After searching the globe for more than a year, the Alabama Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) board of trustees unanimously elected Candace McIntosh executive director of Alabama WMU Feb. 21.
“We are so excited for Candace. We have poured over several resumés from people who are all over the world, but God kept leading us back to Alabama and soon revealed Candace to us,” said Stuart Calvert, president of Alabama WMU. “And Candace is so dear to our hearts already. I believe it will be a natural transition for the office staff to move her into this new role.”
Before beginning her tenure as executive director, McIntosh will complete her duties as the WMU consultant to students with the event Pizzazz, a statewide gathering for girls in grades 7 through 12, on March 7–8. At Alabama WMU’s March 14–15 event, WHoly His, a women’s celebration to be held at Bethel Baptist Church, Odenville, McIntosh will be presented to participants as Alabama WMU’s new executive director. A reception at the event will be hosted in her honor. McIntosh will officially begin her duties as executive director April 1.
“I think that Candace’s experience and knowledge of Alabama WMU brings a lot to us and from the beginning she puts us ahead,” said Rickey Michael, co-chair of the Alabama WMU executive director search committee. “Her creativity, energy and compassion for people of all ages … proves she will continue to lead Alabama WMU to exciting new levels.”
McIntosh has served as Alabama WMU consultant to students and ministries since February 1999. She holds a master’s in religious education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and a bachelor’s in medical records administration from the University of Central Florida.
Before coming to Alabama, McIntosh served in several ministry positions such as youth/education director at Fellowship Baptist Church in Lake City, Fla., as a contract writer for national WMU and as a language contract consultant to women’s missions and ministry of the Florida Baptist Convention.
“My vision for Alabama WMU is to see this missions education organization continue to be a strong establishment in Alabama Baptist churches,” McIntosh said. “I believe that developing a strong base through a girls ministry will also help to better establish our various opportunities for women in Alabama. As a young girl, leaders in my church ministered to me, and as a young adult I held on to that experience as an Acteen. From that, I can see how God has been preparing me for this type of ministry,” she said.
McIntosh cites Ephesians 4:12 “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so the body of Christ may be built up” as part of her calling.
“God has allowed me to work out my call in the areas of missions education and women’s ministry,” McIntosh says. “My desire is to help people recognize their need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, to realize their full potential in Him and to reach out to others in service both locally and globally.”
While working with Alabama WMU ministries, McIntosh coordinated the partnership work of Alabama WMU with Venezuela and Impact Northeast and organized and/or led women’s evangelistic teams to Venezuela.
She also has assisted in disaster relief on the Temporary Emergency Child Care units of Alabama and Florida in Florida, Texas and Louisiana. In addition, she has led the Acteens organization at Eastern Hills Baptist Church in Montgomery where she is a member.
“WMU has ministered to me in so many ways, and as a member of Baptist Young Women … in Arcadia, Fla., [the president of Florida WMU] … helped develop my love for missions,” she says. “My heart for Alabama Baptist women is to see them study the Scriptures, understand how God is working and to join Him in ministry and missions.” (WMU)
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