fbpx
×

Log into your account

We have changed software providers for our subscription database. Old login credentials will no longer work. Please click the "Register" link below to create a new account. If you do not know your new account number you can contact [email protected]
Teen girls challenged to missional living at Blume
Julie Walters, Woman’s Missionary Union
August 29, 2011
4 MIN READ TIME

Teen girls challenged to missional living at Blume

Teen girls challenged to missional living at Blume
Julie Walters, Woman’s Missionary Union
August 29, 2011

Approximately 2,350 girls in grades 7 – 12 and

their leaders, along with some collegiate young women, gathered for Blume where

they were encouraged to appreciate their spiritual and missions heritage and

consider ways they could share Christ with others and live a legacy of

faith … even now in their junior

high, high school and college years.

Blume, a three-day missions event for teen girls sponsored

by national WMU, took place July 13 – 16 at Disney’s Coronado

Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Each general session featured high-energy music led by

Christian recording artist Cindy Johnson and her band from Winston-Salem, N.C.,

along with this year’s six National Acteens Panelists; a message from author

and keynote speaker Chandra Peele of Houston, Texas; messages from a host of

international and North American missionaries; and theme interpretation through

painting by artist Rianna Freeman of Lafayette, La.

Two of the National Acteens Panelists are from North

Carolina: Kianni Curry and Cassie Taylor, both of University Hills Baptist

Church in Charlotte. North Carolina ranked third in participants with 234,

behind South Carolina and Texas.

Acteens and their leaders from Enon Baptist Church in Morganton have fun in the hallways between sessions.

A focus on “living a legacy” was introduced by the 2011

National Acteens Panelists as they talked about the beginnings of WMU and the

legacy of missions they enjoy today thanks to missions advocates in WMU who

came before them.

Fan the flame

Citing 2 Timothy 1:3 – 19, the Scripture focus of

Blume, keynote speaker Chandra Peele challenged the girls to fan the flame and

not be afraid of sharing how Jesus had changed their lives.

“What gift has God put in you that God is fanning the flame

on right now?” Peele asked. “But when you think about fanning the flame, what

comes next?

“Fear,” she said. “Fear sets in and shuts you down. Satan

loves to do that because fear can keep us from all kinds of things.”

Kym Mitchell and Suzanne Reece of national WMU introduced

the Power Project, an avenue for Acteens to address human trafficking. In

January –

human trafficking awareness month – Acteens will be encouraged to

learn about the issue; look around their community for ways to educate or

minister; and love their neighbor by planning a mission action project to do

something about human trafficking.

But during Blume, girls and their leaders got a head start

as they learned about the reality of human trafficking through general

sessions, an interactive experience, and from missionary speakers who are

addressing the issue now.

Exploring cultures

WMU partnered with Disney’s YES (Youth Education Series)

program to provide an interactive cultural experience at Epcot customized for

Blume participants.

At each of the three featured countries, the girls also

spent time with a Blume facilitator for a biblical component in which they

explored the theme for Acteens this year – G3: The Power of a Girl to

Change the World. G3 encourages girls to focus on three girls: herself, a girl

next door, and a girl on the other side of the world.

Giving opportunities

Acteens were encouraged to bring hygiene items, wash cloths,

clothes, sneakers, and other items with them to Blume to sort and give to local

ministries.

With more than 24,000 donated items, the girls were able to

assemble in excess of 3,000 hygiene kits that were given to the Greater Orlando

Baptist Association (GOBA). Additional clothing and household items the girls

brought, along with nearly $1,500 in Wal-Mart gift cards they donated, went to

the Osceola Christian Ministry Center, a local center operated by First Baptist

Church of Kissimmee that ministers to the homeless and underemployed through a

variety of free services.

Participants were also given the opportunity to make a

difference in the life of another girl across the world by giving to the

Beginning of Life Foundation in Moldova, a ministry that helps prevent people

of all ages from being victims of trafficking.

Blume participants gave $20,758.19 to support the Beginning

of Life Foundation, and that total will be matched by First Fruits, Inc.