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National Acteens Panel named by WMU

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP)–Finding teenagers who have a passion for serving others can be a challenge in today’s culture. For members of Acteens, however, serving the Lord through missions and genuinely loving others is a lifestyle.

Each year, national WMU selects six young women to represent the missions organization and serve on the National Acteens Panel. The panelists are selected for their dedication to Christ and missions, as well as their leadership and service in their church, school and community.

The six 2011 National Acteens Panelists are Kianni Curry and Cassie Taylor, both of University Hills Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C.; Julia Jones of Westview Baptist Church in Shiloh, Ill.; Ashten Metcalf of Lihue Baptist Church in Lihue, Hawaii; Andrea Niles of Fifth Street Baptist Church in Key West, Fla.; and Taylor Townsend of First Baptist Church in Jackson, Miss.

Acteens is the Woman’s Missionary Union missions organization for young women in grades 7–12, teaching them how to lead missional lifestyles and engaging them in ministry opportunities locally, nationally and internationally.

The 2011 National Acteens Panelists serve from Feb. 1 to Dec. 31. The WMU Foundation awards each of the young women a $1,000 scholarship from the Jessica Powell Loftis Endowment for Acteens.

The panelists will be featured at the WMU Missions Celebration and Annual Meeting in Phoenix, June 12–13, where they will have the opportunity to interact with missionaries and missions leaders from around the world. This year, the panelists also will have significant roles at Blume, a missions event for teen girls and collegiate young women July 13-16 in Orlando, Fla., during which the six Acteens will have program responsibilities in all of Blume’s general sessions.

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Members of the National Acteens Panel may be requested to speak at church, associational and state Acteens and WMU meetings and events. And they will have opportunity to write for The Mag, the missions magazine for Acteens, and for the Acteens website, www.wmu.com/student, while also working as a focus group throughout the year to shape the future of Acteens.

WMU also has recognized seven additional Acteens as 2011 National Top Teens for their involvement in missions: Hayley Baxley of Galeed Baptist Church in Bladenboro, N.C.; Kendra Bollinger of First Baptist Church in Jackson, Mo.; Alex Dubberly of First Baptist Church in Amarillo, Texas; Manuela DelRosario, Marisol Sandoval and Melissa Vallejo, all of Freeman Heights Baptist Church in Garland, Texas; and Kayla Tomlin of Living Faith Baptist Church in Hartford, Ky.

Applications for the 2012 National Acteens Panel are available on the Acteens website, www.wmu.com/students, and in the fall issue of Acteens Leader. All applications are due to WMU headquarters by Dec. 1, 2011.

For more information on Acteens, visit www.wmu.com/students.
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Cara Beasley, a senior journalism and mass communication student at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., is serving as an intern at WMU during the spring semester.