President’s Closing Remarks
Annual Meeting, March 24, 2012

Wow! God has been among us!  We asked Him to Shine on Us and He sure did!  Now, may we be a Shining Light to the Nations.  Thank you, Dr. Jay…yes, we have a Dr. Jay…Padgett that is.  Thank you for leading us to the throne through song.  Welcome home Jeannie!  Your talents on the piano are “sent” from God.  And you birthed a missionary.

We are a letter of Christ that anyone can read by just looking at us.  Christ Himself wrote it, not with ink but with God’s living Spirit; a message written on our hearts in the red blood of Christ’s great sacrifice. But, have you ever said, “That’s not what I had in mind, God?” Why do we explain to the sender, why we aren’t being sent? If we are teaching going, we need to be going ourselves.  We also learned that you can lose your job if God wants something done!  Thank you, Debby!  You truly challenged us to “Live Sent!” And I knew everyone would love you.

First timers! To annual meeting, that is. I’ve got a feeling they’ll be back.  Were you recognized?  Missionaries, missionaries everywhere!  Did you get a ribbon?  We are honored to have you. 

My DOM was here! Thank you, Bro. Jeff for your support.

In Kazakhstan, you can have a 5^th child that is the oldest in the family.  Hmmmm.  Planting churches, sharing Jesus and loving students, driving a Toyota Siena…makes you say thank you KY WMU.  Because we are not reaching the world fast enough, God is “sending” the world to us, even if they are building Mosques, we can go inside and still pray in Jesus’ name.  Thank you Harold.

Rebecca, an MSC Missionary led us to pray for missionaries having a birthday today.  Be sure and tape the prayer calendar over the kitchen sink so you can pray.  You’ll be able to recognize a missionary because they look just like you!

Thank you Dr. Toby, Diane and committees, and Beacon Hill Baptist Church.  We can’t thank you enough.  I know you don’t have enough restrooms but you could have provided some depends!

God is everywhere!  Even in our gas tanks! Have you ever questioned God?  Raising troubled teenage girls can make you do just that.  But, prayer works, not fear.  Thank you Sunrise.

Then we had a Celebration…singers that is who taught us that we need Jesus to come to our rescue.  Where else can we go?

To Macedonia, maybe?  Have you heard the Macedonian call today…Joe did and he is plowing through concrete there.  There are so many lost people.  2 million in population.  Can 2 Baptist Churches handle that?  If they had WMU they could! I wonder what would happen if you yelled sic ’em to those large and expensive shepherd dogs.  They could maybe speed up that mule they entered in the KY Derby!  Thank you Joe…we will pray.

Give to ministries to missionaries.  Those missionaries can really stretch a dime. You can pray that your children become a missionary…stay faithful, it might be the youngest child.  You have to come to my home church to announce your call to the mission field.  It’s been happening since 1952.  But where are the days when every lady is signed up with a WMU group before you get to seminary.  Did you know there is a Land Rover named Lottie in Nigeria?  Fruit cocktail – pity party- chicken, rice and tea – priceless.  Thank you WMU for always being there and you NEVER stopped praying but what is this about a trap door???? I need to find out about it!

Joy didn’t know the video from Dr. Eliff was coming…but God did.  He sent a personal thank you to us for keeping the Great Commission in the forefront.  We learned that:  A person left with a Bible, becomes a Christian, but a Baptist left with a Bible becomes a missionary.

Happy retirement, Bro. Cheek.  Now, reach out and take the hand of the person next to you, envision God touching you…now be sent, but turn off those cell phones and wear your name tag.  Register! You might win a prize.  What room can you go in and hear, “My husband is going to kill me?” You do have to pay for the baskets you take.

Missions displays, WMU store, boxed lunch, items for collection projects, silent auction, KY WMU Heritage Fund and for goodness sake, turn to pages 38-39 in your program!

Go eat lunch, but come right back.  By the way, you will love your lunch box.

Here I am Lord because I know that You are Mighty to save.  How many of you have claimed the promise of Jeremiah 29:11?  To truly “Live Sent” we need to be encouragers and nurturers…and we can do that through WMU because the Lord has gone before us and will instruct us in the way we should go to declare His glory among the nations. 

EBO is down…will you give?…please put it in an envelope.

Arlene said you can’t tell a DOM no.  Read the note in your pocket and call the man back!  Miss negative is not good.  You know God will meet your EVERY need…check your pocket.

We’ve got a story to tell to the nations!!!  Now the meeting can officially begin.  But you must first turn off your cell phone and turn to pages 38-39.

Now down to business.  The Boys are back!!!!  Do we need a second?  No, the president will appoint him…she was elected again, she might as well do something.  A new board…meeting at 7 am. In the morning.  You have been called out, a special calling.  Don’t worry, He will enable you.  He’ll have to…there’s 4 Linda’s!!!!  Thank you Peggy Hicks…you have remained faithful.

WMU is financially sound.  EBO allocations makes spending money fun.  But don’t forget to teach tithing!

Thank you staff and Dr. Joy Seuss.  We have the best!

