Focus on WMU Day
Focus on WMU is an opportunity to remind your church of the what, why, and how of WMU. It is also an intentional time to focus on WMU’s impact in local churches, communities, and throughout the world. We may have to do things a little differently this year, but it’s still a great time to highlight WMU!
IDEAS FOR CELEBRATING FOCUS ON WMU DAY
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Ask your pastor for time during the morning worship to have someone share a “WMU testimony” as testimonials speak volumes. Look for someone whose life has been profoundly impacted by her mission involvement. A child in your children’s or youth mission group who can tell about their involvement on a mission team or project would be a great option! Keep the testimony limited to 3-5 minutes.
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Ask the person responsible in your church for PowerPoint presentations to help you create a series of slides that tells the story of your mission groups that can be used during the announcements to draw emphasis to your ministry.
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Encourage your Women on Mission to Share the Love of Missions! You will find information at Share the Love of Missions | Alabama WMU. This is a great way to gift your love of missions to others.
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Invite an Alabama WMU staff member to share with your church during worship (with permission of the pastor) or to share during a gathering of your women. If desired, your church staff and/or Alabama WMU staff members can help you set this up through ZOOM.
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Kick off the week leading up to “Focus on WMU Day” with a church wide missions project. Plan a drive-through collection of food for a local ministry center or items for senior citizens who cannot get out at this time. Using good protocols, have your mission groups receive the items and plan a safe way to distribute them.
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Share information about Alabama WMU’s monthly Great Commission Conversations Zoom calls. Encourage church members to participate and hear about what God is doing around the world directly from our missionaries.
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Encourage parents to plan a Family Missions project. Two examples are:
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Clear out toys that are no longer used and clean and repair them to give to a local ministry in your area.
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Pick up limbs, shoveling, or other outside chores needed by older neighbors.
THE WHAT OF WMU
WMU makes disciples of Jesus who live on mission. Those disciples can be women, men, girls, and boys.
THE WHY OF WMU
Five values and beliefs drive WMU to make disciples of Jesus who live on mission:
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Biblically rooted: Scripture guides us in knowing God, His ways, His character, His mission, His redemptive acts, and His purpose for the church.
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Missions focused: Jesus commissioned His disciples to proclaim the good news, disciple people of all nations, and teach them to live out the truths He taught.
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Church based: Jesus gave the church authority to act on His behalf. Teaching all ages prepares the church to fulfill His mission.
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World aware: God is always at work among all peoples, and we join Him where we discern He is calling us.
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Denominationally supportive: No one church can do alone what many churches can do together. Our voluntary cooperation extends the missions reach of a local church.
THE HOW OF WMU
WMU makes disciples of Jesus who live on mission as they
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learn about missions. Whether as a church body, in age-level organizations, or as a family, learning about missions helps these disciples better understand what God says about making His name known throughout the earth.
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pray for missions. Missionaries and the lost inhabit the prayers of these disciples on a daily basis.
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give to missions. As these disciples learn how God is at work around the world, they give to offerings for international and North American missions and global hunger and through the Cooperative Program, the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) unified plan of giving.
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serve in missions. The teachings and actions of Jesus show that the Christian faith is not stagnant but active and participatory. Disciples share the gospel in word and deed through missions projects that relate to what they are learning