MOBILE DISTRICT WOMEN’S HOME & OVERSEAS MISSIONARY SOCIETY West Alabama Conference – African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Communicator Fall 2026 Edition
From the President’s Desk
“Six Departments But One Society “
Greetings, my Missionary Sisters! I greet you with love and gratitude for your continued commitment to serving God and His people. As we focus on Empathy and Compassion, I want us to remember that some of the greatest missionary work we will ever do may happen outside of a church program or organized event. Sometimes ministry happens when we simply take the time to see someone, listen to someone, and love someone.
Ms. Terri Thompson– Life Members Council Mrs. Lola Petway – Secretary of Bureau of Supply Mrs. Andrea Robinson – Superintendent of BUDS Mrs. Diana Rivers – Secretary of Youth Missionary Society Mrs. Lourdes Thorn – Coordinator of YAMS Mrs. Stefany Gant – President-Parent Body Rev. Dr. Titus Thorn – Presiding Elder Mrs. Sandra Crowder – International President Mrs Donna Smith Walker– Missionary Supervisor Bishop Dewayne Walker – Presiding Prelate
Colossians 3:12 tells us, “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
Empathy asks us to look beyond ourselves and consider what someone else may be experiencing. Compassion takes us one step further—it moves our hearts to respond. Jesus demonstrated this throughout His ministry. Matthew 9:36 tells us that when Jesus saw the crowds, “He had compassion on them.” Jesus didn't simply see people—He saw their needs. He saw their pain. He saw their humanity. And Missionary Sisters, that is our challenge. There are people all around us carrying burdens we cannot see. The woman sitting beside us may be smiling while struggling privately. The young person who seems difficult may really be asking for someone to understand them. The elderly person who tells the same story again may simply need someone willing to listen.
member that perhaps God allowed us to see the need because He intends for us to be part of the answer. So my charge to you is simple: See people. Hear people. Love people. Serve people. Let us be missionaries who don't just talk about the love of Jesus—let us demonstrate it. May God give us eyes that notice what others overlook, ears that hear what others ignore, hearts that feel what others are carrying, and hands that are willing to help. And wherever our missionary journey takes us, may someone be able to say, “I experienced the compassion of Christ because one of His missionary women cared enough to see me.”
Before we criticize, let us seek to understand.
That is ministry. That is mission. And that is love in action.
Before we walk away, let us ask, “Is there something I can do?”
May God bless each of you, and may He continue to bless the work of our hands..
So before we judge, let us listen.
And before we say, “Someone ought to help,” let us re-