SALT LAKE CITY (BP)–Alan G. Medders made his debut as the newly elected president of the Woman’s Missionary Union Foundation during a donors dinner June 8, held in conjunction with the WMU annual meeting in Salt Lake City. Medders officially assumes the position July 6. Medders comes to WMU from Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn., where he has been director of church relations since 1995. In this role, Medders has served as a development officer for the college and as a liaison with the Tennessee Baptist Convention. Darold Morgan, chair of trustees for the WMU Foundation, said Medders’ skills and experience in development for nonprofit agencies make him especially qualified for the WMU Foundation presidency. In addition, Morgan noted, “He has a deep commitment to the goals of Woman’s Missionary Union. He feels that there is an extraordinary opportunity for WMU to succeed in building an endowment to support its mission and ministries.” Medders echoed that belief in his comments before nearly 100 donors who attended the dinner in Salt Lake City. Noting a paradigm shift in charitable giving to organizations that are decentralized, Medders said, “WMU is already decentralized. Its roots are founded and grounded in the lay leadership across the states and around the world.” But, he noted, the success of the foundation will depend on the commitment of members and friends of WMU. “The treasure is within us,” he said. “Members and friends of WMU must begin to take responsibility for the organization’s future. They must make sure the future is bright, the future is certain and the future is secure for the work of Christian education and missions training and support for all time. We have the responsibility to carry on the work of this great organization. Prior to the position at Carson-Newman, Medders was director of the nonprofit division of Diamond Displays International in Birmingham, Ala. He also has been a pastor of two churches in Kentucky and the associate pastor/minister of youth for a church in Alabama. An Alabama native, Medders holds a bachelor’s degree from Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., and the master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky. He and his wife, Denise, have two daughters. The WMU Foundation can be reached at P.O. Box 11346, Birmingham, AL 35202-1346; phone (205) 408-5525; and e-mail, [email protected].
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*Name changed for security concerns.
