OUR HISTORY
All disciples or believers are called and charged with this mission; It involves the entire church. Therefore, the Woman’s Baptist Home and Foreign Missionary Convention is a part of the visible church involved in the call to mission and also becomes a missionary through its constituency—baptized believers of Christ.
In the year 1884, some North Carolina Missionary Baptist women felt the call to mission and responded by banding themselves together under the leadership of the late Reverend Dr. Henry Martin Tupper (himself an American Baptist Missionary, founder, and first president of Shaw University, Raleigh, North Carolina), and formed this convention. In 1946, this convention assumed the position of Auxiliary to the General Baptist State Convention. Among some founders was Mrs. N.F. Roberts, Mrs. Hattie E. Shepard, Miss Helen Jackson, Mrs. Sallie A. Mial, and Mrs. B.E. Green. (For a history of the convention, see History of the Woman’s Baptist Home and Foreign Missionary Convention of North Carolina, and One Hundred Years of Continuous Service.)
These saintly and dedicated women, along with other noblewomen of the past, extended their hands far and near through missions, and it is now that Baptist women, having received this great and Godly legacy, must add to the gift and keep the torch lighted by involving themselves in Christ’s mission through missions. The convention exists to organize and improve participation in local churches’ missionary circles by inspiring fellowship, spiritual growth, and unity in purpose.
Since its beginning, the Woman’s Baptist Home and Foreign Missionary Convention’s grown tremendously. Very early in the organizational plan, the leaders saw the need to educate the children in the churches in Christian and missionary education. Therefore, the Junior Department organized in 1924. As this department grew with many children of different ages, they changed the name to Junior-Young People’s Department. By the 1960s, it had involved teenagers in larger numbers. It was then that the leaders changed the name to Youth Department in 1971. The Youth Department has served as an ever-growing asset to the work of the convention.
In 1964, the Convention took another visionary step that proved to be progressive. They organized the Young Adult Department for those ages 21 through 35 to bridge the gap between the existing seniors and youth. This department of talented and spiritual young adults has made a deep impact on the churches’ activities around the state, and the Woman’s Convention has profited by this dynamic move.
We have trained many young persons and young adults through the Woman’s Convention, and many are making significant contributions in missionary and Christian Education.
*The images below are the Executive Board and Committee of 1984 celebrating 100 years of faithful Christian Service.
WHAT WE DO
OUR HISTORY
To set forth the purpose of the church and is the church’s priority. The main reason for the church’s existence is to introduce people to Christ and assist them in establishing a personal relationship with Him.
Mission refers to the total Biblical assignment of the church of Jesus Christ. It includes the upward, inward, and outward ministries of the church. It is the church as “sent” (such as a pilgrim, witness, prophet, as salt, as light) in this world. As followers of Christ, we are sent to present the gospel of Jesus Christ for the conversion of unbelievers or non-believers, making them believers in Him. It is a Christian’s life-time journey in the world—telling the story of Jesus. As members of a missionary circle and church, our mission is to put our trust in Him. Mission gives every Christian an opportunity to work.
MISSIONS
Is the method or implementation of the mission of Christians. It is the activity of the people of God in proclaiming and demonstrating God’s Kingdom.
Involvement in missions is the responsibility of each Christian. Congregations need to engage in services that meet the needs of the people within the community, the nation, and the world. Missions is the sending forth of persons with authority to witness for Christ. In a Missionary Baptist Church, missions take a Christian beyond the borders of the New Testament Church and her immediate gospel influence to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in gospel-destitute areas; to win converts from other faiths or non-faiths to Christ; and to establish a functioning, multiplying local congregations who will bear fruit of Christianity. Churches engage in missions by helping spread the gospel wherever it is needed, at home or abroad; by word and deed. As we respond to God’s mission, we engage in missions.
MISSION EDUCATION
Involves teaching people about God and the meaning of the Christian life. Its object is to help people become aware of God through His word and to respond to Him through Jesus Christ.
The Woman’s Convention makes provision for mission education through her teaching ministry. Mission study books are recommended annually. Certified teachers are stationed throughout the state to teach the mission study books and correlate the text with the program and ministry of the Woman’s Convention.
A MISSIONARY
is a term given to a Christian messenger who has a message from God and is sent forth by divine authority for the definite purpose of evangelism.
The word “missionary” comes from the Latin word “mitto” “send,” and is related to the New Testament “apostello”—“to send.”
Traditionally, a missionary is conceived as one who makes it a vocation and goes to a far country to help make Christians. They are “sent.” It is the sending that makes the difference. It is person-to-person work with much dependence on the resourcefulness of the individual. Today, the concept can be broadened to include the entire church or every believer. It is each Christian’s responsibility to reach out in service and love to meet the needs of others.
As members of the Woman’s Baptist Home and Foreign Missionary Convention, we are missionaries because we have been sent Biblically to spread the gospel. Local churches have joined together in a convention to pool their resources, skills, talents, and time en-masse so as to do the most good for the most needed.
The missionary circle of the local church is an organized auxiliary of the church with the responsibility of learning and teaching how to win the lost of Christ. It helps the church teach missions. Some ways this may be done are:
By studying the Bible as the basic guide for missions.
By reading missionary books and other Christian literature for further clarification.
By studying hymnology for an understanding of the Word through lyrics and music.
Through stewardship by being a trustee of our lives, time, talents, and resources.
Through witnessing and evangelism so as to tell the gospel story.
Through personal service to others for the edification to Christ for others at home and abroad.
Through visitation to the sick, shut-in, the imprisoned, backsliders, and the unsaved or unchurched.
Through sharing our resources so that those who will go to foreign fields can go, and those at home will know that we have been with Jesus by our acts of service to others.
By cooperating with conventions believing that in unity there is strength.
Some Christians are felt called to become a foreign missionary.
Others have not experienced any special “call” but feel spiritually led to becoming volunteers for missions (as in the circle) and have been characterized as A Mind through which Christ thinks. A Heart through which Christ loves A Voice through which Christ speaks A Hand through which Christ helps.
* The call of God should lead us to the deepest humiliation as well as to the most daring courage until we can joyfully say with Paul, “I will most gladly spend and be spent for souls.” George W. Peers, A Biblical Theology of Missions. The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, 1972. Being the Church in Missions.