Attendees at the 2024 WMU Missions Get-Together worship together at the annual conference, which was held this year at Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood. — Photos by Tiffany Roy and Stephanie Evans
BRENTWOOD — Kasondra Pillow loved everything about the Tennessee WMU’s Missions Get-Together.
“I loved all of it!” she declared. “I’ve learned so much about Jesus!”
This was Pillow’s first time to attend the Missions Get-Together, which met April 11-13 at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood. She came with a group of seven from Immanuel Baptist Church in Trenton.
“I loved interacting with the people, and the breakout sessions are the best,” Pillow said. “I learned about knowing God and trusting God. I love all of it!”
Pillow lives at House of Hope, a long-term transition house in Trenton for women coming out of incarceration and rehab facilities. House of Hope is sponsored by Gibson County Christian Women’s Job Corp, a ministry of Woman’s Missionary Union.
Christy Skelton — whose husband, Steve, pastors Immanuel — has served as site coordinator and director of Gibson County CWJC since 2012.
She has attended Tennessee WMU’s annual Missions Get-together for 25 to 30 years.
“This year, I asked the church to pay the conference fees for the three women living at House of Hope,” Skelton said.
The church willingly agreed, and Skelton, along with three other women from Immanuel, accompanied the younger women to the three-day event.
Ruby Pickard and Debbie Lownsdale, long-term members of Immanuel, agreed the trip offered their group a chance for discipleship, bonding and encouragement. Although both are long-term WMU members, it was their first time to attend the Missions Get-Together.
For His Glory
The theme of this year’s conference was “For His Glory.” The event attracted 548 people, including participants, program personnel, volunteers and exhibitors, said Vickie Anderson, executive director-treasurer of Tennessee WMU.
Attendees participate in time of praise and worship at the 2024 WMU Missions Get-Together at Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood.
Brenda Croston — author, speaker and women’s ministry leader at Mount Gilead Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville — was the Bible study leader during the general sessions. In addition to large group Bible study and worship, the conference also featured more than 30 missions and ministry displays and 25 break-out sessions.
Topics for the breakout sessions included missions awareness, personal spiritual development, mental health and leading well.
This year’s ministry project supported Baptist Campus Ministries in Tennessee, Anderson added. Conference participants gave nearly $2,500 in gift cards and cash and donated more than 27,000 items for BCM collegiate outreach.
In addition, conference activities such as the event’s silent auction raised $6,063.05 for Tennessee WMU’s Mission for Life Fund, and offerings collected during the event raised $7,327.00, Anderson said.
A matching gift brings the total offering to $14,727, with 90 percent ($13254.30) donated to the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions and 10 percent ($1472.70) to the Missions for Life Fund.
The Next Step
“Making disciples of Jesus who live on mission for His glory is the center of all we do,” Anderson said. “We want to encourage people to start where they are and take the next step.”
For Katie Watt, who has lived at Trenton’s House of Hope since Dec. 20, 2023, the next step is learning what it means to abide in Christ.
“I’ve been to seven different break-out sessions,” Watt said. “I made pages and pages of notes. I’m learning how to have a devotional time. I’m learning how to abide in Christ.”
A banner at the WMU Missions Get-Together displays the conference’s theme: “For His Glory.”
For Brenda Gresham, from Wells Station Baptist Church in Memphis, the session with Kerry Jackson on “Praying in Color” was most meaningful. Gresham has been attending the Missions Get-Together for four to five years.
“He shared his testimony of how he ministers through art,” Gresham said. “Then, he taught us how to pray through art,” Gresham added.
The conference was also meaningful to break-out leaders.
Charissa Taylor is a long-term IMB missionary serving in southeast Asia. For her, participating in the Get-Together was an encouraging reminder.
“Depending on the context where you live, it is easy to feel isolated,” Taylor said. “This conference is a chance to be reminded of the depth of support and love that IMB missionaries have” from Tennessee Baptists.
For Stephanie O’Briant, another resident of House of Hope, her next step isn’t necessarily tied to any particular session, although she acknowledged she felt she was “growing stronger in the Lord” as she memorizes Scripture through audio recordings provided by her mentor.
Instead, O’Briant said, she has been estranged from her family — including her parents and three adult children — for many years. During the conference, O’Briant’s dad met the group for dinner.
“My dad gave me a hug, and he bought my dinner,” O’Briant said. “It was pretty emotional.”
For O’Briant, her next step was a first step toward reconciliation with her father.
Missions Get-Together, a generous church and a group of caring women helped provide her the opportunity. B&R — Lovell has been writing about Baptist work for more than 25 years. She and her husband, Joe, are members of The Church at Station Hill in Spring Hill.
