[1]TALLADEGA, Ala. (BP)—A total of $108,740 in grants to support women’s leadership development and missions endeavors across the United States and abroad has been awarded by the WMU Foundation.
WMU’s executive board approved $88,000 in various grants from the foundation’s Second Century Fund and an additional $20,740 in scholarships and other grants during the board’s Jan. 13–16 meeting at Shocco Springs Conference Center in Talladega, Ala.
Managed by the WMU Foundation, the Second Century Fund was created in 1988 as WMU celebrated its centennial. Its purpose is to provide funds during WMU’s second century of missions work by supporting women’s leadership development in the United States and abroad. Among this year’s Second Century Fund grants are $4,000 to support the Jamaica Baptist Women’s Federation and $6,000 for Korean pastors’ wives retreat planning.
Additional Second Century Fund grants, awarded by state or province and dollar amount, are: Alaska, $4,500; California, $3,500; Colorado, $1,000; Dakotas, $4,000; Hawaii, $5,000; Indiana, $4,500; Iowa, $1,500; Kansas/Nebraska, $3,500; Michigan, $3,500; Minnesota/Wisconsin, $3,500; Missouri, $2,500; Nevada, $4,500; New England, $4,000; New York, $3,300; Northwest, $5,200; Ohio, $3,500; Pennsylvania/South Jersey, $3,000; Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, $6,000; Utah/Idaho, $4,500; West Virginia, $3,500; and Wyoming, $3,500.
The WMU Foundation awarded more than $20,000 through the Missions Education Endowment, which provides funds and scholarships to Baptist women or Baptist entities for missions work and missions education. In addition to scholarships for three individual students, grants went to a variety of projects including an Angel Tree Camp in Pennsylvania; outreach seminars by Arab Woman Today Ministries in Jordan; and leadership workshops in Jamaica through the Jamaica Baptist Women’s Federation.
“One of the most difficult tasks we have at the WMU Foundation is determining who receives the grants, awards and scholarships we have available each year,” WMU Foundation President David George said. “We could not do this without the dedicated work of WMU’s endowment committee who considered over 50 worthy requests for financial support. Every year I come away blessed to be part of the process of fulfilling God’s work and determined to raise additional funds to be able to meet the needs of such important missions and ministry efforts.”
[2]The WMU Foundation also has allocated a $35,000 inaugural grant from its Joy Fund to enable WMU to make much-needed technology upgrades to its national office.
WMU created the Joy Fund in 2004 upon recommendation from its Vision 2010 Task Force. By the year 2010, one of WMU’s goals is to communicate missions information and opportunities by utilizing cutting-edge technology. As a “flexible endowment,” the Joy Fund can meet current WMU operating and capital needs while also retaining funds for future growth.
“We are overjoyed to have this gift from the Joy Fund that will enable us at the national office to purchase new computers and other technological equipment,” said Wanda S. Lee, WMU executive director/treasurer. “This generous gift from the WMU Foundation will greatly enhance our work and create time efficiencies as we seek to engage even more churches in missions education and involvement. We are grateful for the partnership of David George as WMU Foundation president and his board members who wholeheartedly support the mission of WMU.”
George noted, “It seemed more than appropriate for the first grant from the Joy Fund to be in support of one of the key objectives and recommendations coming from the task force. I am amazed that after only two years of existence, the Joy Fund was large enough to provide a grant to meet all of WMU’s technology-related capital requests for 2007. I encourage others to help us meet new needs by giving generously to the Joy Fund.”
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For more information about funds, endowments and scholarships held by the WMU Foundation, call 1-877-482-4483 toll-free or visit www.wmufoundation.com. The foundation’s address is 100 Missionary Ridge, Birmingham, AL 35242.