On Thursday evening, October 18, I participated in the Laurel River Baptist Association WMU Annual Session. As I drove up to Weaver Baptist Church for the dinner and meeting, I found a white utility trailer parked in front of the church. The trailer says on both sides “Woman’s Missionary Union, Laurel River Baptist Association, London, Ky.” The doors were open and ready to receive the items being collected that night.
The story of this trailer is that Laurel River WMU applied for a Special Ministry Grant from the 2011-12 Eliza Broadus Offering to help them purchase the trailer to use in ministry projects. A grant of $1,000 was given to Laurel River WMU. In addition, each association was given a grant of $500 to be used for some type of ministry. Laurel River Association voted to give the $500 grant to the association to the WMU to help them with the utility trailer.
In the 2011-12 WMU report provided by Shirley Morgan, association WMU director, here is a list of the Laurel River WMU projects this past year:
– Collected and delivered changes of clothing, underwear, socks, gloves, etc. for boys and girls to each school in the Laurel County Pre-School Program.
– Delivered pajamas, gift cards and David and Goliath story books to Cumberland Valley Advocacy (TLC House).
– Recycled plastic bags and took them to Shepherd’s Pantry, Lynch, Kentucky.
– Took a pick-up load of cleaning supplies along with gift cards for employees and volunteers to Laurel Lake Baptist Camp:
– Provided hygiene items for students.
– Provided turkeys and fixings for families.
– Held an Earl and Vada Clark Food Pounding to Clear Creek Baptist Bible College.
– Provided gifts for Laurel Heights Give-A-Gift-To-Give (168 residents received five wrapped gifts for their family and one for themselves).
– Provided gifts for Sunrise Children’s Services Give-A-Gift-To-Give (hosted by Corinth Baptist Church). 13 children received pizza, unlimited gifts for their family and one for themselves.
– Provided three gift baskets for the Heritage Fund Silent Auction at the Kentucky WMU Annual Meeting.
– Had the freezer repaired for The Christian Homeless Shelter.
– Sent baby toiletries and socks to the Laurel County Life Center.
– Went on a mission trip to Shepherd’s Pantry, delivering bags, helped bag food for families to pick up, and helped organize items.
– Delivered boxes of candy to children at Sunrise Children’s Services.
– Gave 15 fleece blankets to cancer patients (total blankets to date: 200).
– Helped work at the Laurel River Baptist Assocition booth at the Chicken Festival.
– Purchased plastic totes for tornado victims to store their items.
– Helped to serve the tornado victims and workers at Arthur Ridge Baptist Church and East Bernstadt First Baptist Church.
Wow! What a list. After reading it, I really understood why they needed the utlity trailer. What a great combination – WMU and EBO at work together.
In the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 24:14-28), three servants were entrusted with talents of money to be put to work while the master was away. When he returned, the servant who received five talents had increased it to ten. The servant who had received two talents, gained two more. These faithful servants had doubled the investment! The lazy servant had done nothing with what had been entrusted to him and was thrown out.
It is my prayer that through ministries across our state, we will double the investment of every dollar given to the Eliza Broadus Offering. Laurel River WMU is about doubling the investment as they meet practical needs and share the love of Jesus.
