Sandy Wisdom-Martin, executive director-treasurer for the national Woman’s Missionary Union, hopes the organization’s new book, “Because of Hope: Reflections of Faith,” will help Southern Baptists find hope in the midst of despair.

The book was produced as a way to emphasize WMU’s theme for their curriculum in the years 2022-2024, which is hope in Christ. The theme of hope is drawn from Romans 12:9-16 — particularly verse 12, which reads, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (NIV).

Wisdom-Martin said generally WMU will select one person to pen a book to support their two-year emphasis, but this time they decided instead to compile different stories of hope from various Southern Baptist leaders.

“I started thinking that everyone has a story that is woven into God’s story,” Wisdom-Martin said. “All we asked of them was to write about the greatest story of hope you’ve ever experienced, and through these stories we wanted to point people to hope in Christ.”

Writers of the book’s 50 different stories include missionaries, entity leaders, state convention leaders, association leaders and retired ministers.