Mary Hill Davis was born in Greenville, Georgia, and came to Texas as a small child in 1870 when her family moved from Tennessee to Dallas. Mary's heart for missions and people was evident in everything she did. She believed Texas was a vast mission field, and that immigrants needed to know Jesus just as much as citizens did. Not only did she stir women to give and pray for missions (giving increased by $1.2 million dollars during her presidency), but she also encouraged leaders to take care of orphans, schools in Texas, and retired pastors living in poverty.
Mary Hill Davis passed away on November 28, 1934, and during a memorial service held at the Women's Missionary Union (WMU) Convention of Houston in 1935, the State Missions Offering was re-named the Mary HIll Davis Offering®. Today, Mary's remarkable leadership continues to inspire Texas Baptists to give, pray, and serve.

In 1935, the Executive Board of Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas recommended a resolution that the Week of Prayer for the TEXAS Missions Offering be named the "Mary Hill Davis Offering”. The resolution was unanimously adopted and the offering was thus named for the woman who had led Baptist women of Texas to pray for and give to missions efforts in Texas. Today, your gifts to the Mary Hill Davis Offering continue to empower state missions efforts for Texas Baptists.