Zoë and Sofya: Mary's Background

I grew up in a small town in Arkansas. I lived on 100 acres out in a little village of only 200 people. I have milked cows, driven a log truck, and went deer hunting. I didn't enjoy any of the above. I was always a closet city girl and when the opportunity came to choose between moving to another small town in Arkansas or jumping ship and moving to the big city of Orlando, FL...I didn't walk, I ran!

I am married to another small town guy (who Whitney has actually known longer than she's known me, they went to preschool together, I didn't meet them until 1st grade!) and it was actually Martin, my hubby, who moved us to Florida. After graduating from college with a B.A. in Mass Media, Martin and I decided to get married and pursue Master's degrees. By 2006 we both had M.A.'s in Art History and were ready for a change. I went to work at a small daily newspaper as a feature writer and graphic designer and Martin sent our resumes all over the United States. I was also, by this point, VERY involved in the United Methodist Church as a lay-speaker. Lay speakers are basically local pastors who can be sent to churches who are in distress (in this case I was sent to a small local congregation whose pastor had a heart attack). God was calling me to lead in the church (apparently very clearly) but, at the time, I just saw this as me doing something nice for a church in need. After about 4 months of this Orlando called and gave us two weeks to move ... this is when we ran!

It was here, in actually Kissimmee, FL, where God showed me my call. One week after moving here I was asked to apply as a children's director for the First Untied Methodist Church, a downtown church that brags 2000 members. I got the job right away and spent two years working there — first in children's ministry and evangelism, and eventually as program director and basically assistant pastor at times. God called me to dedicate my life to service during this time and I began the process of ordination in the UM church. I've been in the process a year now and am a certified candidate for ordained ministry as a Deacon and am working on my second master's in Christian Ministry at Asbury Theological Seminary. I also now work at a homeless transitional housing program where I serve in development and public relations. God moving me to where I am now, professionally, educationally, and spiritually has been a blessing beyond words.

As for my marriage, it is the most important aspect of my life. Martin and I have been together for 9 years and have been married nearly 5. We do not have children (yet) but we do have a dog that thinks he's a child. We just bought a house in St. Cloud, FL (which actually is out in the "country," I guess there is some country girl in me after all) and we plan to start a family within the next year.