North Carolina WMU has joined in partnership with the Church Planting Team of the Baptist State Convention to assist church planters in our state.
One thing you can do as an individual is find the church planter's birthdays in each issue of Tarheel Talk and pray for them and send them notes of encouragement.
Your association also has the opportunity to assist church planters in your area. These church planters have many and varied needs which your associational WMU is uniquely gifted to meet.
For example,
- You could offer to assist with a block party or other event that the planter chooses to conduct to meet the "neighbors."
- Your team could offer to assist with childcare during the initial phases of this church start and could use Mission Friends or Children in Action curriculum.
- Your team could assist with purchasing resources that the planter needs, including but not limited to curriculum (remember if they choose to use WMU materials as a new start, they qualify for free materials), bottled water, Bibles, craft supplies, posters and other advertisement.
- Your team could form a prayer team for this church planter and the work.
- Your team could plan to provide some free time for a recreation or a nice dinner out for the planter and spouse.
- Your team or associational WMU could choose to financially support the planter as each church planter must raise a certain amount of money to get matching funds from the state convention.
Consider the gifts and skills your team and associational WMU possess and then find ways to match those with the work of your church planter. If you need information about a church planter in your association, you may contact the church planting group of the Baptist State Convention (part of the Mission Growth Evangelism team).
Please remember to let our Preschool and Children Specialist, WMU Growth Specialist know what you do and how it is received. She is in charge of this partnership. As teams respond, she will have more ideas to pass along to other associations.
If you have other questions about partnering with church planters, please call or email our Preschool and Children Specialist, WMU Growth Specialist. She will be delighted to help you!