A network of women
NABWU LOOKS TO THE FUTURE:
CREATING NEW NETWORKS FOR MINISTRY
When NABWU’s officers met to discern where God is leading NABWU for the next five years, we looked at the many issues that confront Baptist women—issues such as youth at risk, human trafficking and prostitution, poverty, abuse in many forms, women in prison, refugees, and sharing our faith in a secular society.
We realized there are Baptist women of all ages who are developing creative, Christ-based approaches to these issues--but that these women may be scattered across our constituency, unaware that others share their passion and call.
We’ve begun to identify and affirm these leaders and to connect them into networks through which they equip and encourage each other. Our goal is not only to help them minister more effectively in their own spheres, but also to increase the collective effectiveness of NAWBU and its member bodies. We hope that future NABWU events, such as our 2012 Assembly, will be energizing gatherings of women from these ministry networks.
Martha Turner-Riddick, NABWU’s vice-president of leadership and mentoring, has asked the presidents of our member bodies to help find these leaders--emerging or experienced, young or mature women who have turned their passion about a particular issue into constructive action. We’re looking for more women like Donna Forster and Michelle Miller (above), two Canadians who are doing exemplary ministries to women in prostitution. Their stories were featured in the 2008 NABWU Tie.
NABWU MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS
Women’s Missionary Union, Baptist Convention of Guyana
President: Margaret McKend
American Baptist Women’s Ministries, American Baptist Churches in USA
President: Barbara Anderson
Executive: Virginia Holmstrom
www.abwministries.org
Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec
President: Carol Sollows
Executive: Brenda Mann
www.baptistwomen.com
Women in Focus, Canadian Baptists of Western Canada
President: Moreen Sharp
Executive: Faye Reynolds
www.womeninfocus.org
General Baptist Women’s Ministries, Inc.
President: Robin Smith
Executive: Patti Thornton
www.generalbaptist.com then click Women's Ministries
Senior Woman’s Missionary Union, Auxiliary to National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.
President: Alice Thomas
www.nbca-inc.com/aux01_seniorwomen.html
Atlantic Baptist Women
President: Linda Scott
Executive: Marilyn Steeves
www.atlanticbaptistwomen.ca
Senior Woman’s Auxiliary, National Missionary Baptist Convention of America
President: Bertha L. Williams
www.nmbca.com/Auxiliaries.htm
Woman’s Convention, (The) Auxiliary to National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
President: Hugh Dell Gatewood
www.nationalbaptist.com/Index.cfm?FuseAction=Page&PageID=1000071
Woman’s Missionary Union, Auxiliary to Southern Baptist Convention
President: Kaye Miller
Executive: Wanda S. Lee
www.wmu.com
Women’s Auxiliary, Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Missions Convention, Inc.
President: Ida Baker Finney
www.lottcarey.org/womens-auxiliary
Women’s Department, Progressive National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
President: Arabella Rich
www.pnbc.org/Departments/womensdepartment.htm
Women’s Division, Russian-Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Union (RUBU)
President: Elena Gaponov
Women’s Ministries, Converge Worldwide (Baptist General Conference)
www.scene3.org/content/category/9/115/168/
Women’s Ministries, Union of Latvian Baptists in America
President: Benita Ukstins
www.latvianbaptistsinamerica.org/masu_apvieniba_en.html
Women’s Ministry, North American Baptist Conference
Contact: Grace Elke
www.nabconference.org/pages.asp?pageid=642
Women’s Society, Seventh Day Baptist General Conference
President: Althea Rood
www.seventhdaybaptist.org/7DB/Women's_BoardSCSC_EN.asp?SnID=762265398
January 2010
NABWU networks women in 17 Baptist member organizations in Canada, the United States, and Guyana. The president and executive staff of each organization (below right), along with our six officers, serve on the NABWU executive board, which meets annually.
NABWU is one of seven Continental Unions that make up the Baptist World Alliance Women’s Department:
Baptist Women's Union of Africa
Caribbean Baptist Women's Union
European Baptist Women's Union
Latin American Baptist Women's Union
North American Baptist Women's Union
Baptist Women's Union of the South West Pacific
Baptist women in 132 countries and 229 national Baptist women's organizations are affiliated with the BWA Women's Department through these Continental Unions.
Pray for Haiti
All over the world, people cried out to God for victims of the January 12 the earthquake in Haiti. North American Baptist women have a particular kinship with our Haitian sisters, for we are Prayer Partners with the Caribbean Baptist Women’s Union. Two Haitian groups are part of this union: Les Dames Dorcas d'Haiti and Association des Femmes, Convention Baptiste de Haïti.Let us continue to pray those who are rebuilding this devastated country and for our Haitian sisters who are recovering from great loss.
Baptist World Aid dispatched financial aid and rescue workers to Haiti. News reports are posted on the BWA website.