WMU board affirms core objectives_111703

Posted: 11/12/03

WMU board affirms core objectives

By Teresa Young

Wayland Baptist University

LUBBOCK–Texas Baptists' desire for more hands-on missions opportunities is a core objective of Texas Woman's Missionary Union, according to the organization's executive director. And it's a desire the new WorldconneX network holds the promise of helping them fulfill, she added.

The Texas WMU board of directors heard reports affirming the mission organization's core objectives during its Nov. 8 meeting in Lubbock. In her report to the board, Executive Director Carolyn Porterfield shared her excitement at seeing WMU's guiding objectives being met across the state.

"We reaffirmed our core values–the lordship of Christ, the Bible, prayer, personal involvement with missions and mission education," Porterfield said.

Four guiding objectives–providing mission opportunities, providing missions education, developing missions leadership and promoting missions support–constantly provide challenges and rewards across the state and around the world, she added.

Providing missions education through multiple methods of delivery is challenging, given the various languages needed, she reported. But technology is making those avenues easier, she added, touting four websites supported by Texas WMU that help provide missions education and resources in multiple languages.

Raising funds to support mission endeavors remains a challenge as well, she said.

The new WorldconneX missions network will help make some of these objectives easier to meet by connecting resources with needs worldwide, Porterfield predicted.

The board approved a recommendation from the Hispanic WMU Fellowship to form an official partnership with Baptist Women in Mexico, specifically in support of a retirement home supported solely by that country's WMU.

In other business, the WMU board approved three new area directors–Kay Stiles of Wheeler, Lois Robinette of Ennis and Yvonne Fansler of League City. A motion from the executive committee to amend the bylaws to include a board member from the Christian Women's Job Corps Advisory Council was approved as well. The board also recognized outgoing board members Earl Ann Bumpus of Mineral Wells and Deborah Henke of Fredericksburg.