December 31, 2001

New missions organization focuses on reaching women worldwide
___By Bob Allen
___Associated Baptist Press
___BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (ABP) --A new missions organization led by and focused on women has been launched, according to an announcement Dec. 13.
___"One-third of the world's people today are non-Christian women," said Suzanah Raffield of Birmingham, Ala., an incorporator of Global Women who will be the group's full-time coordinator.
___Despite that statistic, planners of the organization said they could find no evangelical mission board in existence specializing in worldwide ministry and witness by women.
___Incorporated Dec. 6, Global Women will attempt to "create and cultivate global friendships among women for shared learning and service for all humanity," according to legal documents.
___"A dominant characteristic of most unevangelized peoples is repression and isolation of their women," said Raffield, an ordained minister. "Such women cannot usually receive the loving message of Jesus Christ, except through contact with a woman."
___A purpose statement says the organization will "enable evangelical women to help women and their families to obtain a life of faith and benefit." Though started by Baptists, the organization is open to full participation from all "missions-minded evangelicals." It also is open to men.
___Organizers include several former leaders of Woman's Missionary Union, auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention. They also include younger women who believe a new kind of mission organization is needed to appeal to their generation.
___Raffield said Global Women is unique among Baptists and other Protestant groups. She believes an informally defined constituency will be appealing for young women to enter and to lead.
___"We hope to help meet the need for gathering and sharing expertise in global ministry among women," Raffield said. "Many women already in the field have requested a chance to network."
___President of Global Women is Dorothy Sample of Flint, Mich., a former national president of WMU.
___"Nurture of women toward global service will be a distinctive of Global Women," Sample said. "We want to help place women, and also men, where they can minister to the world through women."
___The first year's work is projected to include international partnership projects, conferences for young women, building an infrastructure for appointing women as missionaries and working with others wishing to expand humanitarian aid and evangelism among women, according to Raffield.
___The group says it wants to complement work of both WMU and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
___Daniel Vestal, coordinator of the Atlanta-based CBF, said: "I am inspired by the founders of Global Women. Their vision for this new organization is born out of a deep commitment to Jesus Christ and a passionate desire to fulfill the Great Commission. The birth of Global Women is fresh evidence of the Spirit's continued empowering."
___Gary Baldridge, co-coordinator of the CBF's global missions division, said he looks "forward to cooperating in every way possible" with the group.
___Funding will be "by churches and individuals who have a global vision of ministry for and by women," said Catherine Allen of Birmingham, the group's treasurer. She said the organization might also develop publications and projects that are "more-or-less self-funding."
___Allen, a former staff member of Woman's Missionary Union who has written several books on the history of women in missions, said several strong women's mission boards were active 100 years ago. Their work helped to plant lasting Christian communities in Burma, China, India, Brazil, Korea, Nigeria and other nations.
___But in recent years, Allen said, the percentages of women appointed as missionaries, especially for leadership development and human-needs ministry to women, have declined among Southern Baptists and some other denominations.
___"We want to multiply women missionaries," Allen said. Global Women, she added, "will be an advocate and also an action agent for women in missions."
___Vice president of the organization is Carolyn Crumpler of Cincinnati, who was executive director of WMU from 1974 to 1989, and later moderator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
___"Global Women will take up parts of the missions task among women that need a spotlight," Crumpler said. "Our women's mission heritage around the world gives excellent models of what can be done when women shape mission philosophy. We will build on those and be mutually supportive of all who are continuing to serve."
___Secretary is LeAnn Gunter of Panama City, Fla., and assistant secretary will be Lori Crowe of Cornelia, Ga. Gunter and Crowe are students at McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta with backgrounds in mission projects.
___Other incorporators include Alma Hunt of Roanoke, Va., who was executive secretary of WMU from 1948 to 1974, and Dellanna O'Brien of Birmingham, WMU executive director from 1989 to 1999. After serving as an incorporator, O'Brien vacated her position on the founding board of directors.

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