DALLAS — The historic and current role of Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) in supporting the Cooperative Program (CP) and its focus on evangelism and discipleship were highlighted in WMU’s report to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) on June 11.  

Sandy Wisdom-Martin, executive director of national WMU, explained that before the Cooperative Program, WMU women agreed to raise $15 million over the course of five years for the $75 Million Campaign (1919 to 1924).

National WMU President Connie Dixon shared that 22,000 women promised to fulfill their commitment. “WMU contributed more than $15 million,” Dixon said. “That represented 100% of WMU’s quota and would equal $300 million in today’s dollars.”

Wisdom-Martin added, “When it came time to create a new giving mechanism, there were some tensions because WMU was asked to stop offerings for home and global missions. WMU leaders basically said, ‘We don’t think that is a good idea.’ SBC leadership said they would then count WMU’s offerings against the mission boards’ CP allocations. WMU leaders said, ‘We don’t think that is a good idea either.’

“WMU really advocated for the boards and stood firm,” Wisdom-Martin continued. “Those offerings later became what we know as the Lottie and Annie offerings.”

Dixon said in 1931, gifts from WMU members totaled nearly 50% of all CP receipts. In that same year, WMU gave approximately 76% of all mission board receipts. In the late 1940s, gifts to the CP from WMU averaged 83% of the total receipts.

“We have always been committed to fuel the Southern Baptist missions enterprise,” Dixon said. “We continue to advocate for CP.”

Dixon and Wisdom-Martin told of how a recent WMU missions curriculum focus was learning about missionaries in Brazil who live on a floating house. WMU invited the children to create and send in craft stick units that were pieced together to construct a floating house as a tangible lesson of what can happen when Southern Baptists work together.

“Three quarters of a million craft sticks came in and we had a blast building the floating house,” Wisdom-Martin said. “The missionaries in Brazil even sent (craft) stick units. They used it as a tool to teach their people group about working together.”

Dixon said WMU’s booth in the SBC exhibit hall — which featured Lego figurines of Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong and encouraged children to add Lego bricks to the display — was also designed to illustrate how we are on mission together as Southern Baptists. A free download of a children’s CP lesson is available at wmu.com/cp.

Evangelism and discipleship

“WMU has a passion for proclaiming Christ,” said Wisdom-Martin. “This year we piloted an event before Easter to give away 10,000 copies of ‘The Good News of John’ and we ended up giving away 20,000 copies.”

Wisdom-Martin shared several testimonies of ways churches used this resource. For example, Chip Stevens, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Jackson, Miss., asked every church member to give away a copy of “The Good News of John.”

“We never know how God can use simple gifts to impact people,” Stevens said. “This was such an easy way to bless others. I recommend any church consider this simple tool of sharing the good news.”

For more information, visit wmu.com/goodnews.

Dixon said in partnership with authors Ron and Marsha Harvell, WMU is promoting “50 Steps with Jesus: Learning to Walk Daily with the Lord.” She described it as “a 50-day investment in the life of a new lamb that will reap eternal rewards.”

Wisdom-Martin shared about walking through “50 Steps” with Mavory, a woman in her church who was struggling after losing a baby and tempted to return to drug use.

“One day sitting on her front porch I asked Mavory, ‘What has kept you from returning to drugs?’ She pointed to the front door of her house and said, ‘Every day I’m in there on my knees praying I don’t return to that lifestyle.’ After the first week, Mavory said, ‘This week I learned I don’t have to be identified as a recovering alcoholic or addict. My identity is as a new creation in Christ.’

“I told Mavory she was my hero and she truly is,” Wisdom-Martin continued. “It was a sacred privilege to journey with Mavory during the devastating loss of a baby, then through a 50-day discipleship journey, and then to celebrate with her in the miracle birth of her son Daniel.”

Dixon encouraged, “Imagine every person in your church proclaiming the gospel and discipling others. How would that kind of discipleship transform the heart of a believer and the priorities of your church?”

WMU seeks to make disciples of Jesus who live on mission.

“It’s who we are and what we do,” Wisdom-Martin stated. “And it is our joy to do it in partnership with you. We want to help you keep the Great Commission front and center.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Julie Walters is corporate communication manager for national WMU.)