2023 IMPACT REPORT
We continue in the legacy of women who have been on mission with God since 1874 with an unyielding tenacity to be the hands and feet of Christ to mend a broken world. In 2023, The Woman’s Missionary Union of Virginia has mobilized over 350 volunteers, hosted 52 conference groups at CrossRoads and 498 campers, hosted five conferences with approximately 1,075 people in attendance, facilitated four mission trips, and collected in-kind donations for ministry. At our annual Women’s Getaway, we witnessed nine professions of faith in Christ and one person of another faith committed to learning more about Christianity.
In response to the decision of the Southern Baptist Convention this year regarding the role of women in Southern Baptist Churches and the National WMU’s support of this decision that ousted churches with women pastors, the WMU of Virginia took a stance on the side of women for missions, for preaching, and for the pastorate. An Open Letter from our Executive Director/Treasurer, which was affirmed by our board of trustees, once again put WMUV on the prophetic path of uplifting women and girls for ministry.
We celebrate what God has done because of committed and faithful followers in the local churches of the Baptist General Association of Virginia and other WMUV partners. We celebrate the faithfulness of our Board of Directors, who maintain operational oversight over all our work, including the ministry at our beloved CrossRoads Camp and Conference Center. We celebrate our staff, who each facilitate a multiplicity of roles in this ever-changing denominational landscape.
Below is a snapshot of our ministerial impact in 2023:
CROSSROADS CAMP & CONFERENCE CENTER
CROSSROADS CAMP & CONFERENCE CENTER
56 GROUPS
2,120 INDIVIDUAL GUESTS
498 CAMPERS
26 CAMPER SCHOLARSHIPS
74% Partial Scholarship and
26% Full Scholarship
“Seeing and feeling the power of God that shows me it is more than just reading the Bible.”
MEN & BOYS
MEN & BOYS
In a focus to reach Christian men to disciple boys for Christ, a Men’s/Boys Weekend was held in southwest Virginia at the Brumley Cove Baptist Camp. There were 50 men and boys who experienced God as they went trout fishing, studied the Bible and worshipped. Many of the boys had never been fishing!
“In the society we currently live in with non-stop stimulation of electronic devices, it was more than refreshing to watch kids be part of God’s creation. It was a time of being with their dads, uncles, and grandfathers and seeing kids smile as they made memories for a lifetime.”
Sisters Who Care 2023 Conference
Sisters Who Care 2023 Conference
This mission conference was instituted in 2015 to introduce women in African American churches to join in the work of WMU. Registration in 2023 had to be cut off at 75 women due to limited space. The women worshipped and heard a testimony from Shirley Smith, who is the leader of Women’s Ministries at the New Zion Baptist Church, Williamsburg, and a retired officer in the United States Army. They collected 150 toiletry kits for the women of the Veterans Hospitals in Hampton and in Richmond. This group also sponsored seven students at a local school for Christmas.
Missions for Elementary Girls
Missions for Elementary Girls
MOM & ME
77 mothers and daughters attended this overnight retreat. The speaker was IMB Missionary Mom, Callie Nowak and daughter, Summer. They served in China until 2020. The offering collected was $530.00 and it went to CrossRoads for the Deck Project.
ABIGAIL GIRLS
The Abigail Girls Mission Trip in 2023 was to the Bland Ministry Center in Southwest Virginia and their annual JOY Retreat was held at CrossRoads. The Abigail Girls annual fundraising project raised $3,024.61 for the Charlottesville Ronald McDonald House. These outstanding girls give us hope for a sustainable future for women on mission.
Missions for Teen Girls
Missions for Teen Girls
SHINE
Forty high school teen girls gathered at CrossRoads to worship, hearing the missionary speaker and the word of God taught by Rev. Sara Hubble, Operations & Pastoral Director of CrossRoads. Their mission project was sending thank you letters to veterans. Missions Strategists for Children/Students, Rhonda Marstin says, It was blessed with an intimate group of teens and their leaders.
Getaway 2023
Getaway 2023
493 women women came to Eagle Eyrie to experience God. The Rev. Cadance Tyler was our English-speaking keynote speaker. In the Spanish-speaking service, Anna Melendez traveled from the city of Chicago to sow the word of God. This weekend resulted in 9 professions of faith in the Spanish-speaking event. Through the Second Century Fund grant through the WMU Foundation we sponsored several non-believers to attend. One went to Bible study, asked many questions and is now being discipled for Christ.
ALMA HUNT OFFERING
ALMA HUNT OFFERING
Our goal is $800,000 and in 2023, we collected $651,387.46 an increase of 6.27% from the prior year! We have heard the voices of the women who promote this offering in the local churches. They have requested that we bring back videos that tell the God-stories of our work together because of this offering. All seven videos can be found at almahunt.org.
PARTNERSHIP MISSIONS
PARTNERSHIP MISSIONS
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In the summer of 2023, WMUV we celebrated 15 years of ministry on the Standing Rock Reservation. Maria Lynn, Standing Rock Ministry Network gave a riveting report of praise. She shared the following stats:
We celebrate 15 summers, 1000+ volunteers, 9 ministry sites, 1 travel team and 4 BGAV Venturers, 4 Summer Missionaries, the medical, construction, and photo teams, the horse camps and all the volunteers from ages 3 – 96! We celebrate all the churches that never came to the reservation but they made pillowcases, sewed jumpers, shorts, dolls and tote bags. We celebrate friendships, kinships, and a million hugs and smiles.
In 2023, our Executive Director decided to restructure WMUV’s leadership at Standing Rock to be channeled through the Standing Rock Ministry Network due to capacity limitations of WMUV and changing ministry paradigms. WMUV provides financial and marketing support to the network and volunteers can connect throughout the year on the reservation and engage in a variety of projects.
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WMUV hosted its second medical camp in Kenya at the Mulley Children’s Family in Ndalani. Serving over 2,600 patients in one week, many traveled on foot for 20 miles to be seen by one or several of the physicians. Some came to simply get a lunch of rice, beans and water, not needing medical care at all, but a good hot meal. Dr. Lynne Stockman, former WMUV President and Team Leader, says that I treated a woman who had been ill for 3 months with fever, diarrhea, fatigue, and abdominal pain. She had both typhoid and intestinal amoeba.
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In 2023, Lucianne Warren, WMUV President led our second team to Cajamarca, Peru. “Mission trips are not for the faint or weak,” believes Lucianne. She facilitated the work of the team which included the distribution of water filters to families and schools in rural villages, distributing large bags of basic food commodities throughout the isolated mountain areas and in the city, hosting ½ day Bible camps for school children, and visiting families door-to-door to encourage them and to pray.
Respectfully Submitted by: Valerie Carter Smith, Executive Director/Treasurer