BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— Leaders representing 11 cultures met with a common goal—to increase missions involvement in their churches through Woman’s Missionary Union.
National WMU in Birmingham, Ala., hosted more than 50 missions leaders from 13 states for an Ethnic Leadership Summit. Texas Baptists had the largest representation with 10 ethnic leaders participating.
“Living in an increasingly multicultural world, we all benefit from learning about one another from one another,” said Carolyn Porterfield, multicultural consultant for Texas WMU and event organizer.
“As God has called our leaders, we have a unique opportunity to walk alongside them and help them develop to their full God-given potential. These leaders dream about what could be for their churches, and we’ve seen many of those dreams become reality.”
Leaders also encourage and inspire one another as they share new approaches and ideas, Porterfield added.
“For example, the creation of Korean bilingual missions education materials for preschoolers and children encouraged other groups to dream, and at this summit, a missions plan book in Vietnamese was introduced,” she noted.
Keynote speakers Patty Lane, director of intercultural ministries for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and Linda Clark, former California WMU executive director, offered insights on cultural differences and ways to nurture relationships with multicultural audiences.
During breakout sessions, participants shared their own experiences and ideas to learn from each other and gain a deeper understanding of ways to serve multicultural churches.
