Coats
We are asking for gently used coats. As hot as it has been, it is hard to imagine needing a coat. BUT, winter is not that far away! We have adults and children in Gonzales unable to buy coats who would be very grateful for a gently used one. They will be hung outside, free for the taking.
WMU
Our loving, caring and active Woman's Missionary Union invites you to be a part of the enjoyment in serving God through missions. There are several unique Women on Mission gatherings, through-out the month from which you can select, to fit your lifestyle and heart's longings. Ephesians 2:10 states, "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Through our Women on Mission groups we seek to walk in areas God has already prepared for us.
* prayerwalking our community, with a focus on the schools.
* providing food items for Gonzales Christian Assistance Ministry to distribute in our community.
* partnership for border ministries.
* prayer with and for Texas Christian Women's Job Corps and provide material needs at the site.
* provide money to purchase sewing machines for ladies in Guatemala.
* provide shoe boxes with gifts for Operation Christmas Child
And the work goes on.. .and on...and on....praying, giving, doing, and going! Because God has gifted you with special gifts, we invite you to share them with others through mission ministries at First Baptist Church. Visit the official WMU website for more information.
Special Missions Offerings
Mary Hill Davis
was an early TEXAS WMU President who served from 1906-1931 with a strong vision for Texas missions. Mrs. Davis was devoted to missions work, and in 1910 she led WMU to set aside a week of prayer and giving for Texas missions. The Mary Hill Davis Offering was not named after Mrs. Davis until after her death in November, 1934.
The first meager funds assisted the state's Baptist colleges, orphanages, hospitals, and retired ministers. With a growing state population, Texas Baptists saw the need for more churches. Funded by the Offering, Mission Texas was created to start 2,000 new churches by the turn of the century.
The Mary Hill Davis Offering continues to make a difference today. Yet, more than half of Texas' 20 million people are still lost. They need Christ. Unless we pray, unless we witness, and unless we give to the Mary Hill Davis Offering, many of these individuals and families will never be touched with the Gospel.
Lottie Moon
was 32 years old when she set sail for China. She had turned down a marriage proposal and left her job, home and family to follow God's lead. Her path wasn't typical for an educated woman from a wealthy Southern family. But Lottie did not serve a typical God. He had gripped her with the Chinese people's need for a Savior.
For 39 years Lottie labored, chiefly in Tengchow and P'ingtu. People feared and rejected her, but she refused to leave. The aroma of fresh-baked cookies drew people to her house. She adopted traditional Chinese dress, and she learned 's language and customs. Lottie didn't just serve the people of ; she identified with them. Many eventually accepted her. And some accepted her Savior.
Lottie's vision wasn't just for the people of . It reached to her fellow Southern Baptists in the . Like today's missionaries, she wrote letters home, detailing 's hunger for truth and the struggle of so few missionaries sharing the gospel with so many people-472 million Chinese in her day. She shared another timely message, too: the urgent need for more workers and for Southern Baptists passionately supporting them through prayer and giving.
In 1912, during a time of war and famine, Lottie silently starved, knowing that her beloved chinese didn't have enough food. Her fellow Christians saw the ultimate sign of love: giving her life for others. On Christmas Eve, Lottie died on a ship bound for the mainland. Her legacy, however, lives on. Today, when financial gifts aren't growing as quickly as the number of workers God is calling to the field, her call for sacrificial giving rings with more urgency than ever.
Annie Armstrong
was a tireless servant of God and a contagious advocate and supporter of mission efforts throughout the world, Annie Armstrong led women to unite in mission endeavors that ultimately led to the formation of Woman's MIssionary Union, for which she served as the first corresponding secretary.
Annie believed in Christ with all her heart, but it was her hands that expressed that belief in tangible ways. She spent a great amount of time typing and handwriting letters in support of missions. Many of these letters were quite lengthy and all were filled with conviction that more could and should be done in our mission efforts. In 1893 alone, she wrote almost 18,000 letters! Annie also never hesitated to use her hands to reach out to hug a child or distribute food and clothing and the Word of God to those in need. Her hands held her own Bible as she studied to know how best to share God's love with others. And, most important, Annie was a woman of prayer, folding her hands in prayer to intercede for the missionaries and for those they were helping in Christ.
Annie rallied churches to give more, pray more, and do more for reaching people for Christ. As we continue to make her vision a reality in North America today, we can be confident that her legacy will also be ours.