About Women's Missionary Union

 

The Women’s Missionary union of the First Baptist Church, Lagos was started after the meeting of the Nigerian Baptist Convention on March 14, 1919, where Adeotan Agbebi was appointed the First President of the WMU. Two members of the First Baptist Church; Miss Janet Fadipe and Mama Hannah Williams were present at the Inauguration service where they were charged to continue the WMU in their individual churches.
The Women’s Missionary Union is the most important women organization in all Baptist Churches as it is one of the conditions for the recognition of a standard and fully fledged Baptist Church.

The aims of WMU are:-

1.     To stimulate private and public prayer

2.     To stimulate daily reading of God’s word (The Bible)

3.     To spread the gospel among people

4.     To encourage stewardship, personal service and giving to the needy and working in the Vine yard.

The WMU is saddled with the spiritual development of children and women in all Baptist Churches.
The WMU comprises four organizations:
1. Women’s missionary union (WMU) which comprises married women only.
2. Lydia Auxiliary (For girls age 16 and above/until married)
3. Girls Auxiliary (This comprises of two groups)
a. Junior age: 10-12
b. Intermediate age: 13-16
4. Sunbeam band (This comprises of two groups)
a. Beginners class ages: 4-6
b. Primary class ages: 13-16
The WMU is the Overall head/Supervisor.

WMU’s unwavering focus is making disciples of Jesus who live on mission.

We carry out this mission by

·         providing missions discipleship resources for churches and individuals,

·         offering opportunities to engage with compassion ministries, and

·         Equipping people through leadership development experiences.

WHAT GUIDES WMU?

WMU IS

·         Biblically rooted
Scripture guides us in knowing God, His ways, His character, His mission, His redemptive acts, and His purpose for the church.

·         Missions focused
Jesus commissioned His disciples to proclaim the good news disciple people of all nations, and teach them to live out the truths He taught.

·         Church based
Jesus gave the church authority to act on His behalf. Teaching all ages prepares the church to fulfill His mission.

·         World aware
God is always at work among all peoples, and we join Him where we discern He is calling us.

·         Denominationally supportive
No one church can do alone what many churches can do together. Our voluntary cooperation extends the missions reach of the local church. 

WHAT IS WMU’S STORY?

WMU, an auxiliary of the Southern Baptist Convention, began 133 years ago in the hearts of visionary leaders to pray and systematically raise money for missions. 

Since that time, WMU has helped lead Southern Baptist churches across the country to give $6.6 billion through the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering—efforts begun by WMU to support missionaries. 

WMU’s unwavering focus on making disciples of Jesus who live on mission happens through missions discipleship, leadership development, and compassion ministries, with kingdom impact in every state and 39 countries.

Based in Birmingham, Alabama, national WMU is not a part of the Cooperative Program allocation budget and receives no funds from the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering or Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. National WMU is supported through the sale of magazines and products and from investments and charitable contributions.

 

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About Girls Auxiliary

 

One of the pioneers of the Girls’ Auxiliary work in WMU of Nigeria was Mrs. Carson (SBC missionary). In 1922, she gathered girls who were too old for the Sunbeam Band to form Girls’ Association which was later changed to Girls’ Auxiliary the same year. Few officers were elected among them to lead: Miss Grace Emokpae (later Mrs. Sagie) who was one of their leaders then.  In Ogbomoso, Miss Young also promoted girls who were too old for the Sunbeam Band to GAs. They were meeting once in a month on Sundays and later the enrolment grew to 22. Only two or three could read and there was no literature organized by Mrs. Carson. The main programe was to act Bible stories.

In 1924, there were nine (9) Girls’ Auxiliary in Ijora, Awe, Ode-Omu, Ibadan, Iresi, Ikire, Abeokuta Girls’ School, Igbajo and  Ogbomoso with enrolment of 149. Fifty-six of them could read the Bible. The Girls’ Auxiliary organization was officially recognised as a part of WMU family in 1925. The theme for that year was Thirty-five Events in the Life of Christ, though had the same hymn and watchword with the Young Women’s Association— O Zion Haste and Daniel 12:3, respectively. The watchword “Arise, shine:  for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1) for that year becomes the G.A. permanent watchword.

    This is an organization for girls who love Christ and want to serve Him and be a part of His great missionary movement around the world. Its purpose is in two-fold:

·         To develop the missionary zeal and response of Christian girls.

·         To bring girls together for worldwide service for Christ.

Girls’ Auxiliary is for girls between the ages of 10 and 16. In every church, preaching station and schools where it is possible to do so, the girls are organized into Junior and Intermediate groups. The Junior Girls’ Auxiliary group includes girls whose ages are 10, 11 and 12; the intermediate ages are 13, 14, 15 and 16. Each organization has its own officers. Each group meets in a separate place for its weekly meetings. 

The Girls’ Auxiliary was officially organized by the Women’s Missionary Union as an important member of the WMU family in 1925.

In 1940 forward step work was introduced. It was planned for girls who are interested in growing spiritually and participating in missionary activities. The steps involve memorizing certain passages of the scripture, collecting missionary information, understanding the teachings of the scriptures, reading mission study books, writing, sewing, camping, visiting mission houses, carrying out varied activities and doing other challenging things. The steps are seven in number: Maiden, Lady-in-Waiting, Princess, Queen, Queen-with-scepter, Queen Regent and Queen-in-service.

In all the Forward steps requirements, each girl must do her own work because it is she who is trying to learn. She must complete one step before she proceeds to another. She cannot do two steps at a time. A GA should not just memorize, read or study but she should understand the meaning of the information given and be able to put it into her own words. She should see how she can benefit from each step and not do it just for the award. When Forward Steps are well done, the GA has a sense of achievement. The Counsellor will only assist the GA; she will never do the work for her.

Girls’ Auxiliary Star Ideals are five:

·         Abiding in Him through prayer

·         Advancing in wisdom by Bible study

·         Acknowledging My Stewardship (Giving)

·         Adorning Myself with Good Works (personal service)

·         Accepting the Challenge of the Great Commission (Mission study)

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