nineteen hundred and forty-six - Amazon Web Services

WOMAN'S MISSIONARY UNION
COVERING CALENDAR YEAR OF 1945
"We've a Story to Tell to the Nations"
Realizing that both the Old and New Testaments tell thrilling stories of
the power of music in the promotion of the Kingdom of God, it has long been
the custom of Woman's Missionary Union to adopt an annual hymn for the
united use of its organizations among the women and young people in* southern
Baptist churches. The one selected for this year seems exceptionally timely—
"We've a story to tell to the nations,
That shall turn their hearts to the right:
A story of truth and sweetness,
A story of peace and light!"
The many missionary teachings of this hymn are herewith used to set forth
the Union's work during the past calendar year.
"THE PATH or SORROW"
Scarcely had a quarter of the year passed when the summons, "Come up
higher," came to the Union's president, Mrs. F. W. Armstrong. For twelve
years she had led the Union with exceptional ability, even as for eighteen years
she had served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist
Convention. Her departure was a great loss also to the Baptist World
Alliance, on several committees of which she rendered distinguished service
while she was the Union's president. The last of these international undertakings
was her enthusiastic approval of the plan to send individual boxes of
food and clothing to suffering Baptists in Italy. So heartily did she endorse
the plan that she got it recommended by the Union's Executive Committee
and other W.M.U. leaders as an immediate opportunity for our members to
demonstrate the "story of peace" in behalf of Italians. By her thoughtful
editorials she explained the plan in our widely circulated Royal Service; in her
home she gathered the members of her own society for the packing of many
of the relief boxes. We love to think that up in Heaven she has learned of
the Italian Baptists' gratitude not only for the boxes she personally provided
but also for the well-nigh countless others made possible by her endorsement
and enthusiasm. Likewise she may now know that" such benevolence is blessing
Baptists of Jugoslavia too.
"A STORY or TRUTH AND SWEETNESS"
One of the most encouraging by-products of the relief boxes to Italy has
been the increasing interest in W.M.U. work in the Baptist churches there.
The current report of the Foreign Mission Board will doubtless record this
"story of truth and sweetness" as well as that of progress in countless other way?
on the many mission fields. Through the years it has been the custom of
Woman's Missionary Union to promote concerted study of books revealing
mission facts and challenges. Last year shows a gain of 2431 in a total of
52,699 mission study classes for W.M.U. organizations, the gain being all the
more gratifying because it was almost evenly divided among the women and
young people. It is certain that at least 2598 of the classes were held by the
A-l Woman's Missionary Societies, since no society can be A-l unless it holds
at least two mission study classes during the year. However, it is safe to
say that a majority of the A-l societies have circles, even as it is definitely
known that a vast number of less standardized societies do, and that it is a
rather general policy to promote mission study through the circles. There
are 14,327 circles, it being often true that one society has ten or more; knowing
that many circles have at least one mission study class each a year, it is
easy to calculate ten such classes for a certain society and thus realize that
many of the mission study classes were [474]
held in such societies and that a host
\ of other \ societies last year failed to increase their members' knowledge of the
"story of truth" that is graphically set forth in mission books.