Keith Harper

Rescue the Perishing: A. Armstrong Keith Harper

Annie W. Armstrong, more familiarly known as "Miss Annie," served as the first corresponding secretary of the Women's Missionary Union, Auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention. Between 1888 and 1906 she wrote hundreds of letters on behalf of Southern Baptist missionary enterprises. Almost all of her letters inimitably expressed her opinion of "how things ought to be." Rescue the Perishing offers for the first time a selection of letters from this remarkable woman's life. As a group, these letters indicate that Armstrong was both an innovator and tireless promoter of numerous missionary projects at home and abroad. Stubborn and forthright, some might even say abrasive, Miss Annie's correspondence demonstrates that she was a gifted administrator with unparalleled organizational skills. Her guiding hand shaped the WMU's role in Southern Baptist life. Moreover, her ability to work with a variety of denomination leaders in different contexts influenced Baptist polity and helped forge Southern Baptist denominational identity. These letters have never been available to the general public, and they offer great insight into the life and development of the Southern Baptist Convention. In 1934 the WMU recognized Annie W. Armstrong's legacy by naming their Easter offering for Home Missions in her honor. As these letters show, the recognition was well deserved.