Men and Women of Action Celebrate 40 Years
Men and Women of Action (MWOA), an independent nonprofit with roots in the Church of God, celebrated their 40th anniversary last week during their annual international rally and reunion. The celebration was held February 17 and 18 at the New Hope Church in Kodak, Tenn.
For the past 40 years, MWOA has operated with the mission to provide, “an opportunity for men and women to volunteer their skills in building projects around the world. Even though our main emphasis is coordinating construction teams, we also work with disaster relief and recovery, humanitarian projects, celebration teams, and discipleship training.”
Since their founding, MWOA teams have worked on more than 2,000 projects throughout the United States and in over 75 other countries. These numbers continue to grow every day.
MWOA Director Phil Thompson addresses the gathering at the organization’s 40th anniversary celebration last weekend (click photo to enlarge)
The rally highlighted the projects of the past year, but also re-visited key moments in the organization’s history. Volunteers were recognized and church leaders addressed the gathering as part of the celebration. Under the direction of Phil Thompson, MWOA was previously led by Hugh Carver and was founded by Bob Pace in 1983.
“Forty years ago, my dad had a vision for short-term missions, disaster relief, medical assistance, building and repair for churches, clinics, orphanages and schools,” said Jeff Pace, son of MWOA founder, Bob Pace. Referring to the weekend rally, Pace said, “We celebrated this weekend with a large group of volunteers from around the country and overseas who have travelled the 50 states and in almost every country on the globe, working and sharing Jesus. It was my privilege to be a guest speaker Friday night. The stories are life-changing. Thank you, Lord, for God’s people using Gods gifts for Gods glory.”
A highlight of 2022 was occupation of the ministry’s international headquarters to a new site on Barnes Street in Cleveland, Tenn. The multi-million-dollar project was partially constructed with MWOA labor and is within $200,000 of being debt free.
To learn more about Men and Women of Action, visit cogmwoa.org.
