Posts by "System Administrator"

In response to the needs of seniors who are sheltering in place or in care facilities with no visitors, WMU is partnering with Iron Stream Media to provide boxes of Christian books, Bible studies, ad fiction for them to read to seniors to ease the pain of their isolation. Honor62.com comes from Ephesians 6:2 where we are commanded to “Honor our Fathers and Mothers.” WMU and Iron Stream are sending the boxes to senior care facilities, hospice centers, hospitals, and to individuals. Will you partner with them by assisting with the cost of printing, shipping, and handling? Boxes star at only $15.00 (shipping included)! Go to www.Honor62.com for details and online purchasing.

“Stay At-Home” and “Shelter in Place” are phrases we all are having to adjust to, in this new normal we are experiencing.  These measures, that have been put in place to prevent the spread of this horrible virus, have isolated us.  Women, who thrive on social and relational connection, are having to find new ways to connect, encourage and minister to each other.  “How do we continue studying the Word together?”, “When will we be able to pray with our small group again?” and questions like these are floating around inside the heads of the women in the church. 

As ministry leaders, we must take time to consider all of the angles by which we might connect women and encourage them through these lonely times, that may be filled with worry and anxiety.  Though we are socially distant during these days, there are some great ways to reach out and continue to build relationships.  Some of these aren’t revolutionary thoughts, but sometimes it sure is helpful to be reminded of things that can make a difference, large or small. So here are 5 ways to create community with women in your church!

1. Pray for each other! Create a prayer tree or prayer partner system where women can share burdens and concerns and know that someone specifically will be praying for them.  These easy ideas have been used for generations, but certainly haven’t lost their relevancy.
2. Communicate with each other! Whether you simply call the women in your church or you set up multi-person online get-togethers, make sharing life happen.  You can access several free ways to accomplish this goal.  Utilize group meeting or video chat apps on smart phones like Skype, Zoom, Go To Meeting, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp Messenger, or Facebook Messenger. Consider writing letters or notes to women each week to encourage them.  Snail mail may seem outdated, but you know what they say, “Everything Old is New Again”.  It will be so nice to receive a kind letter or note in a mailbox filled with advertisements and bills!
3. Get in the Word Together!  Dive into reading and studying the Bible together.  Utilize the F260 Bible reading plan on the YouVersion Bible App, add friends and interact together on the app.  Create a small group study using the First 5 app and tag and invite other friends to join in.  Go online and access one of the free Lifeway Women’s Bible studies that are available now through June 18^th and discuss the teaching videos through a video chat.
4. Have Some Fun Together!  Put together a virtual trivia game with a group of friends!  Create a Private Facebook Group and have a Cooking, Baking or Crafting at-Home Challenge.  Post videos or pics online and chat about your successes or potential bombs!
5. Create an Online Support Group!   This period of isolation has changed so many things.  Connect women virtually as they navigate through similar struggles.  Topics can range from serious burdens like caring for a loved one or dealing with addiction to more lighthearted topics like ideas for family time, homeschooling kids while the schools observe e-learning or even how to stretch a dollar while feeling the economic effects of COVID-19.

While WMU has had an active presence on social media for the past several years, it has recently taken steps to become a more visible source of help for churches as they navigate how to do missions and be socially distant.

Age level consultants are providing weekly missions education sessions on Face Book to help missions leaders grapple with trying to remain connected to preschoolers, children, youth and adults. These sessions on held on Wednesday afternoons and provide mission stories, craft ideas, and ideas for ministering to those in need while sharing Christ.

WorldCrafts, a compassion ministry of WMU, posts regularly to inform you about how to participate in the Fair Trade artisan ministry that is now functioning in more than 25 countries as well as sites in North America. Currently, the focus is praying for artisan groups around the world. You can download a prayer calendar for each month. Go to www.worldcrafts.org and click on the Blog and then on “download monthly calendar” for monthly downloads.

Annie Armstrong, that is! This year’s emphasis on North American missions is March 1-8. The theme is “It’s All about the Gospel,” and the national goal is $70 million. As you lead your church to participate in this important missions offering, there are several things that need to be on your checklist:

• Review resources and set a church goal.
• Download promotional ideas, videos, and presentation suggestions.
• Order the free posters, prayer guides, and offering envelopes through the Indiana WMU office at scbi.com or by calling 317.481.2400.
• Schedule Week of Prayer for North American Missions.
• Promote the offering with videos, missionary speakers and prayer guides.
• Collect offering gifts.

Materials are available in English, Haitian Creole, Spanish, Korean, and Vietnamese.

Go online to: www.namb.net for videos and other resources.

