It's safe to say that 2022 was quite the year! Here are a few highlights...

House Mom and Relief House Moms - Hired and trained!
One of the most exciting parts of 2022 was hiring our House Mom, Rachel! This was absolutely a God-ordained placement and we could not be more thankful that the Lord brought Rachel to us. We know her sweet spirit will have a lasting impact on the women who come to stay at House of Mary. Rachel hit the ground running with training and has been diligent in learning all she can about the ins and outs of the maternity housing ministry. She's completed all of the required House of Mary training, numerous webinars, attended the National Christian Housing Conference, and is currently doing hands-on field training at another maternity home in our region.

We've also hired three Relief House Moms who will be on duty at the house to allow our House Mom scheduled time off. They have completed all of the required House of Mary training and are ready to go. These ladies are such a wonderful addition to the House of Mary team. Each one brings such unique gifts to this ministry and we can't wait to see how the Lord works through them.

Successful Ladies Tea 
Ladies Tea 2022 was an amazing success. This was our first sold out event and we officially outgrew our usual event space at FBC! Through tables and ticket sales, sponsors, and donations, over $18,000 was raised for House of Mary. We are so excited to do it all again in a few months! More info about LT23 below...

Van Donation
In May we were incredibly blessed with a "new to us" van so graciously donated by First United Methodist Church. We will be able to use the van for group outings and transporting residents as needed.

Georgia Bailey Learning Center 
This summer we introduced The Georgia Bailey Learning Center at House of Mary (or as we like to call the GBLC). This office space located inside the house will be utilized by residents to continue their education during their stay. We are so grateful to the Georgia Bailey Family for blessing House of Mary with the funds to equip this center as a way to continue Georgia Bailey's legacy.

New Board Members and Advisory Board 
This summer we officially expanded our Board of Directors! After an open nomination process, we voted Melissa Parrish to join as treasurer, Nacole Walker as secretary, and Caryn McLendon and Becky Martin as general board members. These ladies have integrated seamlessly and have brought fresh new ideas and excitement to the ministry! 

Along with the expansion of our board, we also created an Advisory Board consisting of professionasl from various fields of expertise. This group acts as our sounding board when we are in need or ideas or advice related to topics within their scope. We are so grateful for the knowledge and guidance!

Ribbon Cutting
In July we hosted a small and intimate Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to officially open the doors to House of Mary. It was definitely a surreal day that we have been praying for for years. God's timing is not always crystal clear, but we know that it is perfect!

Volunteer Orientation
We held our first ever volunteer orientation! It was a great turnout and we have a number of excited individuals ready to serve in various ways! These orientations will be held routinely throughout the year as new volunteer applications come in. You can apply to volunteer here.

Helping Applicants 
Since officially opening, we have had a number of women apply to live at House of Mary. Our main avenue for applicants has been referrals from surrounding pregnancy centers and maternity homes. Many of our initial applicants have been women with other children in their care or in need of emergency placement. We were able to refer those applicants to organizations that better fit their needs. We are so thankful to be a part of the Maternity Housing Coalition. This network has been vital in receiving and making referrals. Another large hurdle to overcome with potential residents is having the women realize that they are worthy of love and care! We've had a number make it through the intake process and then back out because the idea of safety and stability was just too foreign and scary to them. Please pray with us that we can effectively communicate going forward that these women are loved and worthy of making a better life for themselves and their child, whether that's through parenting or adoption.

Save the date for Ladies' Tea - April 1, 2023!
Join us on April 1, 2023 for Ladies' Tea! This is our favorite event of the year and it serves as our annual fundraiser and ministry outreach to the women in our community. We officially outgrew our normal space at FBC, so this year's event will be at the Polk County Commerce Center. We'll have more info available soon!

That's all for now, but make sure you check back often for updates.  

Other ways to keep up with House of Mary:
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram - @homlivingston 
Subscribe to our email list: http://eepurl.com/dGzUkP
Subscribe to our postal mail list: postable.com/homlivingston

Thank you for your support and prayers,

Rusti, Cyndie, Suzonna, Melissa, Nacole, Becky, and Caryn
House of Mary Board Members

That’s a wrap on Ladies’ Tea 2022! Because of your generosity, over $18,000 was raised for House of Mary! These funds will directly impact young women in our community through the ministry of House of Mary.

A few words of thanks to those that contributed to the success of this event:

Thank you to First Baptist Church for allowing us to use their facilities and to the staff for all of their help before, during, and after the event!

Thank you to our amazing speaker, Chrystal Evans Hurst. We were all so blessed by her wonderful message!

Thank you to Chef Gann and the LHS Advanced Culinary Students for preparing all of our amazing food.

