The WMU vision statement says that WMU challenges Christian believers to understand and be radically involved in the mission of God. From believing that women had a role in the Great Commission, finding ways to support missionaries when women had little income of their own, to dreaming global sized dreams, WMU has been radical. WMU has never been satisfied with groups that are self-focused. Always our purpose has been on finding ways to share the gospel and minister to people in need.
Yet, even with these noble goals, there are times that we become self-satisfied, content with projects that are not difficult. Content with sending items but not going in person. Sometimes our prayer times are routine rather than truly crying out to God for the salvation of the lost, for unreached people groups, and for our missionaries. And in far too many churches, we have become apathetic about teaching Great Commission values to our children. The decline in missions education for preschoolers, children, and youth points to something that is less than radical.
Radical - Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt is a must read. I purchased it over the weekend and could not put it down. David verbalized the longings of my heart for a radical faith. I am weary of business as usual - in my church, in WMU, in my own personal walk of faith. David has captured in his short book what abandonment to Jesus looks like.
Many in WMU are already living the radical faith David describes. I see it in ministries that change lives and in the way I hear some women pray when I am with them. But I also hear from WMU folks that are discouraged, wanting WMU to be the vibrant, radical avenue for Great Commission living that they long for.
I recommend Radical for personal reflection and even for group study. After challenging his readers as to what radical looks like, David offers a one-year life experiment with four challenges. The interesting thing about these challenges is that they are exactly in keeping with what WMU has always taught - study God's Word, pray, give, go, and be a part of a multiplying congregation. But sometimes we need to hear it again from another perspective.
Radical by David Platt, copyright 2010, Multnomah Books. Available at LifeWay.
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posted by: Joy Bolton on November 1st, 2010
Having been to Korea and Indonesia this summer, I am mindful of the connection we have with Baptist women around the world. I support the Baptist Women's World Day of Prayer because on this one day, Baptist women in seven continental unions are utilizing the same materials and praying together for critical needs.
The 2010 Baptist Women's World Day of Prayer theme is "In Step with the Spirit," based on Galatians 5:25, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." The Baptist Women’s World Day of Prayer is traditionally observed on the first Monday of November, which this year is November 1, 2010. The one-day prayer observance has also expanded to include, in some situations, a weekend prayer retreat, special activities for the entire church, and other opportunities throughout the month of November. The state of women in the world makes it essential for Baptist women to come together for one day or during the entire month of November to pray and give so that our world will be impacted for Christ.
I challenge you to participate in a Day of Prayer Observance at your church or in your association. In many places of the world, women walk great distances or travel by bus or other public transportation to participate. Can we not give an hour for prayer with our Baptist sisters around the world?
For more information, go to
www.kywmu.org/dayofprayer.
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posted by: Joy Bolton on October 26th, 2010
I have been asked to serve on the next national WMU Missionscast Committee. This group will meet in November to set the theme and emphasis for 2012-14. This includes the sesquicentennial celebration of WMU in 2013. We have been asked to read
The Story of WMU, a history of WMU written by Rosalie Hunt. Let me encourage you to read it. Even though I read
A Century to Celebrate in 1988, which is a more detailed history of WMU, I still have found this read to be informative and it takes us to the present in WMU history.
Several key things that I have been reminded of:
- Box work has always been vital to WMU. In the early years, WMUers sent boxes of supplies to Home Missionaries who were struggling financially. In fact, the value of the boxes raised the average missionary salary by 25%. We do it now through Christmas in August and ministries such as Operation Christmas Child.
- Before WMU was organized, the issue of the appropriate roles for women in the SBC has always been polarizing. When Joshua Levering, Annie Armstrong’s cousin, pressed for HMB to hire a woman to help organize women’s groups, opponents objected. The women did not press the issue but rather prayed. The tension affected giving. Finally, the women agreed to organize in such a way that they would not interfere with the work of the mission boards. Annie’s sister, Alice, flooded Baptist papers with articles on the history and vision for women’s work for missions. She laid down the bottom line: the mission boards need money and women’s missions organizations make money. (Let’s never let this fact be lost in the shuffle!)
- WMU leaders opposed denominational debt. They had no voice in the decisions that were made but felt responsible for resolving the debt problems.
- Fannie E.S. Heck, president from 1892-94 and 1906-15, kept the ideal of sacrificial giving before WMU. She said: “To have the privilege of giving is much; to have the privilege of giving
up is more.” (A worthy quote as we consider “More for Christ,” a recommendation of the Kentucky Great Commission Task Force.)
- In 1909, WMU designed a plan for personal missions and social action which was named “personal service.” Instead of sending out a few dozen women missionaries, WMU decided to “convert itself into a vast company of women who, by their leadership in it, feel called and appointed each in her own community to do such work.” They acknowledged a spiritual duty to the “poor, neglected, and outcast of their own neighborhood.”
- WMU started community surveys in 1914 to learn about local needs, languages spokes, employment, etc.
- WMU started what we would call Baptist Centers today. All WMU training school students were required to practice their witness and ministry skills in a “settlement house,” later called a “good will center.”
- WMU started Vacation Bible School in 1914. The first VBS under Southern Baptist auspices enrolled 102 children, taught by students at the WMU Training School. VBS became a component of WMU personal service and within five years, 73 WMUs had conducted VBS. Later the Sunday School Board (now LifeWay) appointed its first VBS staff member and the rest is history. Now VBS is one of our largest Southern Baptist outreach efforts.
- In 1930 WMU leaders proposed a Church School of Missions, which would include men in mission study. In 1937 WMU began encouraging associations to hold simultaneous Schools of Missions, bringing in missionaries to speak in the churches. This continues today as On Mission Celebrations.
