Thinking outside the box!
As we work to raise funds for our 2018-19 National WMA Project (We Are FREE), I’ve been encouraged to hear from some of you about new ways to raise funds. There have been challenges from one district to another to see who can raise the most, and one lady in Alabama who is a Mary Kay dealer has stated she will sell any Mary Kay product at 25% off, with that amount going to the National Project. Her name is Paige Herring and her contact information is as follows: tammypaigeherring@marykay.com.
I’d love to hear other ideas of ways to meet our goal of $80,000. If your church, district or state has plans to do something, please email me at kelgirl0805@gmail.com so I can share it with others.
Also, remember there will be no new brochure for this project as the national officers determined it was more sensible to use the money we normally spend on printing and shipping to have someone attend one of your district or state meetings to share about the project. I’ve recently been to Southaven, Mississippi, to share at their mid-year meeting. Angelyn McMurray, CEO of We Are FREE, and myself have plans to attend several other district meetings in Texas and Arkansas. There is no cost to your church or district for us to attend. We would also like to attend your state retreats to share about this worthy project.
If you have any questions, please email or call me: kelgirl0805@gmail.com or 214-534-9875.
Kelly Williams, Chairman
National WMA Project Committee
The National WMA met in Jackson, Mississippi, this week and what a great time we had! A Big Thank You goes to Charlotte Johnson and Jodi Rhea for having the Outrageous Courage to make a change in our meeting plans. We conducted business on Monday afternoon with about one hundred women present, and then enjoyed a retreat on Tuesday that was wonderful! We heard from Kim Crabill, founder of Roses and Rainbows Ministries, we enjoyed a wonderful time of lunch together and then had four break out sessions to pick from in the afternoon. Again, thank you to Charlotte and Jodi for this great retreat day.
During our business meeting we heard from Mrs. Diane Lee of the College in the Philippines, thanking the National WMA for the funds we raised during the last year. Our ladies and churches raised approximately $33,000, 80% of which went to the college. The other twenty percent is designated to the WMA General Fund and the Youth Auxiliary Fund. Mrs. Lee sends a big thank you to all who helped!
There were three nominations this year for the 2018-19 National WMA Project. They were We Are Free, LifeWord Cloud, and the BMA Moral Action Committee. We heard from all three organizations. The ladies voted to choose We Are Free as the National WMA Project. Angelyn McMurray, the Founder of this organization, shared some facts with us about human trafficking. Angelyn is the granddaughter of Silas McMurray, a BMA Missionary to New Jersey in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Her dad is now the pastor of that church. Their website is www.wearefree.us and I urge you to visit that website for more information.
Ms. McMurray, who is an attorney, was so moved by the facts of human trafficking that she started this organization. She speaks so passionately about the people affected by human trafficking and she speaks to groups about ways to avoid being pulled into any relationship that can lead to human trafficking.
The National WMA Project Committee met with Ms. McMurray and other officers and interested parties after the retreat to discuss how best to promote this project this year. Ms. McMurray has offered to visit any church, WMA District meeting, or state meeting to share about this ministry with no cost to the churches. The committee is also willing to travel to your meetings to share about the great need of We Are FREE.
We are stepping out in faith with our goal for this project. Ms. McMurray shared at the meeting that the first building has began and they have funds to finish that building, but no funds to furnish it. She asked that the WMA help her to make this building into a home. The cost to furnish the home, kitchen, bedrooms, living room, conference rooms, etc. is approximately $60,000. We considered that as our budget but because we take 20% of the funds received for the general fund and youth auxiliary, we decided to set a goal of $80,000, so that her portion is the $60,000 needed. She will be sending to me some information about how much each room would cost so that if your church or district or state wants to take on a particular room, we will know what that looks like.
Last year was my first year to serve as a National Officer on this committee. Here is what I learned: IT ONLY TAKES ONE PERSON DECIDING TO HELP TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE! No amount is too small! If your church (or even you yourself) want to give toward this worthy cause, please understand that every dollar helps!
Here are some things from We Are FREE’s website:
DID YOU KNOW . . .
– There are roughly 27 million slaves in the world. There are more slaves now than at any other time in human history.
– More than 17,500 persons will be trafficked into the United States each year.
– Every year, approximately 100,000 U.S. Citizen children will be trafficked within the United States.
– In the United States, forced prostitution (trafficking) begins at an average age of 13 for girls and 12 for boys.
– And in the United States alone, human trafficking is a 9.8 Billion dollar industry. More specifically, in major urban areas, a pimp will earn as much as 1.7 Million dollars every year.
My prayer is that some day this facility will not be needed because we have eradicated the problem of human trafficking, but I’m realistic enough to know that Satan is alive and well, and seeking whom he may devour. Let’s all get behind this project and make a difference this year!
You can contact me at kelgirl0805@gmail.com or call me at 214-534-9875 to ask for a visit to your WMA.
Kelly Williams
National WMA Project Committee, Chairman