Wanda Lee, executive director of national Woman’s Missionary Union, recently reported a growth in WMU groups and an increased emphasis in missions education, as well as a new name for its leaders’ magazine.
Speaking June 17 during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Phoenix, Ariz., Lee said, “We are excited to see a renewed interest among Baptists. There is a renewal among Southern Baptists who realize missions education begins at birth and continues until death.”
Lee noted the Annual Church Profile for 2002 indicated a WMU enrollment increase of 12.3 percent. “This brings us over 963,000 in enrollment,” she said, noting 31 of 42 state or associational WMU organizations showed growth.
Alabama WMU enrollment growth ranked second in the nation behind Texas, Julie Walters, WMU communications specialist, told The Alabama Baptist. Of the 963,114 WMU members in 2002, Alabama had 104,178 of those members.
WMU enrollment in Alabama increased by 30,692, or 41.77 percent from 2001 to 2002, Walters noted.
And after 34 years in publication, Dimension magazine will undergo a name change. The executive board of WMU approved Missions Leader as the new title for the quarterly piece geared toward WMU directors, pastors, church staff and missions leaders. The name change will go into effect September 2004.
As well as changing the name, the publication’s format will be more relevant with practical missions ideas, quick tips and how-tos.
(WMU, TAB)
Share with others: