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Woman's Missionary Union, Southern Baptist
Convention
WMU Watchword -- "For we are labourers together
with God" (1 Corinthians 3:9 KJV).
Woman’s Missionary Union challenges Christian believers to
understand and be radically involved in the mission of God.
The Tasks of Woman’s Missionary Union:
* pray for and give to missions
* do missions
* learn about missions
* develop spiritually toward a missions lifestyle
* participate in the work of the church and the denomination
In 1888, a handful of women dedicated to the
cause of missions founded Woman’s Missionary Union. Since that
time, WMU has become the largest Protestant organization for women
in the world, with a membership of approximately 1 million. WMU
also was the first and remains the largest body of organized laity
in the Southern Baptist Convention.
From the beginning, WMU’s main purpose has been to educate
and involve women, girls, and preschoolers in the cause of Christian
missions. It accomplishes these purposes primarily through age-level
organizations.
Financial support of missionaries has always been a priority for
women involved in WMU. When the women founded the national organization
in 1888, one of their first items of business was to accept the
request to raise money for the two mission boards. Within the first
year, the women contributed over $30,700 to the two entities.
The women’s efforts to raise money for the two mission boards
are known today as the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International
Missions and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American
Missions. The Christmas offering originated in 1888 and was named
for Lottie Moon in 1918. The Easter offering originated in 1895
and was named for Annie Armstrong in 1934. The two offerings remained
women’s offerings until 1956, when WMU agreed to promote the
offerings churchwide. By the end of 1998, WMU had helped lead Southern
Baptists to contribute nearly $2.5 billion to the two offerings.
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