Sunbeams History

Sunbeams began in 1886 as a mother and young pastor worked together to instill in young children a love for missions.

The mother, Anna Louise Elsom, taught the "infant class" -children ages four through 13-at Fairmont Baptist Church in Nelson County, Virginia. She called the class "Sunbeams," because the sunshine illuminated and warmed the corner of the church where she taught the children.

The pastor, George Braxton Taylor, was the answer to Elsom's prayer for someone to help her start a missionary group for children. Taylor, the son of early Southern Baptist missionaries to Italy and nephew of the first secretary of the Foreign Mission Board, had a heart for missions and was willing to help Elsom achieve her dream.

In 1886, Elsom and Taylor started the first Sunbeam Band at Fairmont Church. Elsom taught the class, while Taylor developed the curriculum and handled the administration of the group. Membership in the band required an initiation fee of one penny, followed by a contribution of one penny a month, all of which went to support missions.

Historical documents note that Taylor insisted that the children earn the money they contributed. Most of the children earned their money by selling eggs and even dedicated the chickens to the cause by naming them after missionaries.

By early 1887, Taylor had won the endorsement of the Foreign Mission Board and began promoting the Sunbeam Band movement through denominational papers. In the March 1887 issue of the Religious Herald, Taylor explained his philosophy of the Sunbeam Band:

"The Sunbeam movement was not altogether to do things for children but that children might do things for others and for Jesus," Taylor wrote. "Not only can children receive, they can also give. They can do their part in sending far and wide the story of Jesus. They do not need to wait until they are men and women to know the romance of modern missions."

Taylor's words fell on fertile ground. By 1889, "Cousin George," as he came to be known, was corresponding with 284 Sunbeam Bands from Virginia to Texas, with membership of more than 8,000. The financial contribution of the bands also was significant, growing from $1,582 in the first year to $2,179 during the second year.

Taylor managed the Sunbeam movement until 1896 when he, in agreement with the Foreign Mission Board, relinquished the task to WMU. This was a natural transition in leadership since the two organizations had a common cause and Taylor had known Annie Armstrong, corresponding secretary of WMU, since his seminary days.

Under WMU's leadership, the focus of Sunbeams eventually shifted away from fund-raising to learning about missions. The curriculum included prayer, stewardship, community missions, telling others about Jesus, and study.

The age span also changed, shrinking first to children eight and under. In 1942, preschool Sunbeams were separated from school-age children and divided again by 1956, when WMU began promoting nursery and beginner Sunbeam Bands.

The most sweeping change for the preschool missions organization came between 1964 and 1970, when WMU and other Southern Baptist Convention agencies adapted their programs to follow a unified grouping/grading plan. The changes prompted WMU to introduce new organizational names, along with new periodicals for each age level.

On Oct. 1, 1970, Sunbeams became Mission Friends, and leaders began receiving a new magazine called Start. In 1978, WMU added a leaflet for Mission Friends called Share, and in 1995, WMU began promoting a class for parents of Mission Friends.

From 2/13/97 WMU Press release by Teresa Dickens, "WMU celebrates centennial of promoting preschool ministry "