SBC Life Articles by Trennis Henderson

HENDERSON, Texas (BP) -- When a woman comes to see Christie Gambrell at Christian Women's Job Corps in Rusk County, Texas, she may be looking for help getting her GED or learning English. But that's not all she will get. "At CWJC," Gambrell said, "We help meet the felt needs of women as we help them find their true worth through Jesus."

Ann Lawrence, manager of Farmington Conference Center in rural Maine, knows the eternal difference that camp can make in the lives of young people.

RICHMOND, Va. (BP) -- As a member of Woman's Missionary Union of Virginia's Hope Team: Domestic Violence, Jocelyn Henry-Whitehead emphasizes that "domestic violence or intimate partner violence is really a global issue." As she seeks to help others break the cycle of domestic violence through awareness and education, she has participated in several conferences and mission trips across the U.S. and in Kenya, Rwanda, South Korea and Spain.

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (BP) -- For these Girls in Action, learning about global missions from GA leader Rosalie Hunt is a definite perk; in fact, she literally wrote the book on the history of Woman's Missionary Union. Rosalie and her husband Bob are retired Southern Baptist missionaries now living in Guntersville, Ala., having served 30 years in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Myanmar, South Asia, Australia and the Philippines.

MONTPELIER, Vt. (BP) -- In sharing stories about missions and missionaries with enthusiastic preschoolers, Kathryn Nunnelley began to sense God's call in her own heart. She took note of stories "about just regular families who were on mission," Nunnelley recalled of her Mission Friends involvement. "It just really started stirring my heart that my family could also be on mission" by "living out our faith" in a way that could stir people's hearts to find Jesus.

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (BP) -- How important is an engaging missions education experience for youth? According to Candi Mains and her sister, Linda Bradley, it makes a tremendous difference in young people's missions interest and involvement -- both today and in the future. Mains, who serves as family life director at Fruitland Baptist Church in Hendersonville, N.C., and Bradley, who served with her husband for more than 25 years as volunteer youth directors, recently helped launch the church's Youth on Mission program.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) -- Declaring that "the story of my life cannot be told without Acteens," Sandy Wisdom-Martin welcomed current and former Acteens and leaders from across the nation to an Acteens for Life dinner June 7. The event at national Woman's Missionary Union headquarters in Birmingham, Ala., kicked off Acteens' 50th anniversary celebration.

NEW YORK CITY (BP) -- For Carmen, Diega, Emily and Johanna, serving as WorldCrafts artisans in New York City's South Bronx has made a lasting impact. The same is true for Gloria and her mother Maria who are improving their English skills through one-on-one tutoring and mentoring. A ministry named Graffiti 2 Works is imparting hope and faith into their lives as part of Graffiti 2 Community Ministries, which has had a presence in the Bronx since 2005, and the Christian Women's Job Corps outreach of national Woman's Missionary Union.

RICHMOND, Va.(BP) -- A small group of volunteers gathers two nights a month in south Richmond, Va., to walk a mile-long strip of the city and minister to prostitutes and others they cross paths with along the way. The volunteers meet in the parking lot of a nearby fast-food restaurant about 11 p.m. for a brief time of orientation and prayer before heading out two by two along a street dotted with aging motels, used car lots and the occasional pawnshop or tattoo parlor. Some might say this isn't your typical Woman's Missionary Union (WMU) ministry project.

BENTON, Ark. (BP) -- Missions has been pivotal to Diana Lewis' life for almost as long as she can remember. As a member of Girls Auxiliary (now Girls in Action) during her grade school years, she recalls the life-changing influence of Muriel Smith, her GA leader at Elmdale Baptist Church in Springdale, Ark.