MAGNOLIA MINDS: The blessings left for us by ‘Miss Ed’

By Sharon Neff
Correspondent

What comes to mind when you think of the word, “overflow?” If it’s happened to you, you might think of a sink or bathtub that overflowed and caused a big mess or a creek that overflowed and flooded your garden.

You may think of an overflow crowd on Easter Sunday at church. Possibly even the overflowing love in the eyes of a mother for her children.

Romans 15:13, the Scripture chosen for the Edwina Robinson Offering this year, focuses on the words hope, trust, and overflow. Each one of these words describes Edwina Robinson as well as our offering.

“Miss Ed” served first as Young People’s Secretary and then as Executive Secretary of Mississippi WMU for many years. During that time, there were countless blessings in addition to numerous challenges.

Her dream of a camp was hindered by World War II, but she trusted the Lord and her overflowing hope resulted in the dream becoming a reality with the construction of Camp Garaywa in Clinton (now known as Garaywa Camp and Conference Center).

As she guided the work of Mississippi Woman’s Missionary Union (now known as Women’s Ministries/Woman’s Missionary Union – WM/WMU), she saw a number of missions opportunities — small but thoughtful projects — that the women could support. This sparked a flame that resulted in the Special Day Offering (see Edwina Robinson biography).

She overflowed with the hope that the women would rally around these “special” requests. The Spirit led and the women gave joyfully.

The offering has grown from a strictly WMU offering to a churchwide one sponsored by WM/WMU. Over the years, the allocations have changed, adapting as needs and situations shifted but they always provide in areas that are not covered by budgets or other offerings.

Allocation decisions have been made by observing the missions landscape and trusting in the leading of the Lord. Actually, the offering has grown in many ways like an overflowing waterfall in fulfilling needs and providing encouragement and support for missions in our state and around the world.

Connections abound as gifts to missionary appointees and missionary kids offer encouragement, resulting in missionaries more effectively offering the only true hope that comes from God to those to whom they minister.

Other connections find young people called into Christian service at Garaywa, and nurses in Baptist Nursing Fellowship sharing the love of God and His hope with others. You probably can easily make more connections between the allocations.

Overflowing hope from His Spirit results in sharing, ministering, and serving others in joy and peace. Overflowing hope from His Spirit produces joy and peace in our lives that overflows into prayer and giving to offerings like the Edwina Robinson Offering.

What comes to mind now when you think of overflow?

Neff is a former president of Mississippi WM/WMU. Opinions expressed on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board, The Baptist Record, nor the publication’s Advisory Committee.The author may be contacted at parkneff@att.net. For more information and to order offering promotional material, click here.