- WMU does not just support missionaries – we develop them! In 1922, FMB secretary J.F. Love estimated that twice as many women as men were volunteering for missions. (This is still true today.)
- WMU began promoting soul winning as a component of personal service in the 1920’s. Personal Service was renamed Community Missions in 1942 to emphasize soul winning. Later this element of WMU work became known as Mission Action.
- It has been noted that the Cooperative Program reflects the logic of Baptists and our missions offerings the heart. Supporting the Great Commission requires both! WMU has always supported both CP and missions offerings, even though national WMU does not receive any CP funds or funds from the Lottie Moon or Annie Armstrong offerings. National WMU is self-supporting through the sale of missions magazines, books, and other products.
Last week I led a conference in Maryland called "Women Touching the World." The conference subtitle was "taking your women's group to the next level." My conferences were packed with women sitting on the floor. The presentation was built around four things we want to happen in every women's group, that women learn, pray, give, and go. (Sound familiar?!) I showed
Missions Mosaic and other Women on Mission resources and talked about helping women have great group learning experiences that propel them out into the community, inspiring them to pray and give for missions. Since this was a joint Women's Ministry, Pastor's Wives, and WMU event, many of the participants in the conference were not WMUers, yet they wanted everything I had. I gave out catalogs and copies of
Missions Mosaic. They were challenged by Project HELP: Human Exploitation and what we need to be doing about this world wide problem.
As I go to participate in Missionscast, I go with the reminders of the tenacity and determination of WMU women for over a hundred years to fulfill the Great Commission. And I go with the image of women in Maryland who wanted more for themselves and their groups. In reading
The Story of WMU, one of the heroes of WMU work that has emerged for me is Kathleen Mallory who was called a “Christian world citizen.” Her motto was “Fidelity to the Finish.” She wrote for and edited WMU’s
Royal Service magazine. She traveled widely and spoke often to guide women in their missions commitment. Kathleen wrote the first full-length
Manual of WMU Methods. And quite frequently, she knelt on the platform where she was speaking to pray. Hundreds of women followed her example and would kneel in prayer together.
Do we have the tenacity and determination of the women who have gone before us? Your answer will determine the future of WMU. Right where you are, would you take a moment to kneel in prayer for WMU, for the spread of the Gospel, for the women around the world who are being exploited at this very moment, and for your own commitment to Christ and His mission.
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posted by: Joy Bolton on October 19th, 2010
Constance (Connie) Meredith and Trish Pelletier have teamed up to produce a great little book about ministry in three Eastern Kentucky communities. Based on the alphabet, this book introduces needs in Appalachia and 12 ministries that are working to help people and share Christ.
Through the pages of the book, Connie has used the alphabet to introduce ways that the reader can help. The pages contain lists of needed items, ways to volunteer, and contact information for every ministry. There is a brief description and pictures of each ministry. In addition, this alphabet book contains tips for planning a mission trip and good advice for mission teams. Trish has used a quilt theme to illustrate the pages along with pictures that illustrate each letter and ministry.
Ordering information may be found at
www.MissionAlphabet.com. Anyone who is interested in Eastern Kentucky missions will find this to be a great resource.
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posted by: Joy Bolton on July 22nd, 2010
"Penetrating the Lostness: Embracing a Vision for a Great Commission Resurgence Among Southern Baptists," includes 31 challenges for local churches and pastors. The sheer number of challenges is a clear reminder of the importance of the local church in fulfilling the Great Commission and of the pastor in leading the congregation to be on mission.
I will not list all 31 challenges to churches and pastors here, but let me highlight a few (read the full report at
www.pray4gcr.com):
- Become knowledgeable of the mission field of your specific region, identifying the various people groups and developing a strategy to penetrate the lostness in your region. Be intentional in working with your local association, state convention, and NAMB in pursuing this task.
- Work to cultivate a Great Commission atmosphere that is contagious in your church.
- Strengthen missions education for believers of all ages, working with the Woman's Missionary Union and other missions education program. Every believer must be made aware of the global missions challenge.
- Give particular attention to the evangelizing and discipling of children and youth.
- Plan at least one evangelism training course annually for your church members.
- Plan at least one North American or international mission trip a year and/or encourage members to participate in mission trips sponsored by a local association. (You can contact Teresa Parrett, Missions Mobilization Coordindator for the KBC, for help with this one! Teresa's job is to match needs and people. Email her at Teresa.Parrett@kybaptist.org. Or visit the KBC website for a list of current project requests.)
The
2010 Kentucky State Missions emphasis materials drive home the importance of these challenges beginning right here in our state. This fall we will answer the question "Why?" Why state missions? Why do we do what we do in Kentucky missions? The answer is that people are lost in our state. The state missions DVD is in being replicated now and will be mailed to churches this month. The computer files section includes a document entitled "Lostness Indicators for Kentucky." This is a county by county look at the percentage of the county population that are adherents of any faith, percentage that are church members, and the average percentage in church on any given Sunday. The numbers tell the story of the lostness in our state.
The 2010 state missions prayer guide is built around Romans 10:5-15. Evangelism is the focus of the every prayer request. We will preview these materials at
World Missions Unlimited, our summer training for WMU and Baptist Men on Mission leaders. We will have training for the leaders of all age-level organizations as well as for churchwide and associational WMU leaders. There will also be special interest conferences, including information about Project HELP: Human Exploitation, our new social ministry emphasis. This project is huge and includes responding to the problems of human trafficking, pornography, media exploitation, bullying, labor exploitation, and land exploitation.
WMU has always been about helping churches fulfill the Great Commission through learning, praying, giving, and going. Our materials are right on target with the renewed focus on the Great Commission. Join us!
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posted by: Joy Bolton on July 6th, 2010