The timeline below highlights the founding and
development of Free Will Baptist Women’s ministry from a grassroots missionary society to a
structured organization with global outreach,
focusing on strengthening women in ministry.
Founding of a Movement
1841: Ann Winsor of Providence, Rhode Island, established the first Free Will Baptist Women’s Missionary Society in her home after hearing missionary Eli Noyes speak about the spiritual needs in India.
1873: The Women’s Missionary Society was established as an official organization, with Northern Free Will Baptist women heavily involved in mission efforts, including funding for Storer College (for former slaves) in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, and publishing The Missionary Helper, a missionary news magazine distributed from 1878 to 1919.
1900–1935: Expansion and Regional Organization
During the early 20th century, women’s organizations in the South and West, although influential, were primarily confined to local churches.
These groups organized into regional groups, such as the Women’s Home Mission, Ladies’ Aid Society, or simply Women’s Work, supporting foreign missions, education, stewardship, the Temperance Movement, and founding orphanages.
1935–1950s: Formation and Early Growth
June 13, 1935: Women organized the Woman’s National Auxiliary Convention at the Black Jack Free Will Baptist Church in Pitt County, North Carolina, with Alice Lupton of North Carolina elected as the first president and Fannie Polston of Tennessee as the first field secretary. The National Association of Free Will Baptists
accepted the organization on November 6, 1935.
1947: Mrs. Huey Gower was named the first executive secretary, establishing an office in her home in Nashville, Tennessee.
1952: Executive Secretary Agnes Frazier moved into an office provided by Free Will Baptist Bible College (today Welch College). When the National Association opened its first National Offices Building a year later, then-Executive Secretary Gladys Sloan joined other denominational agencies in the building.
1960s–1980s: Institutionalization and Global Impact
1961: WNAC began publishing CoLaborer magazine, now Treasure Bible Study Guide.
1962: WNAC established the Missionary Provision Closet, a warehouse stocked with linens, cooking utensils, and other household items for missionaries. Today, the Steward Provision Closet continues to supply the needs of missionaries, church planters, and their families.
1963: Eunice Edwards became the first full-time executive secretary, leading efforts to build a Bible institute in India, a mission station in Mexico, and homes for missionaries in Ivory Coast, West Africa, and Japan.
1971: Under the leadership of Cleo Pursell, WNAC reorganized, streamlining the organization but retaining its emphasis on missions.
1980: The first national retreat for women was held in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
1985: Dr. Mary Ruth Wisehart
became executive secretary, and the organization celebrated its 50th anniversary with Sparks into Flame: A History of WNAC.
1990s–2005: Modernization and Outreach
1993: Wisehart led the department to change its name from Women’s National Auxiliary Convention to Women Nationally Active for Christ, which was officially adopted.
1998: Marjorie Workman became the fourth executive secretary.
2005: Workman led the first WNAC-sponsored missions trip in 2005 to Almaty, Kazakhstan.
2008-2009: Leadership Transition and Renewal
2008: Following Marjorie Workman’s retirement, the convention approved Danita High, businesswoman and wife of Pastor John High, as the new executive secretary. She brought banking experience, focused on stabilizing WNAC’s finances, and attracted many young women to the organization.
2010: WNAC celebrated its 75th anniversary at the annual convention in Oklahoma City, where Elizabeth Hodges was elected sixth executive director. Hodges emphasized prayer, cooperation, and innovation in reaching a new generation of Free Will Baptist women, especially young women.
2015: WNAC introduced the Shine! Conference, designed to help young Free Will Baptist women understand their worth and embrace their God-designed roles.
2020: Transition and Adaptation
2020: The Free Will Baptist Women’s Center in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa, was celebrated. The center was funded through contributions from U.S. and Ivorian women, along with a grant from Free Will Baptist Foundation.
2021: Elizabeth Hodges retired as executive director, after a successful decade of service.
2022: Following the pandemic, WNAC held its first in-person event in more than two years: the Flourish Conference in Huntington, West Virginia.
2022: Ruth McDonald began serving as the new director on November 1, 2022, bringing 38 years of missionary experience in Japan.
2024: Digital Expansion
2024: WNAC launched the "As You Go" podcast, featuring pioneer missionary Lorene Miley in its inaugural episode. WNAC sponsored the first international Shine! conference in Mexico.
2024: WNAC partnered with the Executive Office for Growing Together with WNAC to provide a unique fellowship and learning opportunity through Zoom gatherings.
2025: WNAC expanded Shine! conferences to a simulcast format with over 1,100 in attendance.
2025: WNAC/FWB Women’s Ministries celebrated its 90th anniversary at the National Convention in Kansas City. Since 1935, God has brought an abundant harvest through the self-sacrificing labors of FWB women. In 2024 alone, they gave $482,605 to missions, church planting, and other ministries worldwide.
