VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 10/3/14)—The national board of American Baptist Women’s Ministries has responded to the sharp rise in 2014 of arrivals of unaccompanied children from Central America and Mexico by establishing a mission focus for 2014-2015 on the issue, entitled “Crisis at the Border: What Could We Do?” This mission initiative will raise awareness about the needs of the unaccompanied children and their families and encourage advocacy and appropriate ministry outreaches.

A page on the AB Women’s Ministries website is devoted to this issue and provides scriptural foundation, information, statistics, helpful links, and suggestions for involvement. The page will be updated regularly with new resources and information. A monthly email provides updates, deeper study on facets of the issue, links to additional resources, and questions for reflection or action. A link to subscribe to these monthly emails is available on the website.

AB Women’s Ministries will be hosting a virtual mission encounter, “Crisis at the Border: What Could We Do?”, March 2-6, 2014. The virtual mission encounter will include guest speakers with expertise on the issue, as well as activities for further study on the part of participants. Information and registration for this online event will be available on the AB Women’s Ministries website by December.

Virginia Holmstrom, ABWM executive director, said, “This mission focus and accompanying resources will help women in the church pews to engage with and respond to the humanitarian crisis that is endangering the lives of so many children. I invite AB women to ask themselves ‘what could I do?’ and then use the resources we’re providing to encourage and empower church women to be the hands and feet of Christ.”

For more information and resources for studying this issue, visit the American Baptist Women’s Ministries website at www.abwministries.org.

American Baptist Women’s Ministries is a Christ-centered ministry with a commitment to encourage and empower women and girls to serve God.

American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with more than 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.