National Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) rolled out three new focus areas for 2015 to 2018 after its board meeting Jan. 10–12 — equipping leaders, preparing children and youth for missional living in a postmodern culture and focusing on small churches.
WMU leadership partnered with the International Mission Board (IMB) on a vision trip to the Nordic cluster in 2013 in order to learn more about postmodernism.
As a result WMU’s Executive Director Wanda S. Lee said, “WMU must take the lead in preparing our children and youth for living in a postmodern culture … for knowing what they believe and how to share their faith in this culture and for determining the truths of Scripture that never change when everything around them is changing.”
About 150 people — including board members, state and national WMU staff members and guests — gathered for the meeting at Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center in Talladega.
“We believe WMU can reshape the way we develop curriculum and guide teachers in their experiences with children and youth to help shape a stronger generation for faith and service,” Lee said. “During 2016 to 2018 this will be at the forefront of our curriculum planning and training.”
Lee said addressing faith issues in the midst of trauma also will be addressed through WMU’s Project HELP: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.
Addressing PTSD
“While exploring how to live in a postmodern culture we will continue to seek ways to address the issues of post-traumatic stress our children are now faced with, from violence in our schools to effects of war on families to the response needed in our churches,” she said.
Finally Lee said WMU will focus on assisting smaller Southern Baptist churches with developing missions discipleship programs for all ages.
“WMU works well in the small church,” Lee said, “a church with a pastor and maybe another part-time staff member … a church that values the gifts of its laypeople and cannot succeed without them in planning and taking the lead in ministry. With the right resources and training lay leaders in a church can help their pastor be an effective avenue for sharing the gospel.”
Meeting participants also heard from Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board; David Platt, IMB president; and several missionaries from the field.
In other business the Executive Board of national WMU awarded approximately $230,000 in endowments, grants and scholarships in partnership with the WMU Foundation.
(WMU)
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