followed this teenager into her adult years when she embraced biblical studies. Dixie’s attentions around this time were diverted to her “prince charming,” James Green Jackson. The couple got married in 1878 and lived in Dardanelle for more than 25 years, moving to Little Rock in 1904.
The Jackson family grew to include six sons and two daughters. Often asked how she came to possess her apparent in-depth biblical insight as a busy mom of eight, Dixie was known to respond that she was adept at churning butter, rocking the cradle, and reading her Bible all at the same time. She may not have known the term multitasker, but she certainly earned that title experientially.
Dixie’s Service
The family resided in Little Rock for several years, becoming active in Second Baptist Church. Dixie’s involvement included serving as chairwoman for the executive board of Arkansas Woman’s Missionary Union. She was also passionately interested in the young people of her era, and during her service to WMU, Sunbeams, Girls’ Auxiliary, Royal Ambassadors, and Young Woman’s Auxiliary were organized.
Sadly, Dixie’s husband, who was a devoted father to their children, died in 1912, leaving a 52-year-old widow with two school-age youngsters. A determined Dixie made sure these children had the same advantages their six siblings had received. She also added her aging mother to the household and dedicated her energies to the steadfast care of her family, as well as ongoing WMU and church responsibilities.
In 1914, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, hosted the Arkansas WMU annual meeting. A new executive director was needed for Arkansas WMU, and the position was offered to Dixie. She admirably filled the office for nearly 15 years. Always humble regarding her talents, Dixie was quoted as saying, “I never deliver orations or addresses. I just go around and talk to the women.”
Dixie’s Legacy
As zealous as Dixie was concerning her full-time position with Arkansas WMU, her greatest fulfillment came from traveling the state, training women, and spreading the message of Arkansas Baptist missions efforts. Her passion for missions led Dixie to ask for the help of the Arkansas WMU president to establish a week of prayer for Arkansas state missions. First held in 1926, the effort was so successful that it was instituted as a yearly week of prayer.
After three years of observing this week of prayer for state missions, an offering was added to aid missions projects statewide. The initial contribution totaled $1,000. In 1935, six years after Dixie’s death, the offering and emphasis on state missions was appropriately named the Dixie Jackson Offering for State Missions.
Dixie’s Impact
The Dixie Jackson Arkansas Missions Offering and Week of Prayer for state missions is promoted the second week of September. This dedicated woman born more than 160 years ago could have never imagined a record total of $1,874,000 given in 2023. Neither could she have dreamed of the missions projects that would have their start from her vision to support state missions.
Money raised through the Dixie Jackson offering in 2023 focused on Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief (40,000 meals provided), pregnancy care centers (976 babies supported), hunger ministries (200 professions of faith), medical/dental clinics, prison seminary, and church planting.
Other 2023 endeavors included CONNECT Weekend and the Arkansas Prison Initiative.
CONNECT Weekend: Thirteen-year-old Emma discovered being willing to act is the most crucial element of service. CONNECT weekend events help churches train youth to share the gospel while serving the community. Emma went out on a Saturday morning equipped with techniques for witnessing and noticed someone at a convenience store who was in obvious distress. Emma shared the gospel with the woman, who took her work break so she could hear more. Emma’s appetite is now whetted to tell others whenever she can.
Arkansas Prison Initiative: Four years ago, Arkansas Baptists facilitated a partnership between Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tennessee, and the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Growing up, Robert Rockett was a smart student, but that didn’t stop him from making decisions that led to his first conviction at 16. Eventually, Robert began to seek God. Through the Arkansas Prison Initiative, he was given the opportunity to learn about and find the God he was seeking. Now a graduate of Mid-America, Rockett shares truths with fellow inmates, bringing them the hope he once sought.
Dixie Farrior Jackson would be astonished at these far-reaching results her vision for state missions initiated. But she likely would encourage each believer to be that “just one” person who serves the Lord. Even when our efforts feel insignificant or small, remember that each one of us can make a difference for God’s kingdom.
Cynthia Price writes from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and invites you to visit the Arkansas Baptist State Convention website at absc.org/dixie-jackson-arkansas-missions to view riveting videos of the missions events supported by the Dixie Jackson Arkansas Missions Offering.
