Woman's Missionary Union of Virginia has named an “independent, ad hoc” committee to address concerns raised by some Virginia Baptists about WMUV's personnel policies and organizational structure.
WMUV's board of trustees approved the committee at its regular meeting June 3, according to a statement released June 28 by WMUV. The committee will be chaired by former WMUV president Margaret Wayland of Danville, who also is a former president of the Baptist General Association of Virginia.
“… [T]he WMU of Virginia board of trustees received and prayerfully reviewed stated concerns from a group of women at a local church regarding personnel issues and organizational structure,” the statement said. “While the board believes that actions have been taken according to policy, it wants to address these concerns in a responsible manner.”
The statement does not name the church or specify the concerns. However, it apparently refers to letters received from members of the WMU at Clifford Baptist Church in Clifford, not far from WMUV's CrossRoads Camp and Conference Center. The conference center's managers, Robbie and Kelly King, were dismissed last fall. The Kings had close ties to Clifford Baptist Church, as did the two previous manager couples-Carl and Bonnie Davis and Dan and Linda Skipper, all of whom resigned their positions.
The staff turnover at CrossRoads also captured the attention of pastors in the surrounding Piedmont Baptist Association, who asked in a January letter to the association's WMU director that she investigate the situation. The letter was signed by the pastors of 19 of the association's 22 affiliated congregations.
“We strongly support the WMU of Virginia, especially CrossRoads Camp and Conference Center, and would like to continue financial and volunteer support,” the letter to Piedmont WMU director Betty Shelton said. “However, we are losing the third set of directors/managers within five years and the time between staff changes is shrinking. … [W]e request your assistance and due diligence in investigating this at your earliest convenience.”
Shelton subsequently raised the issue with WMUV staff and was told that while “personnel issues remain confidential,” they “have been handled in an ethical and Christ-like manner.”
According to the BGAV's treasurer's office, several congregations have inquired about withholding their contributions from WMUV and have asked how funds are disbursed from the Alma Hunt Offering for Virginia Missions, part of which finances WMUV operations.
WMUV's 10-member board of trustees felt it was important to respond quickly to the questions, said board president Becky McKinney.
“We are eager to respond to these concerns with integrity and an independent committee comprised of highly-respected Virginia Baptists seemed like a good way to accomplish that,” she said.
In addition to Wayland, who attends West Main Baptist Church in Danville, other members of the committee are Ann Brown of Gretna, a member of First Baptist Church there and vice president and secretary of WMUV's board of trustees; Roberta Damon, a retired staff minister of First Baptist Church in Richmond; Sterling Moore, an attorney and member of Second Baptist Church in Richmond; and Merle Prince, a member of Starling Avenue Baptist Church in Martinsville who has been active in WMU at the state, associational and church levels.
The committee hopes to report its findings and any recommendations to the trustees this fall.
McKinney said the board took the action without initially involving WMUV executive director-treasurer Earlene Jessee, who is on sabbatical until September. Jessee is dealing with pulmonary issues and doctors recommended time away from the office to address them.
“As soon as we took the action, I relayed it to Earlene and she endorses the process,” said McKinney. ‘We felt we needed to honor her time away from the office and take care of this ourselves.” She added that the timing of the committee was not related to Jessee's absence.
The board also sent a letter to each of the 1,100 WMU directors in each BGAV church, reporting the formation of the committee, McKinney said.
“While we feel that actions have been taken according to policy, we too want to bring light and truth to these concerns …,” the letter said.
“We believe that this can be a time of growth and opportunity as we take a responsible look at our structure and our policy and see if there is any way we can improve.”