Announcement!!!  WANDA IS NOT FOR HIRE!!!!!!!!  Good luck finding the conferences though,…some have moved rooms.

Welcome to the piano, Eddie.  Are we really in a Baptist Church?  I’m loving that music…thank you Beacon Hill Choir.

He is Lord and He is sending you all to live missionally because God’s timing is always perfect. 

Let’s go to dinner.  Do you want Indian, Thai, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Austrian, Ethiopian, Irish, or Southern?  Well, what language will we have to speak?  Spanish, German, French, Russian, Hungarian or maybe English.  Never mind, I’m not hungry any more.

WMU charter members are found in Luke 8:1-3.  They went on mission trips sharing the things of Jesus to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and then to the ends of the earth.  That’s how we heard.  Because it’s a God sized job to transplant a mature tree to Myrtle Beach.  I told you not to ask if you didn’t want to hear the answer.  Where is your Samaria?  I hope you “Live Sent” there.

Susan PROMISES to have us out of here for that little game later tonight but right now we need to have a talk with some RA’s GA’s and CIA’s.  You remember the time when the North fought against the South,…well, the East is about to fight the West.  Thank you Bill, John, Melissa, George, Cathy and Arlene.  Those questions they fired at you, were challenging.  You dodged the bullets well so the entire state wins.  They’re yelling, SEND ME, O LORD, SEND ME!!!  As did the Missionary of the year, Lee.  You know he goes to the airport every day and hasn’t flown out yet!  We’ll have to pray that he learns that you have to buy a ticket first!  But, he is talking a mean green bean, though.  I’ve got mine…I’m going to carry them around with me until I lead someone to Christ!

I’ll be sure to watch all the messes out there…I’m prepared to clean them up one by one.

LISTEN!!! There is power in that.  WMU, keep praying, loving, and listening….Live Sent, you’ve been doing it a long time.

You even helped the economy in KY!! By purchasing over 5,000 blankets.  Can we cover the state with that many?   Or maybe just the areas of disasters.

Speaking of disasters, did you hear about the 3 golfers who died?  It’s ok, it has a good ending…one of them came back as Joy Bolton!!!!  We don’t care if man lists famous men by name…no….because God lists famous women and they were there when the greatest event of all time happened.

How can 20-25 at preaching and 18 in Sunday School assess damages after a tornado, send a shower unit, a kitchen unit, chain saw crew, and communication set up?  Through CP, EBO and disaster relief and we can do it too!!  Are you a Mrs. Smith or a Mrs. Cox to a little boy at your church who has caused a storm?  More storms are coming and we’ve been sent to tell them there is a shelter in Christ.  Thanks Dr. Chitwood.

Now, turn off those cell phones and turn to pages 38-39 for the last time or you will get a bad evaluation!  Now let’s fall down and cry Holy as we sing to the king!  Because He is all we need.  All 755 of you found that out this weekend.  Did you win a basket?…then pay up!

“…you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”  I think I got it!  Thanks you so much Debby.  But, you know how you said you like to research a word in the Bible?  Well, there’s a lady in our church who did that once, too.  When asked why she never married, she said she found the answer in the Bible after putting several verses together.  It says, “I would not have you, ignorant brethren.”

Glory is the fullness of God.  “When God gives His glory, He gives Himself.  He cannot parcel Himself out in pieces – no man receives a portion, but all.  The one who receives His mercy also gets His love and all else that is the fullness of God.” The most important words in the Bible are come and go.”  And WMU does just that.  From Mission Friends to Women on Mission, WMU equips those who have come to Christ, to go with God on mission!

The disciples were the first RA’s…much like todays RA’s however they raced boats instead of cars!  Did you hear that boys speak a different language.  But, prayer will open doors. Thanks, John.  Those boys are really living sent!

Lottie was an Acteen!  The “Heathen Helper!?!?”  I guess they didn’t have to be politically correct back then.

WE ARE WMU!  AND YOU ARE PRICELESS!  How has God spoken to you @755?  More give aways!!!  What kind of car did those set of keys go with.  The keys probably belong to the person who lost their glasses…without the glasses, they couldn’t see the keys!  What kind of car do they fit anyway?

Thank ye, Thank ye, Thank ye!!!  NO, missionaries, thank you!

We really have a circle of friends – thank you.

I need a break!!!  Forget the restroom………

Oh my, I’ve got to get an outfit…for annual meeting next year in Hopkinsville!  I’ve been invited!  Should it be 125 years old?  I hear there’s a party going on!  I hope it’s not a disaster!

Out of the mouths of babes:  “Can we stay a little longer with the Disaster Relief?”  I think they saw Jesus.

I say Glory to God!  ‘Cause my chains are gone.  The Acts 1:8 team has it all together.   They’re going to work our camps…and help me with my computer!

Now, I am ready to Live Sent.  Let’s shout it to the North, South, East and the West…to the whole world with our voices and our lives!   I’m a Christian!!!!!!!!!!! And you can be one too.  Let me tell you about my Jesus.

Many of you have encouraged me this weekend.  Please continue to pray for me…I know you will.  Let’s pray now.

Thank you for coming!!!!!