Photo by Jeff Thompson.
WMU Women's Missionary Luncheon
WMU is welcoming women from the area to a monthly luncheon hosted by the organization’s Christian Women’s Leadership Center (CWLC). From left are Jean Roberson, Adult Resource Team leader at the National WMU, Clella Lee, CWLC leadership consultant, and Jessie Harkness, administrative assistant at the National WMU.
A recent program developed by the Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) involves reaching out to women in the Birmingham area. In partnership with Samford University, the Christian Women’s Leadership Center (CWLC) is inviting women who work and live along the U.S. 280 corridor to attend monthly luncheons in order to connect with one another.
According to the WMU website, each luncheon provides local women an opportunity to explore characteristics of Christian leadership in multiple generations. Learning from others’ experiences provides another positive reason to attend.
“One of our main goals in hosting the luncheons is networking,” said Clella Lee, who joined the CWLC as a leadership consultant in January. “We want to lend our knowledge of development skills and build community among Christian women leaders.”
Luncheons are just one piece of the CWLC’s mission, Lee said, adding that the ultimate goal is to provide an encompassing resource that would help women develop their leadership skills.
CWLC luncheons are 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month at National WMU, located at 100 Missionary Ridge. Advance registration is required for lunch. For more, visit wmu.com/cwlc.
Changing the world from Shelby County
It was in 1888 when WMU was founded in Baltimore. Now, 126 years later, the organization is affecting mission work throughout the world from its national headquarters off Brook Highland Parkway.
Since its inception, WMU has worked to educate about mission work, and many might not be aware of the international impact Shelby County is making through this organization.
Among some of the programs WMU generates and supplies to churches throughout the nation are Girls in Action, Royal Ambassadors, Acteens, Challengers and Adults on Mission. Local churches currently use many of these and other WMU programs.
In addition, WMU is an active promoter for two Southern Baptist missions, which supply approximately half of the annual budget for the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board.
In 2012, WMU helped raise $149.3 million — the third-highest total in the offering’s history — for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. Since initiating the first offering in 1888, WMU has helped raise more than $3.7 billion through this effort.
Also in 2012, WMU helped raise $57 million for missions work in North America through the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. Since 1907, when official reporting began for the home missions offering begun by WMU, receipts total more than $1.4 billion through 2012.
From its headquarters in Shelby County, WMU mobilizes individuals through Project HELP on issues including AIDS, hunger, illiteracy and child advocacy. The current focus is Project HELP: Human Exploitation, which includes human trafficking, bullying and pornography.
WMU also operates WorldCrafts, which develops sustainable, fair-trade businesses among impoverished people around the world, and Pure Water, Pure Love (PWPL), which provides water filters for missionaries’ home and travel use, providing a consistent clean water source.
WMU’s faith-based, welfare-to-work ministries are the Christian Women’s Job Corps (CWJC) and Christian Men’s Job Corps (CMJC). Overall, there are 159 registered and certified sites, and in 2012, 11,080 staff and volunteers served approximately 4,250 participants through these programs.
For more, call the national WMU at 991-8100 or visit wmu.com.
