Texas WMU board fills staff vacancy, hears reports on missions programs_111504

Posted: 11/12/04

Texas WMU board fills staff vacancy,
hears reports on missions programs

By Teresa Young

For Texas Baptist Communications

SAN ANTONIO–The Woman's Missionary Union of Texas board of directors approved three recommendations involving its program staff.

At the recommendation of the personnel committee, the board voted unanimously to hire Erin Maddox of Dallas, a 2002 Hardin-Simmons University graduate, to fill a vacant missions resources program staff position.

The board also approved a personnel committee recommendation that Texas WMU program staff receive merit raises of up to 3.74 percent for 2005.

The finance committee also brought a recommendation that funding be moved from salaries into program expenses to provide contract help for Hispanic WMU work.

The board approved a recommendation by Frankie Harvey, representative of the African-American Advisory Council, that the Sisters Who Care Retreat location be moved to Waco for 2005.

The board also heard reports of Texas WMU programs, including photos and information from Girls in Action/Acteens camps for the year that reported 580 professions of faith and 400 other faith decisions at 35 missions camps held across the state.

Christine Hockin-Boyd, missions involvement program staff, described a Touch Point event in East Texas where volunteers helped clean and repair a facility that will become a home for children displaced from their own homes, held a health fair and prayerwalked a university campus.

Other projects of note were a prayerwalking trip to New York City and a MissionsFest event in New England, she said.

Debra McCammon reported on a Sisters Who Care Retreat in September at First Metropolitan Baptist Church in Houston. More than 300 women from 16 associations attended, with participants bringing hygiene items for distribution to the homeless in Houston through seven different organizations.

Jeane Law of Lubbock presented a report from the 125th anniversary committee, which is preparing resources for churches to help celebrate the Texas WMU anniversary in 2005. Other plans include a celebration during the 2005 annual meeting, Summit and Texas Leadership Conference and soliciting testimonials of missions involvement by church members. The theme for the anniversary is "Sharing the Light … Passing the Torch."

In her report, Executive Director-Treasurer Carolyn Porterfield talked about the ways Texas WMU is helping to make a difference and sharing the love of God around the world.

“God has not changed his mission. He has a plan, and we are part of it,” Porterfield said. “It's a matter of helping people see things from God's perspective.”