Texas Baptists Committed is dedicated to reaching people for Christ through local churches; promoting and defending historic Baptist principles; spreading an understanding of Baptist heritage and distinctives through education; and cooperating with the mission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and its related institutions.

DATELINE OF THE SBC WOMAN’S MISSIONARY UNION
by Mauriece V. Johnston

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an excerpt from “Standing for Grace and Freedom in Missions,” given June 4 at the first annual Texas Baptists Committed Convocation in Dallas. Dr. Johnston is a member of First Baptist Church, San Antonio, and twice has been president of the Texas Woman’s Missionary Union. She recently was elected first vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. This is the time of year Baptists especially think of missions. We have excerpted the part of Dr. Johnston’s address which dealt with the WMU and the role of women and the WMU in Baptist missions. We urge all Texas Baptists to give to missions this year: choose either the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering of the Foreign Mission Board or the Global Missions Offering of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship — or both.

Women have been missions leaders in whatever world they have lived.

When the modern missions movement dawned in 1792, a woman provided the parlor and wielded the teapot. Mrs. Beeby Wallis of Kettering, England, was hostess to a group of young men who formed the Baptist Missionary Society of Great Britain. The society sent William Cary, an associate of Wallis’ late husband, as a missionary to India.

In the new world, American ideals caused citizens to organize voluntarily for common causes. An early women’s organization was the Society for the Relief of Poor Widows with Small Children. Another organization was formed by Mary (Polly) Webb in the Second Baptist Church of Boston to pray and to collect money for missions.

The WMU was created by women from twelve states who gathered in the basement of Broadstreet Methodist Church in Richmond, in 1888, for the purpose of creating a missions organization. (The men were meeting in the First Baptist Church across the street.)

Although changes in methods and structure have come over the years, Woman’s Missionary Union has stuck to her basic purpose. In January, 1993, WMU adopted a vision statement, core values and recommendations to carry her into the 21st century.

The Vision statement says: “Woman’s Missionary Union exists to enable churches and believers to participate in introducing all persons in the world to Christ” — all having to do with missions education, mission action and personal witnessing and mission support through praying, giving and going.

May I share with you a dateline of WMU.

1888 - WMU organized; Annie Armstrong first corresponding secretary; Foreign missions offering established.

1892 - First Week of Prayer for Foreign Missions.

1894 - Extra offering to pay Foreign Mission Board debt exceeds goal.

1895 - First week of prayer and offering to pay off Home Mission Board debt.

1906 - WMU adopts a week of prayer for state missions.

(continued)

1907 - WMU Training School starts to train women missionaries.

1910 - Forerunner of mission action added to WMU Aims.

1918 - Offering for foreign missions named for Lottie Moon.

1919 - WMU pledges $15 million to SBC $75 Million Campaign; Sales of periodicals make WMU self-supporting.

1920 - WMU begins offering for Ministerial Relief and Annuity.

1925 - WMU exceed its 75 Million Campaign Goal; urges adoption of Cooperative Program for SBC.

1927 - WMU becomes major promoter of the Cooperative Program.

1929 - WMU membership exceed half-million mark.

1931 - WMU gives 50% of Cooperative Program this year.

1933 - WMU adopts plan to retire FNB debts.

1934 - Home missions offering named for Annie Armstrong.

1940 - WMU pledges $1 million to retire SBC debts.

1943 - WMU exceeds SBC debt pledge. 1945 - First million dollar Lottie Moon Offering.

1950 - WMU membership exceeds 1 million mark.

1953 - First million dollar Annie Armstrong Offering.

1956 - WMU agrees to promote Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong offerings churchwide.

1962 - WMU lets FMB and HMB decide how to spend offerings.

1964 - Lottie Moon offering collects $100 million in 76 years.

1976 - Annie Armstrong collects $100 million in 64 years.

(continued)

1977 - WMU adopts SBC’s Bold Mission Thrust plan; begins regular churchwide missions activities.

1985 - WMU publishes New Hope generic missions materials.

1988 - WMU celebrates Centennial; Lottie Moon exceeds $1 billion in 100 years.

1992 - Annie Armstrong exceeds $500 million in 90 years.

1993 - WMU adopts plan for second century in missions.

1993 - Since 1888 WMU has helped raise more than $2 billion for SBC causes.

A year ago, with friends, we made a trip to the Big Bend. One afternoon, I saw a sight which caused me to ask that we stop. I might have yelled from the back seat: "Please! Stop! This is the River Ministry!”

While our husbands talked to the men, my friend and I found two women scrubbing and polishing everything in the mobile unit for the opening of the dental clinic early the next morning.

They were WMU women who close their homes in other parts of the state for six to nine months each year to “help along the River.”

They showed us where the volunteers sleep and prepare their own meals when they come to help with Vacation Bible Schools and Back Yard Bible Clubs as well as in the medical and dental clinics.

When we came to the part of the building where they worship, the four of us joined hands in a small circle and thanked the Lord for Texas Baptists.

Clearly the hand of God has been on Texas Baptist missions efforts.

But what of the future? Will conflict from within cause us to crumble, render us helpless, without purpose? NO! Not if we stand together for freedom and grace.

As my beloved colleague and friend, Eula Mae Henderson (the late executive director of the Texas WMU) often said to me, “Mauriece, it hasn’t all happened yet.”

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