Texas WMU board sets missions offering goal at $4.105 million

DALLAS—The Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas board of directors approved a $4.105 million 2010 goal for the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions—down more than $1 million from last year’s goal.

The board also set tentative allocations for 2011 mission endeavors to be funded by the offering. 

Kelsey Fritscher

Nicole Quintero

The Mary Hill Davis Offering provides support for more than 75 mission ministries in Texas as well as the total budget for Texas WMU, which does not receive any Cooperative Program funding. Texas Baptists gave about $3.86 million to the Mary Hill Davis Offering in 2009.

“The goal for the 2010 offering to be distributed in 2011 was necessarily reduced because of the economy and realistically reaching the goal,” said Nelda Seal, interim executive director-treasurer for the Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas.

The Texas WMU adopted a revised and reduced budget for 2010 so that the organization can stay within the means of income from the offering. Allocations for the 2009 offering, which is funding missions and ministry for this year, have been reduced by 20 percent with the rare exception of church planting, Seal noted. The Texas WMU budget was reduced 22 percent.

After the budget adoption, the personnel committee reported that two more applicants for the executive director-treasurer position were interviewed, but still no candidates have been found that meet the stated criteria for the position. At this point, the committee does not have any additional applications to review, but the group will continue to seek to fill the position.

“The personnel committee continues to pray and seek for the right person for the position,” Seal said.

Also announced were two Texas Acteens who were chosen to serve on the National Acteen Panel for 2010—Aman Majok from First Baptist Church in Amarillo and Morgan Shepherd from Humble Area’s First Baptist Church.

Two Texas Baptist Acteens have been selected as National Top Teens—Kelsey Fritscher from First Baptist Church of Woodway and Nicole Quintero from West Campus Baptist Church in San Antonio.

Aman Majok

Morgan Shepherd

In other business that day, officer nominations were announced during the meeting for the first time in WMU history.

“In the life of WMU today, there is a heightened need for transparency,” said Joy Fenner, president of the Texas WMU. “In that spirit, the nominating committee wishes to announce the nominees for officers for the upcoming year. This slate of officers will be presented for election at the annual meeting next month.”

Nominees are Gloria Mills of Henderson for president, Merle Cross of Gilmer for first vice president, Irma Alvarado of Donna for second vice president, Lynette McBride of Hillsboro for third vice president and Mary Watson of Harlingen for recording secretary.

The nominees will be voted on during the Texas WMU annual meeting April 9-10 at First Baptist Church in Georgetown. For more information on the annual meeting, visit www.wmutx.org or call (888) 968-6389.