The 2014 Louisiana Baptists’ Woman’s Missionary Union Mission Celebration and Annual Meeting featured a panel of missionaries among its many items on the schedule. This year’s mission celebration and annual meeting is scheduled for April 10-11 at Airline Baptist Church in Bossier City.
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
BOSSIER CITY – Surrender, sacrifice and serve.
That’s not only the focus but the challenge for the upcoming Louisiana Baptists’ Woman’s Missionary Union Mission Celebration and Annual Meeting.
“Surrender, sacrifice, serve, is clearly defined in Mark 8:34 and our challenge to live All-for-You lives, made possible as we accept Christ’s command to ‘deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me,’” said Janie Wise, women’s missions and ministry strategist for Louisiana Baptists. “Our objective would be everyone in attendance on April 10-11 will depart on Saturday afternoon refocused and recommitted to live All-for-You lives that engage in mission and ministry open doors to share the Gospel in ways that lead the lost to a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Scheduled for April 10-11 at Airline Baptist Church in Bossier City, the 115th annual meeting will celebrate how WMU is participating in what God is doing in the state, North America and around the world.
The event kicks off Friday evening with a meal at 5 pm served by Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers. Afterwards, participants can attend brief roundtable presentations emphasizing ways the women can live missional lives in the state. Participants will have opportunity to attend three of seven possibilities, which includes disaster relief, CWJC/CMJC, compassion ministries, and human trafficking, plus three more. A general session will follow at 7:15 pm.
On Saturday morning at 7:15, the Louisiana Baptist Nursing Fellowship will hold its annual breakfast. Nurses and other health care professionals are welcome to attend, but reservations by March 31 are required.
Four main speakers – three with Louisiana ties – headline the weekend. Kathy Shafto, a northeast Louisiana native and IMB missionary to West Africa; Pam Walker, director of Care and Hope Ministry Center in Bastrop; Lane Corley, church planting strategist for Louisiana Baptists; and Alan Duncan, missional church strategist for the IMB are among the featured speakers. Kristy Carr and Lena Plunk, from national WMU also will make an appearance.
Other highlights of the weekend include honoring outgoing WMU state president Salli Perry on Friday evening, electing new officers on Saturday morning and collecting offerings for the construction of the Georgia Barnette Conference Center at Tall Timbers Conference Center in Woodworth and for the Louisiana Baptists WMU’s Retired Minister’s Fund.
The association registering the highest number will take home the WMU torch.
The Missions Celebration and WMU Annual Meeting is sponsored by Louisiana Baptists’ Women’s Missions and Ministry and partially funded by the Cooperative Program.
There is no pre-registration required for the meeting, though pre-registration is necessary for the Friday night supper and Saturday morning breakfast. The deadline to register for both events is March 31.
The registration forms for the dinner on Friday and the breakfast on Saturday are available at louisianabaptists.org/WMUMissionCelebration.
For more information, visit www.lbc.org/WMUMissionCelebration or call 318.448.3402.