MINISTRIES

 WMU of Virginia is committed to spreading God's love. One way to do this is by meeting human needs. We have developed several on-going ministries, each addressing a particular need, in which an individual or a church can become involved. These ministries respond to needs such as teen pregnancy, poverty and homelessness, literacy, prison ministry, mentoring, training in life skills, and marketplace evangelism. Contact us for other ideas and resources.

 

Opportunities for ministry are also available throughVirginia Baptist Partnership Missions. This acts as a clearinghouse matching individuals with ministry needs around the world.

Project HELP is a nationwide focus on selected social issues. Restorative Justice is being addressed this year.

Click on a WMUV Ministry Project Logo on the left side of your screen or on the links below for more information on a particular ministry project.

Aging With Significance: Equips mature adults for spiritual, educational, and functional life fulfillment. In recognition of both the responsibility and opportunity that demographic changes present for church congregations, this ministry encourages churches to examine how they are meeting the needs of active/healthy, inactive/healthy, boomers 60+, transitionally impaired, homebound, and frail adults in the areas of spiritual formation, evangelism, meaningful service, fellowship and creativity, safety and accessibility, personal and household support, caregiver support, wellness and intergenerational opportunities. Aging With Significance also promotes mature adult ministry leadership development.

Dorcas: Helps churches to develop specific ministry approaches as an ongoing part of the solution to poverty in Virginia and equips persons to conduct hunger and other assessments in their communities so that they can effectively design and implement relevant ministries for the poor.

Great Commission Teachers: Equips professional educators and other willing workers to make a difference by tutoring at-risk children, helping adults prepare to take the GED exam, or teaching internationals the English language. As relationships are made with people who need assistance with learning the English language, conersational English, and literacy skills, then opportunities for sharing God's grace can occur. In addition, the project helps sponsor literacy assistance mission trips such as BookNet to areas with special needs, as well as train churches on how to organize BookNet projects.

Hope Builders/Christian Womens Job Corps: Creates a safe environment in which persons can move from dependency to self-sufficiency. Job skill development, combined with Bible study and friend-tofriend relationships, is a vital part of this ministry. The WMU of Virginia provides training and assistance to the sites located in Virginia. Christian Women's Job Corps is the program that has been developed by National WMU, and is offered by the WMU of Virginia.

Jochebed & Hannah: Believing that every child belongs to God and that we are called to care for every child as our own, calls people of faith to commit to uplifting the needs of children and their families across Virginia and around the world through education, advocacy, and support. One hallmark of this ministry is to plan the Mom & Me weekend where over 800 mothers and their daughters spend quality time learning about missions, and enhancing their relationships with each other.

Lydia: Focuses on awakening women to listen for God's call in their lives and discover how they can be involved in starting new fellowships, whether through home church studies or in the marketplace. Evangelizing in innovative and multi-cultural ways, taking woman-to-woman ministry into the work world and equipping persons to do life-style witnessing are priorities.

Mary & Elizabeth: Through this project, women across the state seek to partner in non-judgmental relationships with pregnant teenagers. They demonstrate that love modeled through relationships is the most powerful tool in bringing about effective societal change. The WMU of Virginia has a training manual, instructional video and a list of resources to help start this ministry in the local church or association. It has also produced a teaching video, called "Cherishing God's Gift of Sexuality," that encourages parents to talk with their children about sexuality from a Biblical perspective. Multicultural materials are also available.

Parish Nurse/Faith Community Nurse: This project uses the skills and expertise of registered nurses within a congregation to enhance the wholeness of the church family and community from a physical, spiritual, and mental/emotional perspective. Trained parish nurses throughout Virginia are available to assist any church in coordinating such a ministry. Financial assistance through scholarships may be available to nurses who desire to obtain training in this specialty.

Ruth & Naomi: Creates one-on-one relationships between selected experienced leaders in WMU (emeritus leaders) and selected young leaders within its membership. The more experienced leaders pass on to the next generation their love and commitment to missions, and model leadership skills they have developed through the years. The young leaders have the opportunity to develop leadership abilities, commitment to missions and dedication to God needed by WMU in future years. The local church is encouraged to promote one-on-one mentoring relationships between mature Christian members and children, youth and young adults, not only to forward future leadership capabilities but also strengthened spiritual development. Materials and mentoring training are provided.