WAYNESBORO, Pa. (BP) — It would be challenging to find a ministry couple in Pennsylvania more committed to the role of Woman’s Missionary Union than Kathy and Steve Sheldon.
For the past 35-plus years, the Sheldons have invested their lives in families, churches and communities in their home state of Pennsylvania. Much of their ministry focus has revolved around engaging their churches and associations in missions on the local, state, national and international levels — and the primary missions tool they have utilized is involvement in WMU missions support and discipleship programs.
“One of the things I found very early in my pastoral ministry was one of, if not the deepest foundation in Southern Baptist churches is missions — and the pillar of that missions is WMU,” Steve Sheldon said. “I knew if I was going to have a strong mission church that reached its community and reached the world, we needed to work through WMU.”
His wife Kathy agreed, saying: “Every church that we have served in has had WMU or I’ve introduced it to them. It’s really been important to me and to Steve because it’s a way to introduce missions to every age group, and through that, our future missionaries.
“I just think this is a wonderful way for them to be introduced to what is already happening and what their opportunities are, either locally or internationally,” she added. “There’s just so many different situations that they could be involved in. In the churches, we’ve tried to do that as far as mission trips, as far as mission projects locally and to involve every age group. I think that’s a big factor in WMU.”
Unwavering focus on missions
The Sheldons’ strong commitment to missions and all things WMU started early in their ministry journey. After being stationed in San Diego while Steve was in the U.S. Navy and then serving in churches in Kentucky while he was studying at Campbellsville College (now University) and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the Sheldons returned to their home state in 1984 “and have been serving in Pennsylvania ever since,” Kathy said.
During that time, she served 11 years as president of Pennsylvania/South Jersey WMU while Steve served as a pastor and director of missions, including 23 years as pastor of Bux-Mont Baptist Church in Hatboro, Pa., in suburban Philadelphia. He recently retired as pastor of Wrightsdale Baptist Church in Peach Bottom, Pa., and they moved back to their hometown of Waynesboro.
“We’ve always encouraged the WMU organizations across the spectrum of ages,” Steve said. “Some of the churches didn’t have them but Kathy was real good at introducing those. That’s been foundational to our ministry — the mission organizations — because that’s where we train our missionaries.”
Kathy stresses missions involvement for everyone, ranging from Missions Friends, Girls in Action, Royal Ambassadors and Acteens to Women on Mission.
Source: Baptist Press
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