Why the Vision Fund?

National WMU^® is an auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention, functioning as a separate organization; thus, it has never received an allocation from the Cooperative Program budget. As it was originally designed, National WMU continues to support itself—and its ministries—through the sale of literature and products, and through charitable donations. It costs WMU approximately $300,000 a year to maintain and grow its ministries, the ministries you care about—MissionsFESTSM/FamilyFESTSM, International InitiativesSM, Christian Women’s Job Corps^®/Christian Men’s Job Corps^®, Project HELPSM: Poverty, MK reentry retreat, and many others. The Vision Fund directly supports these and all other WMU ministries. So, whether you’re providing an hour, a day, or even a month of WMU ministry, giving to the Vision Fund provides a tangible way to make a difference that continues even after the money has been spent.

$34 = one hour
$821 = one day
$5,769 = one week
$25,000 = one month

Need some ideas for getting your group involved with Vision Fund and "give34"?

• Give an Hour, Do an Hour: Adopt "give34" in your WOM group. Commit to sponsor one, two, or three hours of WMU ministry each month. In addition, for each hour sponsored as a group, commit to providing the same amount of time doing ministry work as a group. Visit a nursing home. Choose a time to bring your Bible study or WMU meeting to the home of someone elderly and homebound. Provide a meal for someone in your church. Put together gifts baskets or letters of encouragement for your church staff or home missionaries. Work in a soup kitchen.
• Children’s Art Show: Teach your group about a missionary and his work using WMU resources such as GA Leader, Children in Action Leader, Start Teaching Guide, and others (www.wmu.com for more information). Have each child paint or draw a picture on small canvas related to what they’ve learned. (the missionary’s country, his ministry work, the people, etc.) Hang them down a hall in your church along with an “artist’s description” of each picture (in the child’s own words) and a price tag of $34 for interested buyers. Be sure to include information about the significance of $34. For extra fun, have "certified judges" give ribbons to first, second, and third place. All others should receive honorable mentions.
• The 24-hour prayer vigil: One of the most wonderful and powerful aspects of WMU is its focus on prayer. Challenge your group or entire church to raise enough money for 24 hours of WMU ministry and then pray for each of those hours. That’s $821.00 and 24 hours of prayer. Create a sign-up sheet divided into hours. (1 P.M.–2 P.M.; 2 P.M.–3 P.M.; etc.) Each volunteer is responsible for praying during the hour she chooses, resulting in 24 hours of ministry that have been provided and covered in around-the-clock prayer.
• 1-hour bake auction: Where all bidding starts at “1 hour.” Have volunteers bake cakes and pies and encourage buyers to bid in ministry hours rather than numbers. Someone who bids one hour will pay $34 for the cake. Someone who bids 2 hours, will pay $68 for the cake. This idea of replacing numbers for WMU ministry hours can work for several different things: A bake sale, a yard sale, etc. If “one hour” is too high a price for a particular item, consider pricing it at “half an hour” ($17.00).
• Share your ideas! Contact us, we’d love to hear, and share with others, how you’ve made give34 part of your missions focus for 2009. Send your ideas, or pictures of your events to rifreeman@wmu.org we might just print your story!

"Enclosed is a check for $34 to support one hour of WMU’s work from our Women on Mission group. . . . We challenge all WMU groups to support the Foundation for at least one hour. We pray these small amounts can add up to make a big difference."

Faith United Baptist Church; St. Joseph, MO

Send your gift, payable to, WMU Foundation Vision Fund. OR GIVE NOW ONLINE.

WMU Foundation 100 Missionary Ridge Birmingham, AL 35242 1-877-482-4483

All gifts are tax-deductible.