Missions a vital part of Sisters Who Care

The bitter wind whipped at their coats and they held on to their hats to keep them from flying off. But the dozen women continued their prayer walking around the Dekalb County Jail in Atlanta.

Sherri Brown

A prayer walking group stops to sing at the Dekalb County Jail. The recent Sisters Who Care mission summit provided hands-on mission experiences including the prayer walking, a mini health clinic and working with internationals at an apartment complex.

Praying at the 3,000-bed jail was just one of the projects women participated in during the Sisters Who Care missions summit held at Greenforest Community Baptist Church in Decatur.

The conference, the second one held in Georgia, was sponsored by Christian Fellowship Church, Greenforest Church, and Georgia WMU and Women’s Enrichment Ministries to provide an opportunity for African American women to pray for missions, become aware of mission opportunities, receive missions training, participate in missions, and fellowship with each other.

“WMU is trying to reach out to African American women. This conference introduces them to missions within their culture,” said Penny Ellis, Georgia WMU African American Coordinator and organizer of the summit.

“The typical WMU meeting doesn’t appeal to the African American woman culturally. This summit tries to overcome those cultural barriers.”

The first summit was held last year with more than 400 Georgia women. This year about 425 women attended the event, coming from five different states. The hands-on mission experiences were a first and included prayer walking, working at a nearby apartment complex with international women, providing a mini health clinic at Set Free Ministries and Sanctuary Shelter, and an evangelism team that worked in the community.

During one of the worship sessions, North American Mission Board missionary Pam Linner, community outreach coordinator of Set Free Ministries and Sanctuary Shelter in Atlanta, and international missionary Lillie McGowan both spoke. McGowan, a member of Greenforest church, spoke by phone from Zambia.

An offering of $1,500 was received and designated to support these two missionaries and their ministries.

The summit also included workshops on intercessory prayer, helping former inmates return to communities, restoration, spiritual gifts, lifestyle evangelism, and how to use WMU resources.

“Many of the women recommitted themselves to the Lord or committed themselves to missions in their local churches,” Ellis said.

Several women signed up to be a part of the MissionFEST mission trip to Pittsburgh in June. The trip, led by Ellis, will include prayer walking, sports camps, Bible clubs, and block parties.

The conference also included a pastors track called “Pastors who Care.” George O. McCalep, Jr., host pastor, praised the women for their commitment to missions and pledged continuous as well as increased missions support from Greenforest Church.

Sisters Who Care is a new and dynamic call of African American women to join forces to positively impact their homes, churches, communities, and the world with and for Jesus Christ. For more information, contact Penny Ellis, Georgia WMU African American coordinator, at pennycentavo@aol.com or (678) 376-9298.

Sisters Who Care is partially supported through the Cooperative Program. Your church’s giving through the Cooperative Program is vital to the missions and ministries of the GBC and the Southern Baptist Convention.

For more information or to order free educational materials on the Cooperative Program, contact the GBC Cooperative Program office at ahill@gabaptist.org or (770) 936-5240 or at 1 (800) RING GBC.

You and your church may send Cooperative Program gifts to:
Dr. J. Robert White, Executive Director
Georgia Baptist Convention
2930 Flowers Rd., South
Atlanta, GA 30341-5532