Giving

Annie Armstrong was instrumental in establishing the Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) in 1888, and was the first WMU leader.  She was an advocate for missionaries, and communicated between missionaries, leaders, and denominations.  She asked churches to support mission work through prayer and sacrificial giving.

She was an extensive letter writer, handwriting 18,000 letters in one year alone. It was through the steely determination of Annie and many other like-minded Southern Baptist women that WMU had been forged against opposition from the male SBC leadership. 

Annie and the women of the WMU established the annual Easter mission offering in the Southern Baptist Churches in 1895, to benefit the work of the North American Mission Board.   In 1934, the annual offering was named in honor of Annie.  

Charlotte “Lottie” Moon was a teacher and a foreign missionary who lived in China from 1873 – 1912.  Lottie was a pioneer for women's equality. She campaigned to give women missionaries the freedom to minister and have an equal voice in mission proceedings. At that time, single women missionaries were not sent to evangelize, they were there to teach.  Lottie wrote letters asking for more missionaries and money to grow her work.  

In 1885 Lottie moved inland to evangelize full-time.  She continued writing letters and articles and said there was a "desperate need" for more missionaries, which the poorly funded board could not provide.  She encouraged Southern Baptist women to organize mission societies in the local churches to help support additional missionary candidates and to consider coming themselves.  

Lottie was instrumental in the founding of The Woman's Missionary Union, an auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention, in 1888.  The first "Christmas offering for missions" in 1888 collected enough to send three new missionaries to China.

Working as a missionary in China during difficult times, Lottie shared her personal finances and food with anyone in need around her, severely affecting both her physical and mental health. In 1912, she only weighed 50 pounds.

In 1918, at Annie Armstrong’s suggestion, WMU named the annual Christmas offering for International Missions in honor of Lottie Moon.

In 1902 Janie Chapman, a South Carolina pastor’s wife, founded the South Carolina Woman’s Missionary Union.  She was said to be a person of strict discipline with inner strength and a gentle spirit. She did her work well for the Lord. Janie was the first president of SC WMU. When WMU celebrated its 25th anniversary, Janie wrote: “We do not want to live too much in the past - just an occasional reminder of the stalwart and true souls who dared to blaze new trails.” In 1919 she encouraged SC WMU to try to raise $1,100,000 in five years for the 75 Million Campaign. They gave $1,487,647.

In 1937 the State Missions offering was renamed in honor of Janie Chapman. Janie's personal life verse was 1 Cor. 15:58  . She was an example of a woman who lived out this scripture!

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Since 1892, Connie Maxwell Children’s Ministries has provided hope for South Carolina’s children and families in need. Established as a ministry of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, Connie Maxwell has positively impacted thousands of individuals throughout our long history. We are a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA).

God used tragedy to provide hope for generations of future children. In 1891 Dr. J.C. Maxwell and his wife, Sarah, were mourning the loss of their daughter Connie. The Maxwell’s only child to survive infancy, Connie tragically died of scarlet fever at age seven. Connie was their last chance at raising a child of their own. The Maxwell’s knew the South Carolina Baptist Convention was talking about opening an orphanage, so to honor Connie they donated their 450-acre farm in Greenwood, SC to be used for an orphanage bearing Connie’s name.