Thank you to “Momma B” for the delicious desserts.

Thank you to all of the awesome NHS student volunteers who helped set up for the event and sold raffle and door prize tickets.

Thank you to Miss Polk County Ashley Moore, First Runner Up and talent winner Ja’Nayah Pickens, and Jr. Miss Polk County Madalyn Green for announcing and handing out our door prizes and raffle items.

Thank you to Rachel, Charlotte, Bonnie, Kayla, Tammy, Robert, Michael, Nacole, Jessica, Anna, Connie, and the numerous other volunteers and helpers (because I know we are forgetting someone!) that didn’t hesitate to jump in and decorate, refill lemonade, clean up, break down, etc.

Thank you to all of our generous sponsors:

GOLD SPONSOR
Grease Monkey Livingston

SILVER SPONSOR
Anonymous Donor

BRONZE SPONSORS
Home Grown
Hendrix Machinery
Dr. Ralph Jenke D.D.S. & Associates
Anonymous Donor

RAFFLE SPONSORS
Rockin’ P Construction
Moseley Construction
First Liberty National Bank
Edward Jones - Doug Green
The Witte Family
Livingston Communications
Dr. Tiffany Lee
Eastex Line Clearing
Karaline Shores

DOOR PRIZE SPONSORS
Evans Real Estate
The Baxley Family
Julie Puckett
The Witte Family
Rachel Kibble
Paula Little
Dr. Tiffany Lee
Church Street Financial
Beaux and Kelly Cochran
Tammy Long Harrison
Stephanie Williams
Jackie Green

And last, but certainly not least… THANK YOU to each and every person that attended the event, bought raffle tickets and shirts, committed to pray, or generously made a donation. We are so thankful for each of you!! In the words of our dear friend Suanne… “GO CHURCH GO!”

Be on the look out for more exciting House of Mary news coming very soon! As always, thank you for your support and interest in this ministry. We are thankful.

That's a Wrap, What a Year!
Our most exciting news as we wrapped up the end of the year is that we passed all inspections and obtained our official Certificate of Occupancy from the City of Livingston!  This means the house is complete and ready for residents!!!  On top of that we also received numerous items from our house registry, and thanks to the 4th and 5th graders from First Baptist Church, all household items are organized and put away in the house.  We still have a few miscellaneous items left on our registry.  You can shop the remaining items here. If you've been by the house lately you may have noticed that we have new shutters that were handmade and donated by Shaun and Nacole Walker, our storage building has been moved closer to the home courtesy of Economy Portable Building for better access, and S & S Fence Co. is installing a fence and entry gate to offer extra protection for future residents.  

Happy New Year!
As we move into another new year, we have some very specific needs that we would like you to pray for and share with anyone and everyone!

We are hiring!!!
Several years ago, we asked you to help us "Open the doors to the House of Mary"... It is time! Now, we need you to help us get the word out.  In order for House of Mary to open, we need someone to live in and manage the home.  We have named this position "House Parent/Resident Director."  The position may be filled by either a single woman or married couple (where the wife would hold the position and the husband could still work outside the home).  You can find out more by visiting our Job Postings page, emailing us, or chatting with one of our board members. We know that God is preparing the perfect woman/couple for House of Mary and we can't wait to see who He sends.

Join Us!
As we plan forward, we are looking to add a few more Board Members as well as develop an Advisory Board that would act as a sounding board when we need new ideas or advice in various areas of expertise.  If you are interested in joining our mission or just want more information, check out our About Us page.  Please nominate yourself or someone you think would be a good House of Mary team member.  Once again, we believe God is about to send new faces to the House of Mary team.

Operating Expenses!
Now that we have completed our first home our fundraising focus will be on monthly operating expenses.  We need dedicated donors like you to keep the house running and provide for the moms who have chosen life for their baby.  Your donations will help provide everything from essentials like food and electricity to Bible studies and Educational classes that will change their families for generations to come.  Our goal is to Equip, Empower, and Enable these women and we can't do it without you.  Click Here to Give.

NEW DATE for Ladies' Tea - April 2, 2022!
Join us on April 2, 2022 for Ladies' Tea! This is our favorite event of the year and it serves as our annual fundraiser and ministry outreach to the women in our community.  Ladies, you don't want to miss this.  We promise!  Click HERE to find out why we made a date change and why we are so excited...

That's all for now, but make sure you check back often for more updates.  

Other ways to keep up with House of Mary:
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram or 
Subscribe to our email list: http://eepurl.com/dGzUkP
Subscribe to our postal mail list: postable.com/homlivingston

Thank you for your support and prayers,

Rusti, Cyndie, and Suzonna
House of Mary Board Members