The ladies of the Woman’s Missionary Union at Northside Baptist Church in Troy are as busy as bees making lap blankets for people here at home, mission dresses for little girls as far away as Africa and Nicaragua and Christmas shoeboxes for children around the world.

Gerald and Juanita Wilkes were called to serve Northside Baptist in March and both have eagerly joined the WMU in the collective desire to broaden the scope of missions at the church.

“Northside is dedicated to missions at home and abroad,” Gerald Wilkes, church pastor, said. “The WMU is working to get the blankets, dresses and shoeboxes ready for delivery. We have a dedicated group of ladies and they are an inspiration to others.”

Ramona Dunn, WMU member, said the ladies work according to their interests and special talents.

“Some ladies sew and others cut and fold and some of are just encouragers,” she said, laughing. “But everybody contributes. It takes all of us and we all enjoy what we do.”

The ladies are working on three projects. One is the making of lap blankets or throws.

“The throws are small and just the right size to throw over your lap or around you shoulders to keep the chill off you,” she said. “We are making them for residents at local nursing homes and also for the hospital.”

Another group of ladies is making pillowcase dress or, to better describe them, mission dresses for little girls in countries were child abductions are prevalent.

“What we have learned is that in some countries little girls who are wearing pretty dresses are not often abducted and abused,” Juanita Wilkes said. “The reason is that the dresses are an indication that the little girls have someone who loves and cares for them and that is a deterrent to anyone who might harm them.”

Each mission dress has a pair of panties with it and also a bead bracelet.

The ladies also make miniature stockings that can be stuffed with a single item. These stockings may be distributed along with other items and are ways of saying “Merry Christmas.”

Some of the ladies enjoy making the bead bracelets, a project spearheaded by Judy Windham, and some who are not into sewing and crafts contribute to the project by purchasing the panties and making gift stockings.

“So many people contribute in so many ways,” Wilkes said.

The church membership participates in the packing of Christmas Shoeboxes for children around the world.

“Northside is a very active church and our mission is to serve at home and abroad,” Wilkes said.