Esther, in the old testament of the Holy Bible, delivered thousands of her people from the hands of an evil oppressor who was determined to destroy them. Esther's attitude of submission, obedience, courage and loyalty brought her "godly favor" and empowered her as she centered and focused herself on saving her people.
Like Esther, the missionaries of Esther's Urban Missionary Academy (EUMA) are called "for such a time as this"— to be used to lead hurting women out of the deadly entrapments of abusive relationships, addictions and victimization into an intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The absence of loving, affirming relationships in childhood can cause devastating problems. Childhood rejection, betrayal and abandonment have left many women susceptible to substance abuse, suicide, divorce, depression, sexual promiscuity, abortion, crime, violence, adultery, homosexuality, prostitution, homelessness and child abuse. At EUMA, lay women are becoming missionaries who are equipped and prepared to provide the understanding, emotional support, spiritual guidance and loving relationships that will lead to the salvation, healing, deliverance and restoration of those we serve.
Our mission is to train, prepare and equip lay women for mentoring relationships and spiritual leadership roles with women in inner city settings and urban facilities. Upon completion of the required training, the women are sent out as missionaries.
Our vision is to see our mentees using their own testimony of healing to reach other women who are still silently suffering. This will be accomplished as:
* We send out missionaries who will serve as mentors inside urban facilities and inner city neighborhoods.
* We set up weekly women's Bible study classes in homeless shelters, substance abuse treatment centers, housing projects, transitional housing facilities, halfway houses and street ministries.
* The missionaries develop permanent, loving, mentoring relationships through Bible studies, mentoring sessions, special events and telephone contacts.
* The mentees are guided toward emotional healing through Christ-centered teaching and Biblically based principles.
Our ultimate hope is that our mentees will heal emotionally, grow spiritually and aspire to become a missionary in the academy.
WHO WOULD BE A MISSIONARY CANDIDATE?
The academy seeks to enroll lay women who have a "testimony" and consider themselves a "victorious over-comer" of some sort of life altering experience due to their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We are seeking women:
* Whose daily lives demonstrate their faith and adherence to the Word of God.
* Who will commit to an on-going relationship with a mentee,
* Who are willing to be held accountable as a mentor and who have a passion for reaching the lost?
In addition to our missionary training program, Bible studies and mentoring program, we conduct seminars and workshops. Our annual "Victorious Lady Seminar," a two-day event, is held each year in November and provides an opportunity for women to celebrate their victories, share their testimony, be inspired and uplifted, be rejuvenated and refreshed, to praise and worship together, to fellowship, to be pampered and have lots of girlish fun. We conduct workshops for church groups interested in preparing themselves for outreach ministry to women in the inner city. We also present workshops at women's retreats to minister to hurting women who are members of the traditional church.
