Thursday, June 19, 2008
The incredible influence of Alma Hunt
From the RoundTable blog
Read the latest entries
Susan Deans Blanding
Blanding, of Roanoke, is a school counselor at Thaxton Elementary school. She knew Alma Hunt as a member of Roanoke's First Baptist Church for more than 25 years.
Miss Alma died on Saturday, June 14. Dr. Alma Hunt, her full name, was Miss Alma to people who knew her through her amazing life of leadership, missions and Christian service.
Long before the term "glass ceiling" became familiar, Miss Alma broke through it to be a school principal, a dean of women at a Baptist college and, ultimately, the executive secretary of the Women's Missionary Union of the Southern Baptist Convention. Women did not traditionally have such positions of leadership in the 1930s, '40s and '50s.
Southern Baptist is an organization not especially known for electing women to positions of leadership, yet she led a staff of more than 100, expanded the WMU to more than 1.5 million members, and managed a multi-million-dollar budget when a million dollars was a lot of money.
Through her graceful ability to communicate, Miss Alma was able to bring about cooperation between distinctive Baptist churches. This resulted in greatly expanded effectiveness of ministry and missions in the United States and around the world. Respect for cultural differences and understanding of what makes us all human led to an international network of relationships. In all her work, she shared the love and good news of her risen Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Miss Alma had an impressive memory, an infectious smile and an awareness of others that made each person she met feel welcome, valued and capable of coming on board a cause bigger than oneself. It is not an exaggeration to state that she inspired thousands of folks to join in an effort to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ through whatever way one could: prayer, giving, short- term volunteer assignments, teaching a Sunday school class, mission action in the community or career missions.
She was involved with education for adults and children, especially girls. She left others with a sense of possibilities and faith that each of us can be part of God's great plan and purpose for the furthering of his kingdom.
I know Miss Alma affected the way my four young-adult children think about God's plan for their lives and sharing his love as a lifestyle. I am thankful that each one of them had the opportunity to hear her speak, learn of her life and be inspired by her accounts of experiences around the world.
Miss Alma treated others the way she believed Christ would treat them and expressed his love as an invitation to come into his family. She was a Roanoke girl who lived a very full life in the wide world, while never forgetting her roots. She is greatly appreciated, greatly loved and will be greatly missed.
