by Norma Gunter
Ladies start now to make plans to attend the American Baptist Women of West Virginia annual conference June 5-7 at Parchment Valley Conference Center, Ripley, WV. The theme for this year is “A Time to Serve and Thrive.” Look up Jeremiah 17: 7-8 the conference scripture. Lisa Simmons will be the Inspirational Speaker and Bible Study Leader.
American Baptist Women’s Ministries is starting a new year, 2015, with new projects. Our Mission Outreach Project (MOP) is a Chicken and veggie project for our American Baptist missionaries in central Mexico, Keith and Debbie Meyers. The kick-off for this project will be at the Annual Women’s Conference at Parchment Valley with CHICKEN SHIRT SATURDAY June 6th. Purchase or make a chicken shirt to wear that Saturday. It costs $125 to provide one family in Mexico with chickens, chicken feed, and material to fence them in. It also provides material for a vegetable garden. The goal for West Virginia American Baptist Women is $6,000. Maybe someone at First Baptist would like to sponsor a family.
The Special Project for 2015 is a truck for Parchment Valley. There is a desperate need for a truck for the Maintenance Department. This truck will benefit Parchment Valley Conference Center for many years as they prepare for various camps, conferences and meetings all year. The goal for West Virginia American Baptist Women is $12,000.
The 2015 Love gift goal for West Virginia is $120,000. Ladies we did not meet our goal last year. So let’s keep counting our blessings and filling our purple Love Gift Boxes and together we can meet this new goal.
Our FBC ABW has again lost one of our precious members, Eugenia Sevy. She attended the Lizzie Lewis Circle each month as long as she was able, even coming to our meetings with her faithful caregiver. When I visited her in the hospital, Wednesday April 15, she had a lot of questions about my mission trip in January to Costa Rica. She said she prayed for me while I was gone. She died on Friday April 17. She will be greatly missed.
On May 30, 2015 the Raleigh Baptist Association Spring Rally will be here at Beckley First Baptist Church. The meeting will be followed by a luncheon. All women are invited to attend.