Kathy Hillman: Covered with love

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:18)

When John and I married, friends and family generously showered us with gifts. Because I grew up in a small town, we invited everyone to the wedding. The church bulletin and weekly newspaper supplemented traditional invitations. One treasured present came from an older Woman’s Missionary Union member in Eldorado. Kathy HillmanThe oversized quilt made from remnants won our hearts. “Miss Mary” had meager resources but gave lavishly. I can only imagine how much time she spent crafting the coverlet that covered us with love.

Like that comforter, Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas covers our state and beyond with love. Since 1880, members have shared Christ through action. Because of that love, the organization chose February and Valentine’s Day to focus on WMU. Today, members of all ages demonstrate love in numerous ways:

• Covered with Love Quilts

Texas Baptist women ages 20 to 95 handmade 60 quilts for a team traveling to Spain. In Barcelona, retirement center residents joyfully received the beautiful pieces. As tears streamed, a volunteer compared one quilt made from scraps rescued from the dump to God’s redeeming love. 

Handmade quilt distributed in Spain (Photo provided by Texas WMU).Another sewing effort helps females in Asia attend school or work through the Women Helping Women Pad Project. 

Groups also minister through prayer shawls, baby blankets and other made-with-love gifts.

• Children’s Ministry Day at Valentine’s

Children and families can visit nursing homes, till community gardens and prepare birthday party boxes. A favorite project collects stuffed animals for children who are hurt, lost or taken from their parents. One policeman tells how a 4-year-old girl fiercely clutched the Teddy bear he gave her when her parents were seriously injured in a wreck. 

Stuffed animals collected for police and social workers (Photo by Kathy Hillman).Boys and girls helped collect 1,200 Coats for Kids. The partnership between Texas WMU and Valley Baptist Missions Education Center warmed little ones who had minimal heat and few heavy clothes.

• Aprons Stitched with Love

Fifteen-year-old Alyssa attended the 2014 WMU annual meeting with her grandmother. At the sewing center, volunteers made aprons for low-income women learning healthy cooking. Although she couldn’t sew, Alyssa wanted to help. A volunteer demonstrated the sewing machine. Alyssa spent every minute making three aprons, pausing only to recruit others for the project. 

• Acteens Love

Monthly, teenaged girls involved in WMU’s Acteens program at First Baptist Church in Amarillo visit a “safe house.” The girls annually host Easter brunch and make blankets as gifts. For some residents, it’s the only object that’s totally theirs and can leave the shelter with them.

• Suds of Love 

GA with Woman in Nursing Home (Photo by Kathy Hillman).When our daughter, son-in-law and his parents lost their homes in the West explosion, they had only the clothes they wore and no washer. Baptists of all ages gave quarters to purchase a laundry unit for Texas WMU. However, a Texas Baptist Men disaster response team offered to partner with their laundry unit. With the $7,000 already raised, WMU will fund the generator, receive training and share the ministry, but quarters still are needed for suds.

• Love Notes: Missionary Parents Fellowship

Missionary parents need love while their children serve far away. Texas WMU recently sponsored a retreat highlighted by love notes. A missionary in East Asia wrote, “Every day, I wish I could tell you face to face, ‘I love you.’” Another in Europe said, “Mom and Dad, thank you for teaching us that serving the Lord is our highest calling!” 

• Loving Texas and Beyond

Pure Water, Pure Love provides missionaries with water filters and clean water wells. Texas WMU and Texas Baptist Men soon will distribute 500 filters overseas.

Project Help focuses lobbying and ministries on social issues such as hunger, human trafficking and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Sisters Who Care Project (Photo provided by Texas WMU).Women “Bless Boston” through ministry to students and refugees.

WMU provides books, cases and bags through the Literacy ConneXus ministry’s Books for the Border and Beyond.

African-American women develop Sisters Who Care projects, including assistance in Baptist centers. 

Christian Women’s Job Corps and Christian Men’s Job Corps at 70 sites throughout Texas demonstrate Christ’s love by offering job skills, mentoring and Bible study.

Women’s Build erects homes in the Rio Grande Valley, including one for Julia and Miguel, who opened their new house for Vacation Bible School and monthly Bible study.

WorldCrafts enables Texas women to love sisters around the world.

Covering Texas with love isn’t limited to WMU or to Valentine’s Day or to February. It’s for every Texas Baptist every day. Texas WMU is happy to offer ideas and practical how-to’s. They’re a phone call, (888) 968-6389; e-mail; ([email protected]) or mouse click (http://wmu.texasbaptists.org/) away.

Kathy Hillman is president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. She also is director of Baptist collections, library advancement and the Keston Center for Religion, Politics and Society at Baylor University.