Mary's Place: A Unique Ministry Providing "Ideal Opportunities"
by Jim Elzerman

One of the best-kept secrets in Free Methodism today is a ministry started in October of 2000 by Doug and Margie Newton called Mary's Place. Their stated mission "…is to provide ideal opportunities for Christians to reorient their lives around the priority of prayer and the Word of God." And their particular burden is for pastors and their spouses.

Doug expounded on their vision for the ministry: "Our vision is to move through the church pastor by pastor until the majority of our pastors are committed to a 'prayer-based' ministry. We are so convinced that this is the only answer that we offer these opportunities for ministry reorientation free of charge."

The ministry of Mary's Place is built on four basic assumptions:

1. Jesus set an example that all Christians should follow.
2. Lack of fruitfulness in the church is due to lack of spiritual leadership.
3. Lack of vision in the church is due to the lack of spiritual leadership.
4. People make life-changing decisions during unique occasions of challenge and reflection.

Participation in the program involves a three-phase process - preparation, the on-site experience, and follow-up. The preparation phase includes personal preparation for the couple that will be attending as well as preparation for the church they are serving. There are assigned readings and exercises designed to help the participants to get the most out of their experience.

The on-site experience is a week-long retreat that takes place in pleasant surroundings conducive to reflection, relaxation and renewal. (Work is currently underway on a 6000 sq. ft. retreat house near Bowling Green, Kentucky that will include three apartments, each with a living room, kitchenette, bedroom with a queen-size bed, a full bath, a private entrance and private patio.) A typical day during the retreat begins with the morning devoted to prayer using the "Life Reorientation" guidebook and a shared meal with casual fellowship and sharing during lunchtime. The rest of the day is free time for the couple to use as God directs.

Follow-up is at both the personal and church level and includes participation in a prayer network and ongoing support.

When asked how our readers can pray for Mary's Place, Doug responded with the following three requests:

• While all church leaders can benefit from this kind of retreat, we know that God has His selections and timing for who should come. We need His help discerning. We need Him to create divine connections and appointments with the right people.
• Strength, wisdom and resources necessary for Margie and I to provide this ministry. (This is not our full-time work, but it is our life-calling and requires so much time and resources that we are trusting God to provide. We are committed to a "George Mueller" style ministry, i.e. no fund raising, just presenting our needs to God in prayer, so that our ministry itself is a living testimony to the reality of God's provision through prayer.
• When we are not using the retreat house for Mary's Place retreats, it will be available for pastors and pastoral couples. Pray that this side ministry will also meet real needs of our pastoral families.

If you would like more information about this exciting ministry, check out the Web site at www.marysplace.org.