LEARN ABOUT EBO
What is MISSIONKY, the Eliza Broadus Offering®?
In 1913, the Kentucky Woman's Missionary Union®, under the leadership of Eliza Broadus, established the State Missions Offering and Season of Prayer to promote and support missions within the commonwealth of Kentucky. From that time on, an annual observance of the a season of prayer and offering for state missions took its place along with those for International and North American missions. In 1976, the state missions offering was renamed to what we know now as the Eliza Broadus Offering for State Missions®.
Who was Eliza Broadus?
Eliza Somerville Broadus was born in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1851. In 1877, after moving with her family to Louisville, Kentucky, Miss Broadus joined Walnut Street Baptist Church and became a member of the missionary society of that church. The following year, 1878, Kentucky formed a Central Committee and Miss Broadus was elected to serve on that committee as the representative from the Walnut Street society. She continued to serve as an active member of Kentucky’s Central Committee, later known as the Executive Committee, until 1928, a period of fifty years. During that time she was chairman of the committee for thirty-two years and vice-chairman for nine years. When she resigned from the committee in 1928 she was made an honorary life member of the committee. In 1888, when Woman’s Missionary Union was organized in Richmond, Virginia, Miss Broadus was not present, but was nevertheless elected vice-president from Kentucky. She made valuable contributions to WMU work through her years of service both in Kentucky and in the work of national WMU.
Thus, as one of its earliest advocates and missions pioneers, the Kentucky State Missions Offering is named after Eliza Broadus. Miss Broadus served faithfully in her church and worked diligently and tirelessly for Kentucky Woman's Missionary Union. She held many positions for WMU on the state and national level. Her collective service to WMU totaled to fifty-three years from 1878-1931.
In 1913 Miss Broadus led Kentucky WMU to promote the taking of an annual offering for state missions in all the churches. In 1975 Kentucky WMU voted to name the annual state missions offering in her honor starting in 1976.
Miss Kathleen Mallory’s tribute to Miss Broadus in the December 1931 issue of Royal Service summarized her varied service in these words:
"Few Southern Baptist women have equaled Miss Eliza S. Broadus in the
service rendered her “own generation according to the will of God.” Four-
score years and one week were granted to her and she not only used them
to help lovingly in the home, church, community and state, but for more
than half of her life she was a most efficient officer of Woman’s Missionary
Union....In living terms one will ever think of Miss Broadus, for she was always
so active, alert and animated that death cannot be associated with her."
