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Woman's Missionary Union |
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Woman's Missionary Union |
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Founded in 1888, Woman's Missionary Union is an auxiliary of the Southern Baptist
Convention that seeks to equip adults, youth, children and preschoolers with missions education to become radically involved
in the mission of God. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., WMU founded in 1888, the Woman's Missionary Union
is an auxiliary of the Southern Baptist Convention that seeks to equip adults, youth, children and preschoolers with missions education to become radically involved in the mission of God.
Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., WMU is a nonprofit organization that offers an array of missions resources including conferences,
ministry ideas and models, volunteer opportunities, curriculum for age-level organizations, leadership training, books and
more.
Southern Baptists have set aside the first full week in March for the North American Missions Study and the Week of Prayer for
our 5,200 missionaries in the United States and Canada. It is also the time that the WMU
promotes the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. The national goal for 2009 is $65 million.
Each year, we honor the life and work of Annie Walker Armstrong (1850-1938)
when we give to the annual offering for home missions named after her. As a tireless servant of God and a contagious
advocate and supporter of mission efforts throughout the world, Annie Armstrong
led women to unite in mission endeavors that ultimately led to the formation of Woman’s Missionary Union,
for which she served as the first corresponding secretary.
Annie believed in Christ with all her heart, but it was her hands that expressed that belief in tangible ways. She spent a great amount of time typing and handwriting letters in support of missions. Many of these letters were quite lengthy and all were filled with conviction that more could and should be done in our mission efforts. In 1893 alone, she wrote almost 18,000 letters! Annie also never hesitated to use her hands to reach out to hug a child or distribute food and clothing and the Word of God to those in need. Her hands held her own Bible as she studied to know how best to share God’s love with others. And, most important, Annie was a woman of prayer, folding her hands in prayer to intercede for the missionaries and for those they were helping discover Christ.
Annie rallied churches to give more, pray more, and do more for reaching people for Christ. As we continue to unite to make her vision a reality in North America today, we can be confident that her legacy will also be ours.
Annie Armstrong Easter Offering (AAEO) Fast Facts-
The Reason We Give to AAEO:
To help our missionary force reach for Christ an estimated 235 million lost people in the United States and Canada; that's seven out of 10 people.
AAEO National Goal for 2009:
$65 million
Amount given to AAEO in 2007:
Year-end figures show more than $59.3 million.
Amount of AAEO used to support missionaries and their work:
100%
Number of NAMB Missionaries:
5,271. Generally, a third of the number represents career missionaries, a third are short-term funded missionaries, and a third are Mission Service Corps missionaries.
Total 2007 NAMB budget:
$124,000,000
Amount of NAMB budget that comes from Annie:
46%
Amount of NAMB budget from Cooperative Program:
36%
Year Offering Started by WMU:
1895
Amount given in 1895:
$5,000 +
Year Offering named for Annie Armstrong:
1934
What do AAEO-supported missionaries do?
* Start new churches
Engage in student evangelism on college campuses
*
Serve the physical and spiritual needs of people through inner-city Baptist center
*
Serve in local Baptist associations as associational missionary or other mission staff
*
Provide training and ministry in interfaith witness evangelism
*
Minister in resort settings such as campgrounds and ski areas
During the Christmas Season the Woman's Missionary Union begins taking up the Lottie Moon Christmas offering.
The National Goal for 2008 is $170 million.
Lottie Moon-the namesake of the international missions offering-has become something of a legend to us. But in her time Lottie was anything but an untouchable hero. In fact, she was like today's missionaries. She was a hard-working, deep-loving Southern Baptist who labored tirelessly so her people group could know Jesus.
A kingdom-focused life
Today's China is a world of rapid change. It's home to 1.3 billion individuals-one-fifth of the world's population. Village dwellers flock to trendy megacities with exploding populations. And China holds its own in the world's economy. It's very different from the vast farmland Lottie Moon entered in the 1800s. But one thing hasn't changed: China's need for a Savior.
Lottie Moon-the namesake of the international missions offering-has become something of a legend to us. But in her time Lottie was anything but an untouchable hero. In fact, she was like today's missionaries. She was a hard-working, deep-loving Southern Baptist who labored tirelessly so her people group could know Jesus.
When she set sail for China, Lottie was 32 years old. She had turned down a marriage proposal and left her job, home and family to follow God's lead. Her path wasn't typical for an educated woman from a wealthy Southern family. But Lottie did not serve a typical God. He had gripped her with the Chinese peoples' need for a Savior.
For 39 years Lottie labored, chiefly in Tengchow and P'ingtu. People feared and rejected her, but she refused to leave. The aroma of fresh-baked cookies drew people to her house. She adopted traditional Chinese dress, and she learned China's language and customs. Lottie didn't just serve the people of China; she identified with them. Many eventually accepted her. And some accepted her Savior.
Lottie's vision wasn't just for the people of China. It reached to her fellow Southern Baptists in the United States. Like today's missionaries, she wrote letters home, detailing China's hunger for truth and the struggle of so few missionaries sharing the gospel with so many people-472 million Chinese in her day. She shared another timely message, too: the urgent need for more workers and for Southern Baptists passionately supporting them through prayer and giving.
In 1912, during a time of war and famine, Lottie silently starved, knowing that her beloved Chinese didn't have enough food. Her fellow Christians saw the ultimate sign of love: giving her life for others. On Christmas Eve, Lottie died on a ship bound for the United States.
But her legacy lives on. And today, when gifts aren't growing as quickly as the number of workers God is calling to the field, her call for sacrificial giving rings with more urgency than ever.
Lottie Moon was a heroine for today-a woman passionate about a lost world, a woman who didn't hesitate to speak her mind.
Last updated September 25, 2008.
Lottie Moon Christmas Offering