WMU annual meeting features theme of ‘shaping’ for God’s purpose

Posted: 11/02/07

WMU annual meeting features
theme of ‘shaping’ for God’s purpose

By Teresa Young

Wayland Baptist University

MARILLO—With a backdrop of terracotta and colorful glazed pottery, Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas celebrated another year of missions endeavors during its annual meeting, held in conjunction with the Baptist General Con-vention of Texas in Amarillo.

Centered on the theme “Shaped for His Purpose,” the 127th annual meeting featured testimonies that showed individuals being shaped to do God’s work and how that work is being carried out in around the world.

Texas WMU officers elected at the missions organization’s annual meeting are (front) Nelda Taylor of Gonzales, president; (left to right) Suzy Wall of Canyon, second vice president; Anna Zimmer of Kingwood, recording secretary; Frankie Harvey of Nacogdoches, first vice president; and Jo Lee of San Antonio, third vice president. (PHOTO/Eric Guel)

Texas WMU President Nelda Taylor made reference to the pottery and related it to believers.

“We, too, are earthen vessels shaped by God for his purpose,” she said. “We are vessels possessing great power through the Holy Spirit. We each have been molded by the Potter’s hands and have been designed for a purpose—to love people in Jesus’ name.”

Bea Mesquias of Harlingen described her mission trip to Moldova, which God laid on her heart after reading the WMU magazine, Mosaic. God showed his provision by preparing her to speak to the people, she reported.

Suzy Wall of Canyon talked about her experience at a Discovery camp with children from various countries—a week that taught her to use her own talents and gifts to do God’s work, she said.

Frankie Harvey of Nacogdo-ches reported on the annual Sisters Who Care Leadership Conference, an effort to teach African-American women about missions and introduce them to missions resources for their churches. This year’s conference included a track for teen girls, and 55 attended, with two making professions of faith in Christ, she noted.

“This may be planned by African-American women, but our goal is to minister to all women, inside and outside the body of Christ,” Harvey said. “These conferences have helped us touch more than 1,000 women across Texas.”

Texas Baptist Men told how their partnership with WMU in a water purification effort called Agua de Vida is helping reach people across the world and meet an important need.

Dick Talley, volunteer re-cruiter coordinator with TBM, explained the drip filters that volunteers have taken to 32 countries have made an impact not only on the health of residents, but also on their spirituality as they have an opportunity to link the purification process to salvation through Christ.

“These filters have changed the way we do ministry with our water program, to share the gospel,” said Talley. “We can use those filters to reach the world for Jesus Christ.”

The partnership with WMU, TBM Executive Director Leo Smith noted, is enabling the program to reach more people and impact the kingdom of God in greater ways.

“What will God do to shape WMU to meet the new challenges ahead? God is not through shaping you … making you more on track with him,” Smith said. “This is a team effort, and we’re committed to that. We’re seeing now how we can work together to do good things.”

Smith described benefits WMU has provided through funding for projects like the first Hispanic Royal Ambas-sadors camp held last summer, attended by 80 boys—including 50 who made professions of faith. The Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions provided funding for the camp. And further funding and program support, as well as promotion through WMU avenues, will increase the difference that can be made through the water purification efforts, Smith said.

“In Mongolia, the governor of a state asked a Baptist missionary to go into every home in the village and install the water filter units, and at the same time, he can share the love of Jesus with each home,” Smith said. “All that came from one unit we came and installed. God can use anything we lay before him and bless it.”

In other meeting activities, participants heard testimonies in song from the Sudanese Women on Mission group from First Baptist Church in Amarillo and the deaf choir from Paramount Baptist Deaf Church, along with praise and worship led by Mission Service Corps volunteers Bob and Sylvia Jordan of Amarillo.

A brief video chronicled 20 years of the Korean WMU work in Texas, and Texas WMU also marked the 10th anniversary of the Christian Women’s Job Corps.

Participants at the annual meeting elected officers for WMU, granting Taylor another year as president and Harvey another term as first vice president. New incoming officers are Anna Zimmer of Kingwood, recording secretary; Suzy Wall of Canyon, second vice president; and Jo Lee of San Antonio, third vice president.

Texas WMU will meet for its 128th meeting in April 2008 in Waco, reflecting a change in the traditional structure of meetings held with the BGCT. The two-day format will feature workshops and seminar sessions, as well as the traditional reports.