NEW ORLEANS (BP)–Author and speaker Rhonda Kelley, Baptist World Alliance President Billy Kim and missions professor Daniel Sanchez will highlight the June 10-11 WMU Annual Meeting and Missions Celebration at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
The yearly gathering of WMU members and guests will be held on Sunday and Monday prior to the Southern Baptist Convention’s June 12-13 annual meeting. Sessions begin at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon and conclude Monday evening. The meeting will develop the theme, “Beyond Belief.”
The event carries a $25 registration fee for all participants. The fee covers admission to all sessions and a special gift. Ministers’ wives who register also will receive a copy of Kelley’s new book, “A Woman’s Guide to True Contentment.”
Along with five plenary sessions, the WMU event will include a conference track. Participants may attend three one-hour conferences on a variety of topics, including Bible study, WMU ministries and programming, spiritual growth and the work of North American and international missionaries.
Conference leaders will include several WMU and New Hope authors including Kelley, Barbara Joiner, Minette Drumwright, Sarah Groves, Cathy Butler and Andrea Mullins.
Participants also are invited to bring items to donate to New Orleans-area missions centers operated by Southern Baptists. Items needed include socks, resealable plastic bags, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, disposable razors and men’s deodorant.
Kelley, wife of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelley, will speak Sunday afternoon. Since 1989, she has been the host of “A Word for Women,” a weekly half-hour broadcast on a local Christian radio station and cable network that addresses topics of interest to women. She also teaches classes at New Orleans Seminary on women’s ministries.
Among her writings are “Divine Discipline: How to Develop and Maintain Self-Control,” “Don’t Miss the Blessing,” “Life Lessons from Women of the Bible” and the Woman’s Guide Series of Bible studies, which currently includes studies of Spiritual Wellness (Colossians), Personal Holiness and True Contentment. She also was managing editor and contributor to “The Woman’s Study Bible.”
Kim will speak Sunday evening. He is pastor of the 15,000-member Central Baptist Church in Suwon, Korea. He also directs Christian Service, Inc., and Far East Broadcasting Company, and serves with Youth for Christ, directing the work in Korea and East Asia.
Kim was elected BWA president in January 2000. In this role, he presides over the Baptist World Congress, held every five years, and the BWA General Council and executive committee. He works to strengthen the program of BWA through messages and visits to Baptists around the world.
The 50-voice Korean Children’s Choir will perform prior to Kim’s address. The choir is a ministry of the Far East Broadcasting Company.
Bible studies during each session will be lead by Daniel Sanchez, professor of missions and director for the Scarborough Institute of Church Growth at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
Prior to joining the seminary faculty in 1983, Sanchez and his family served as missionaries in Panama. Earlier, he worked in language missions with the Home Mission Board (now North American Mission Board) and in missions and evangelism with the Baptist Convention of New York.
In addition to these speakers, Southern Baptist international missionaries and International Mission Board President Jerry Rankin will be featured in the Sunday evening session. North American missionaries and North American Mission Board President Robert E. Reccord will be featured in the Monday morning and afternoon sessions.
WMU President Janet Hoffman of Farmerville, La., will speak during the Monday morning session and WMU Executive Director Wanda S. Lee will direct a Discover the Joy of Missions Celebration in the Sunday evening session.
Each session will feature theme interpretations by former WMU Executive Director Dellanna O’Brien of Birmingham, Ala., and Barbara Joiner of Columbiana, Ala. The women are authors of WMU’s emphasis books Beyond Belief! Vol. 1 and Beyond Belief, Vol. 2, respectively.
Musicians for the event are a family trio of twin sisters Beth Crawford of Charleston, S.C., and Gay Howard, Sumpter, S.C., and their cousin Adair Rogers of Clinton S.C.
For registration information, call 1-888-968-0322 or visit www.wmu.com/annualmeeting.html.
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(BP) photos posted in the BP Photo Library at https://www.bpnews.net. Photo titles: RHONDA KELLEY and BILLY KIM.
*Name changed for security concerns.
