The Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) Foundation has announced recipients of the following grants: the Royal Ambassador Curriculum Grant, Jessica Powell Loftis Acteens Curriculum Grant and Judith Slayden and David Warren Hayes Endowment to Combat Human Trafficking.
Royal Ambassador Curriculum Grant
First Baptist Church Manning, South Carolina, has been honored as the inaugural recipient of the Royal Ambassador Curriculum Grant.
The Royal Ambassador Curriculum Grant was established to help churches strengthen missions discipleship for boys and young men through Royal Ambassadors curriculum and missions engagement opportunities. Through this grant, churches are equipped with resources that encourage biblical leadership, gospel-centered discipleship and a deeper understanding of God’s mission.
First Baptist Church Manning plans to use the grant to support and expand its growing Royal Ambassadors ministry, which currently serves approximately 30 boys in grades 1–5. The grant will help provide curriculum resources, leadership training materials, mission project opportunities and recognition items that encourage participation and spiritual growth among the boys involved. Church leaders also shared the ministry has experienced significant growth in recent years and continues seeking ways to respond faithfully to the needs of their community and beyond.
Russell Richardson, Royal Ambassador coordinator at First Baptist Church Manning, helps lead the ministry alongside other male leaders within the church. He noted, “Thank you all for this great opportunity to expand our RA emphasis as we work to mentor our boys to be “on Mission” for Jesus in the day-to-day — by projects, relationships and prayer. We are truly excited.”
By supporting churches as they invest in boys through Royal Ambassadors, the Royal Ambassador Curriculum Grant “helps encourage the next generation to grow in faith, leadership and gospel-centered missions discipleship,” the WMU Foundation noted.
Jessica Powell Loftis Acteens Curriculum Grant
The Foundation also has named Viola First Baptist Church in Viola, Arkansas, as the inaugural recipient of the Jessica Powell Loftis Acteens Curriculum Grant.
The Jessica Powell Loftis Acteens Curriculum Grant was established under the Jessica Powell Loftis Endowment for Acteens, founded by her mother, Deb Loftis Schoenfeld, and grandparents, Captain David Stear and Mary Carlton (Stear) La Moyne, in honor and memory of Jessica, a passionate Acteen and Christ follower. This grant will help strengthen discipleship for teen girls by helping churches purchase Acteens curriculum materials. The family hopes churches will use these resources to nurture young women in the gospel and in God’s mission for their lives.
Viola First Baptist Church plans to launch a new Acteens group for girls within its youth ministry through the support of this grant. The curriculum resources will help provide materials for discipleship lessons, outreach opportunities and missions engagement within both the church and the surrounding community. Church leaders plan for the group to begin meeting biweekly and to continue growing as more young women become involved.
Ryleigh Golden, a student leader at Viola First Baptist Church, will help lead the new Acteens ministry. Church leaders expressed encouragement for her desire to disciple and encourage other young women through missions involvement and service, while also sharing their excitement about the opportunity Acteens provides for teen girls to grow in their faith and understanding of God’s mission.
By supporting churches as they invest in teen girls through Acteens, the Jessica Powell Loftis Acteens Curriculum Grant continues a legacy of missions discipleship that encourages young women to know Christ and make Him known.
Grant to combat human trafficking
The Foundation has also awarded grants through the Judith Slayden and David Warren Hayes Endowment to Combat Human Trafficking to two Christ-centered ministries. They include Set Free Alliance, which focuses on combatting human trafficking within the United States, and We Are FREE, which is helping to break the cycle of human trafficking internationally.
Established in December 2006 by Judith Slayden and David Warren Hayes, the endowment exists to support Christian ministries working to combat human trafficking, both overseas and within the U.S., through public awareness, prevention, poverty reduction, counseling and programs that provide practical support and hope to survivors. Grants may also support education initiatives, housing, job skills training and other efforts that aid victims and those at risk.
Through the faithful generosity of donors and endowment holders, the WMU Foundation supports ministries that provide prevention, restoration and pathways to hope for survivors of trafficking. This year, grants from the Hayes Endowment are supporting the work of Set Free Alliance in Arkansas and We Are FREE in South Carolina.
Set Free Alliance works internationally to end child slavery through prevention, rescue and reunification while providing vocational training and Christ-centered encouragement to young women who have survived the trauma of child slavery.
We Are FREE serves survivors of human trafficking within the United States and raises awareness about human trafficking, provides restorative care, housing and job readiness training in a supportive, caring and safe environment.
For more information
The WMU Foundation provides grants, scholarships and charitable giving opportunities that support the ministry of WMU and the causes it supports.
For more information about the Judith Slayden and David Warren Hayes Endowment to Combat Human Trafficking and ways to give, visit wmufoundation.com/ways-to-give.
EDITOR’S NOTE — These news releases were written by the Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) Foundation.
