The Alabama Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) office buzzed all summer with various projects, events and summer camps going on throughout June, July and the first week of August.
June started with training some 30 summer counselors at WorldSong Missions Place in Cook Springs to lead Girls in Action, Children in Action and Acteens camps. Throughout seven weeks, the staff ministered to 1,215 campers.
Regina Howell, WorldSong Camp director, said, “This was a great summer. The staff was wonderful, and I think the kids really had a great experience while they were here.”
Also during June, Alabama WMU and several associations throughout the state ministered to and with 21 women from the Venezuela WMU who visited Alabama on a missions trip. The women led Vacation Bible Schools, women’s conferences, surveying and evangelism efforts in Spanish-speaking areas throughout Alabama.
July brought much adventure for the WMU staff with two members going on missions trips — one to Venezuela and the other to Louisiana — just before the annual Alabama WMU Leadership Conference and biennial meeting at Shocco Springs Conference Center July 25–27.
The biennial meeting included Candace McIntosh’s first address as WMU executive director of Alabama. The membership also cast a unanimous vote to re-elect President Stuart Calvert (Boaz), Vice President Frankie Bowers (Clanton) and Recording Secretary Debbie Snyder (Birmingham).
In addition, the Alabama WMU membership elected the following to serve on the board of trustees: Ruth Dailey, Tuscaloosa, WMU representative; Mary Sanders, Jasper, WMU representative; Shirley Smith, Andalusia, WMU representative; Sammie Barstow, Northport, trustee at large. The four new trustees will serve on the board for a six-year term. In the executive director’s address at Shocco, McIntosh announced that Alabama WMU is second in the nation in growth in membership. “But now is not the time to grow complacent,” she said.
McIntosh also mentioned the loss of co-worker and friend Dr. Martha Myers, a missionary killed in Yemen in December 2002. “God taught me in her life how to love a people completely,” she said. “Now God has given us the opportunity to invest in the lives of preschoolers, children, students and adults. When 1.7 billion people have never heard the good news, we must continue in prayer for missions and missionaries.”
While at the summer leadership conference, the Alabama WMU staff with four missionaries and several conference leaders trained WMU organizational leaders in an array of conferences that began Friday night and ended Sunday with a worship service.
Alabama WMU’s summer camps at WorldSong completed a seven-week run one week after the leadership conference. While at camp, 31 children accepted Christ, 53 renewed their commitment to Christ and 41 realized a call to some type of missions service. Throughout the summer, campers learned how God was working in the United States and especially in Pennsylvania. This summer, campers gave a missions offering of $7,388 that was given to Pocono Raceway Ministries in Pocono, Penn.
“WorldSong is a way for Alabama WMU to keep moving forward,” said McIntosh. “But it’s not the buildings or Bald Mountain or even Eagle Lake that makes the difference. WorldSong is all about lives that are changed.”
While the camp staff drew their summer to a close, four members of the Alabama WMU staff led four chartered buses loaded with 200 Acteens and their leaders to Nashville for the National Acteens Convention (NAC).
While at NAC, participants enjoyed worship and missions experiences for the 6,500-person crowd from throughout the United States and 19 additional countries.
As a result of all of these ministries and more, Alabama WMU ministered to more than 2,000 people throughout the summer.
“This has been a busy and yet wonderful summer,” said McIntosh. “We have seen the lives of our children and students changed while at camp and NAC and we have watched our leadership grow. It’s an exciting time to be part of WMU.”
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