History of
WMU:
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. Unity Baptist Church
participates in the following programs:
- Women
on Mission, for women 18 and up
- Team Kids, for 1st through 6th grade
- Mission
Friends, for preschool girls and boys.
WMU supports these organizations through
age-appropriate magazines and/or products.
WMU offers many ministry opportunities and
short-term volunteer missions opportunities.
Throughout it’s history, WMU has been an
auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention, which means that it acts
as a "helper" to the SBC. The auxiliary status also means that WMU is
self-governing and self-supporting.
WMU’s governing body is made up of state
WMU presidents who are elected by members of church WMU organizations
when they gather for their state’s WMU annual meeting. These
state presidents become vice presidents on the national level and
function as the organization’s Executive Board. The WMU
national president, elected annually by WMU members attending the
national WMU annual meeting, serves as chair of the board.
Financially, WMU supports its work through the sale
of magazines and products and from investments. National WMU receives
no funds from the Southern Baptist Convention’s unified
budget, the Cooperative Program.
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.
