Five young women from four states will serve as 2023 National Acteens panelists this year.
The panelists were announced Jan. 9 during national Woman’s Missionary Union’s January board meeting in Birmingham.
This year’s panelists are:
— Leslie Almonte, Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana de Passaic, in Passaic, New Jersey. Almonte has served many years in VBS and Missions Friends at her church.
— Destiny MacCarthy, Eastern Hills Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. MacCarthy has served in many local missions efforts, including volunteer service at WorldSong Missions Place in Cook Springs, and was part of Alabama WMU’s 2022 Emerging Leaders program.
— Alyssa McMillon, Dudley Shoals Baptist Church in Granite Falls, North Carolina. McMillon has been on several missions trips, including trips to Puerto Rico, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
— Isavela Montanez Ojeda, Freeman Heights Baptist Church in Garland, Texas. Ojeda has served in a local soup kitchen and helped with VBS as a missions volunteer in Abilene, Texas.
— Hannah Rickman, Retama Park Baptist Church, in Kingsville, Texas. Most recently Rickman served with her Acteens group at the Wyoming Rodeo ministry in Gillette, Wyoming, and in ministry to migrants at the Texas border.
Influencing others for Christ
Panelists serve as ambassadors for Acteens, WMU and missions during their year of service.
“As these outstanding young women have opportunities to represent Acteens through blogs, social media, their state events and more, they will help us all to consider what it means to answer the Great Commission in our own lives,” said Heather Keller, WMU ministry consultant for children and students. “Acteens creates the environment for young women to learn about missions, pray for missions, support missions and do missions in their own community, across their own states and even around the world.
“I look forward to seeing how God uses this year’s panelists to influence others for Christ.”
Each member of the national Acteens panel will be awarded $1,500 through the WMU Foundation from the Jessica Powell Loftis Endowment for Acteens to assist with travel or academic expenses during the year.
They will be featured during the WMU Missions Adventures and the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in New Orleans June 11–12.