“Be Still and Know” is the theme for Transformed 2020 which is an annual event for all Indiana women. The event will include motivational missionary and keynote speakers, seminars on a wide variety of topics,, and many opportunities for fellowship.

It will be held in two locations:

   March 6-7 – Eastern Heights Baptist Church, Jeffersonville.

             Keynote Speaker:   Dana James

       Registration:  $55 if paid in full by February 6

                                $65 if paid in full by February 21

   April 17-18 – Northside Baptist Church, Indianapolis

             Keynote Speaker:  Elizabeth Woodson

   Registration: $55 if paid in full by March 17

                           $65 if paid in full by April 3

  Great News!   Any senior pastor’s wife receives free general registration if she registers using a discount code PWS20 by March 17.

Ministers’ Wives Breakfast  Enjoy a special break for the wives of State Convention of Baptists in Indiana and other vocational ministers. Select the 8:00 a.m. Ministers’ Wives Breakfast option in registration by February 6.

Go online to scbi.org/Transformed for more information about housing and conferences being offered. 

August, 2020 has been set as the time for the annual re-entry retreat for MKs who are returning to the US for college. Indiana WMU is partnering with Kentucky to host the approximately 100 students for a week of activities designed to prepare them for college life.

To make this event a success, we need your support! The cost per student is approximately $400. Housing, meals, and a backpack filled with gifts is provided for each MK. Individuals, families, and churches are encouraged to participate in making this event a wonderful experience for these third world students of our Southern Baptist missionaries.

Donations of any amount can be directed through Mary Brow at SCBI. For more information contact  Allison Kinion or Terah Adams at SCBI.

Let’s make this a great time for MKs!

Woman’s Missionary Union provides ideas and help in engaging adults in missions activities!  Discover more missionary stories and project ideas on www.wmu.com/adults

Check out the missionary spotlight and the update by clicking on the “Mission Stories” box. You’ll also find ministry ideas by clicking on the “Mission Projects” box.

While you are there, read the Adults on Mission Blog. October’s posting discuss Global Hunger Relief and domestic violence. Come back every month to read about prayer, social issues, stewardship, discipleship, and more!

This ministry was begun by Woman’s Missionary Union over 15 years ago and has reached thousands with the good news of Jesus while helping women (and men) achieve financial stability through handicrafts the artisans make.

You and your church can be involved In this ministry in several ways:

*Shop WorldCrafts handmade fair-trade products.

*Host a WorldCrafts benefit for a Christian Women’s Job Corps site and to support artisans in over 30 countries.

* Host a WorldCrafts market at your church, sharing the stories of artisan groups around the world.

* Pray for WorldCrafts artisans and job corps sites using the prayer guide available at: www.WorldCrafts.org/pray

* Donate funds to Pure Water, Pure Love which is a ministry that provides clean water systems and water filters to missionaries and WorldCrafts artisans.

For more information about WMU’s compassion ministries, visit wmu.com/ministries

It’s time to begin planning how your church will learn about refugees this fall! The Southern Baptist International Mission Board in partnership with WMU has chosen the Rohingya people as the focus for this year’s mission study. The most persecuted of all refugees, the Rohingya are stateless with no access to income, education, medical help, or residency.

Materials are available for all ages this year. A Promotion Kit includes posters, teaching guides, and other resources to enrich guide your planning and enrich your presentations. The “Missions Traveler: Rohingya” is a full-color magazine style product contains articles on how missionaries and volunteers are working to introduce refugees to Christ.

Engage your entire church in this year’s International Mission Study! Materials can be ordered at www.wmu.com/ims

October 13 is Global Hunger Sunday. Worldwide, chronic hunger affects 1 of 9 people in the world. Your church’s participation along with GHR can make a difference in the lives of these persons, many of whom are refugees or live in urban slum areas.

Global Hunger funds also provide clean water, agricultural needs, and jobs for the thousands who have fled from religious and ethnic persecution. Last year more than 1,500 communities and one half million people were impacted by gifts to the Global Hunger Relief fund.

During 1917 over 15 million households were categorized as food insecure here in the United States. More than 2.427 ministries were funded and gave more than 16 million meals to hungry North Americans. Indiana has multiple hunger ministries that provide food relief to our residents along with encouragement and a gospel presentation.

Hunger relief funds that come to Indiana through the North American Missions Board are determined by the number of our churches that participate in giving. It is NOT based on a dollar amount, but rather, on the number of churches that give. So, what does this mean? This means that we need 100% of our churches to give something to hunger relief! This means that you as an individual or a family can give and designate it for world hunger, even if your church does not participate!

For more information about Global Hunger Relief go to: www.GlobalHungerRelief.org  For information about hunger ministries here in Indiana, contact Rick Hillard at SCBI.org.