Celebration of Missions challenges women to reflect on ‘faces’ who have never heard

MELBOURNE (FBC)—Testifying to the cost of being a true “Christ Follower,” speakers at the April 15-16 Celebration of Missions related stories of personal sacrifice, moving nine persons to accept Christ while others publicly committed to increased missions involvement.

With one question, Janet Hoffman, national Women's Missionary Union (WMU) president, stirred the hearts of the 550 women attending the meeting at First Baptist Church, Melbourne, as she asked: “How do you follow Christ in the real world?”

Developing the theme “Christ Followers” based on Luke 9:23, Hoffman repeated variations of that key question to emphasize the importance of following Christ through learning, praying, giving and doing. 

She challenged the women to reflect on the “faces” of people within their communities and in the nations where they have never heard the name of Jesus.

“How do you share Christ’s love with all the different faces about you?” she asked.

With poetic articulation, Hoffman aimed attention toward sharing God’s love with people of different “voices” and even unto the voiceless, helpless and hopeless.

How do you share Christ’s love with “Haitian voices or the Oriental, African and Arabic voices?” she asked. “How do you share His love with those who can hear no voice at all?”

Using examples of women of the Old and New Testaments, those who helped lay the foundations of WMU and contemporaries of the missions organization, Hoffman claimed one way to share God’s “redemptive mission is for ordinary people to enlighten one heart at a time as they learn of His love.”

Using the example of Lottie Moon, an early missionary to China who prayed for the financial support to send three missionaries to her aid in China, Hoffman noted that God still answers Moon’s prayer through the annual offering for international missions taken in her name.

Given the opportunity to further international missions through that offering, a teenager named Julie modeled sacrificial giving as she donated money she intended for the purchase of her senior graduation ring. “Understanding that Christ gave His all motivates us to follow with extravagant giving,” said Hoffman.

But even “while truly radical involvement involves our pockets and purses, Biblical stewardship includes giving of time and talents as well as that of treasure,” Hoffman added.

To exhibit “tireless and consistent gifts of time and talents,” Hoffman highlighted Florida Baptists’ own Clyde Maguire who served alongside her husband, John, during his 23 years as executive secretary-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention.

Until her death at age 94, Maguire was active in Florida WMU and remained an advocate for the state mission offering begun by the women’s mission group in the mid 1930’s to minister to the Seminole Indians. Today the offering benefits 20 Florida Baptist ministries.

“As long as there are people who have never heard the name of Jesus, as long as local churches need resources to lead members to be on mission; and, as long as missionaries depend on our prayerful and financial support, we must continue to be radically involved in the mission of God,” Hoffman said.

“The world is in darkness, we must reflect the light of Christ’s love by radical learning, radical praying, radical giving and radical doing in Jesus’ name,” she concluded.

Cindy Goodwin, director of the Convention’s Women’s Missions and Ministries Department also addressed the women. Using an acrostic based on the theme “Christ Followers,” Goodwin urged the women to “respond radically” to challenges presented throughout the meeting.

“Respond with a quick ‘yes’ and join with others who have committed to being true ‘Christ Followers,’” Goodwin said.

The women did respond. A total of 108 decisions were made ranging from salvation, rededication, prayer pledges and commitments to participate or help someone participate in missions over the next year.

Other speakers included missionaries from West Africa, Venezuela and the Brevard Baptist Association’s Space Coast Seaport.

Each session began with scripture reading by a 2004-2005 Acteens panelist and a dramatic interpretation of the theme presented by Irma Moss of Orlando.

Panelist Alison Henderson presented a speech on the impact of WMU and missions on her life.

During the business session, Clysta de Armas was reelected as the state WMU president.

An offering collected to benefit a new disaster relief childcare unit totaled $2,211. The unit, based out of Panama City, was used during the 2004 hurricanes to set up childcare stations in the state’s most devastated cities.

Another $1,614 was given to help buy magazines for international missionaries and to help cover the travel costs of missionary “kids” who will attend a special re-entry retreat in Colorado later this year.

The retreat is designed to help young people preparing to enter the United States after living abroad most of their lives.