Embracing the theme Body Builders, nearly a thousand women, individual members of the body of Christ, came together to strengthen each other. The one-day event, Tuesday, July 19, included times of worship, sharing, planning, and celebrating God’s work among the women of WNAC.

Photo: WNAC Business Session.

Sharing

From an early-morning interactive seminar to a late-night reception for state leaders, women strengthened each other through sharing. Individuals voiced answers to prayers, and offered proven ideas for building women’s ministries. Two afternoon brainstorming sessions attracted over 100 women who made suggestions and gleaned creative ideas from others.

Planning

Women adopted guidelines for the Mary R. Wisehart Scholarship program. WNAC will designate $1,000 annually to each of the five Free Will Baptist colleges. Scholarship committees at the respective schools will select a young woman as recipient according to the guidelines provided.
Women voted to send $1,200 in Cleo Pursell Foreign Student Scholarship monies for students at Seminary of the Cross in Reynosa, Mexico. Women also agreed to extend Shine 75!, the WNAC national project until July 2012. Shine 75! seeks to raise $75,000 for Free Will Baptist Hispanic Bible institutes in the U. S. and Mexico. To date, donations to the project exceed $27,000.

Photo: Attendees enoy the WNAC Fellowship Luncheon.

Delegates unanimously approved Diana Bryant (FL) as WNAC president and gave a rising vote of thanks to Shirley Jackson for her service as acting president during the past year. Attendees glimpsed pages of a new publication, Treasure, set to premiere in September, and took a virtual tour of Body Builders, a 12-month spiritual fitness plan.

Celebrating

In her report to the convention, Executive Director Elizabeth Hodges cited a two-percent rise in membership and an increase in giving. Despite economic downturns, women gave over $560,800 to missions and ministry causes. WNAC ended its fiscal year in the black—the result of major budget cuts and effective cost-cutting measures. During her first year as director, Mrs.

Hodges visited 18 of the 22 states where WNAC claims affiliates.

Worship

North Carolina women under the leadership of Diane Bridgman welcomed conventioneers, provided outstanding music, and hosted a luncheon extraordinaire. Pastor’s wife Carolyn Dwyer, speaker for the midday event, shared personal accounts of individuals whom God has used to strengthen her spiritual life. She challenged listeners to make a list of their own body builders and express thanks to those individuals for the impact made on their lives.

Photo: Steve and Judy Lytle, missionaries to Panama.

Panama missionaries Steve and Judy Lytle reminded worshipers that God gives spiritual gifts for the purpose of building the body of Christ. When believers exercise those gifts effectively, the body grows—under the overarching principle of love. Citing that God sometimes equips believers with differing gifts for different seasons of life, the Lytles enumerated ways God has allowed them to assist in building His body over their many years in ministry. They offered profiles of Panamanian believers and detailed how God is using each one’s giftedness to build His Church in this region of the world.

“Today is an exciting time,” stated Director Elizabeth Hodges, “as we seek to build the body of Christ by strengthening each other through WNAC.”

WNAC at a Glance

2011-2013 Executive Committee

President: Diana Bryant (FL)
Vice-president: Pam Hackett (SC)
Secretary: Jan Clay (IN)
Members-at-large:
Amy Johnson (IL)
Jonda Patton (KY)
Janie Campbell (AR)

Worship offering: $1,606.95
Registration: 830

In Other Actions:

• Designated $1,200 in Cleo Pursell Foreign Student Scholarships for students at the seminary in Reynosa, Mexico.
  

• Extended the current WNAC National Project Shine 75! until July 2012.
  

• Approved guidelines for the Mary R. Wisehart Scholarship, a $1,000 scholarship awarded annually to a young woman from all five FWB colleges.
  

• Resolved to stand and pray with California WAC in support of Proposition 8 and the legal definition of marriage.