Woman's Missionary Union facts for kids

The Woman's Missionary Union (WMU) is a group that helps people learn about and get involved in Christian missions. It was started in 1888 and is connected to the Southern Baptist Convention. WMU is the largest Christian missions organization for women in the world.

How WMU Started

Early Ideas and Meetings

Lottie Moon was an early missionary to China.

In May 1888, a group of women from 12 different states met in Richmond, Virginia. They were attending a big meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. These women decided to create a new organization called the Executive Committee of the Woman's Mission Societies.

For several years before this, women had been meeting to talk about starting a missions group. At the 1888 meeting, they agreed on rules for their new group and chose their first leaders. They decided to set up their main office in Baltimore, Maryland.

Fannie E.S. Heck led the Woman's Missionary Union for about 15 years after 1892. A very important person was Lottie Moon (1840–1912). She lived and worked in China for nearly 40 years. Lottie Moon believed in equal opportunities for women. Her story helps raise money for missions each year.

First Years in Baltimore

Annie Armstrong was the first corresponding secretary of WMU.

Annie Armstrong was chosen as the first corresponding secretary. She lived in Baltimore, Maryland. WMU was set up to be a "helper" to the Southern Baptist Convention. This means WMU works alongside the SBC but manages itself and pays for its own activities.

Before WMU was officially formed, women like Ann Baker Graves led prayer groups for missions. In 1871, Baptist women in Baltimore started a group called Woman's Mission to Woman. They prayed for missionaries and shared information about their work. By 1887, Maryland Baptist women were printing and sharing missions stories. Many southern states had women's missions groups. But there was no main group to bring them all together. The time was right for the women to organize. The founding women of WMU created an organization that has supported Baptist missions for over 100 years.

Changing the Name and Moving Offices

In 1890, the women officially changed the name to Woman's Missionary Union, Auxiliary to Southern Baptist Convention. The first WMU office was in the Maryland Baptist Missions Reading Room. This was where Annie Armstrong already had her office.

In 1921, the main office moved to Birmingham, Alabama. This move happened under the leadership of Kathleen Mallory. As WMU grew, it needed more space. In 1951, WMU bought a new building in downtown Birmingham. During these years, WMU had its highest number of members. About 1.5 million women joined under the leadership of Alma Hunt. She was the executive secretary from 1948 to 1974.

New Programs and Publications

The 1970s brought many changes to WMU's programs. In October 1970, several groups changed their names:

• Woman's Missionary Society (WMS) became Baptist Women (BW).
• Young Woman's Auxiliary (YWA) became Baptist Young Women (BYW).
• Girls' Auxiliary became Acteens and Girls in Action (GA).
• Sunbeams became Mission Friends.

New magazines and books were also created for these groups.

In 1984, the main office moved again. It went to New Hope Mountain, just outside Birmingham. In 1985, a new part of WMU called New Hope was created. It made products for a wider audience. In 1995, more changes happened. Baptist Women and Baptist Young Women joined together to form a new group called Women on Mission. The Royal Service magazine was replaced by Missions Mosaic. Three new mission groups were also started in 1995: Adults on Mission, Youth on Mission, and Children in Action.

WMU Today

Since it began in 1888, WMU has grown a lot. It is now the largest Protestant missions organization for women in the world. It has about 1 million members. WMU's main goal is to teach and involve people of all ages in Christian missions. Even though it started for women and girls, both boys and girls are active in WMU today.

WMU supports many ministries, including:

• Baptist Nursing Fellowship^SM
• Christian Women's Job Corps
• International Initiatives^SM
• Missionary Housing
• Project HELP^SM
• Pure Water, Pure Love^SM
• Volunteer Connection^SM
• WorldCrafts^SM

What WMU Does

WMU helps adults, teens, and children learn about missions. It helps them get involved in God's mission. WMU is based in Birmingham, Alabama. It is a non-profit organization. WMU offers many resources for missions. These include conferences, ministry ideas, ways to volunteer, and books. It also provides lessons for different age groups and training for leaders.

Groups and Opportunities

WMU offers missions education groups for everyone:

• Mission Friends (preschoolers)
• Girls in Action (GA) (girls, grades 1-6)
• Acteens (girls, grades 7-12)
• Challengers (boys, grades 1-12)
• Women on Mission (adult women)
• Adults on Mission (adult men and women)

WMU also provides many ways to get involved in missions and offers helpful resources.