Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How are the funds that you collect for the ministry allocated?
A: At least 80% of your donation goes toward Immediate Intervention. We work directly to rescue widows and orphans in their distress. No more than 10% of the donation is used to support the ongoing administrative work of Mary's Comfort Ministries and 10% goes out to support other missions and ministries that are working to further the kingdom of God.
Q: Are there really victims of child trafficking in Southern Indiana?
A: Child trafficking exists in every community in America, even in Southern Indiana. At this very moment, parents are letting men use their children for sex in order to obtain money or drugs. These victims of child trafficking are desperately waiting for someone to rescue and care for them. As many as 2.8 million children live on the streets, a third of whom are lured into prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home. 1 in 8 youth under the age of 18 will leave home and become homeless in need of services. That means there are children in our community right now who've run away and are being lured into sexual exploitation. The FBI has determined that the average age for females entering prostitution in the US is 13 and for boys the age is 11.
Q: What is the population of widows in your community?
A: In Lawrence County Indiana (The largest population center of the area) the number of widows is 6,307 or 20% of the population fitting the definition of a widow listed on our home page. In Orange County Indiana that number is roughly half that. (Our population is barely one half that of Lawrence County).
Q: What is the population of orphans in your community?
A: In Lawrence County Indiana the total population under 20 is 10,721. 1,876 or 17.5% of the juvenile population meet the definition of an orphan and on average 54 Lawrence County children are in need of services. In Orange County Indiana the population under 20 is 8,791. Of that 26.3% or 2,312 youth meet the definition of an orphan and 15 Orange Co. children are in need of services by the court.
Q: What effect does that have on my community?
A: The more the world and the church ignore the cries of the widows and orphans of our communities, the more we will see increases of the following: Incarcerations, joblessness, social depravity, suicide, child abuse, increased crime, decreased morality, more persons on welfare and food stamps, more cases of depression, homelessness, domestic violence, drug abuse, abortions, more unwanted babies, higher teen birth rates, more orphans and more widows, etc. In 2006 32% of children in our state lived in a home where no parent had a full-time, year-round employment. Ironically, the same number, 32% lived in a single-parent home. For the year of 2007 17% of the children in Indiana lived in poverty.
Q: What kind of services do you provide for the widows of your community?
A: We would like to meet every need of a widow in crisis. We provide a crisis intervention mentor to assess the urgent needs of widows and orphans in times of distress. We will offer them immediate intervention and comfort and ensure that their basic needs are met. We will begin to develop a specific program aimed at assisting, educating, and encouraging each person in personal growth spiritually, emotionally and in life skills. Some of the other services proposed are:
Special community fellowship events
End of the month food baskets
Family budget development
Household maintenance and repair
Transportation Assistance
Q: What services do you provide the orphans?
A: Again, we would like to meet every need of a "Fatherless Child". We provide a crisis intervention mentor to assess the urgent needs of widows and orphans in times of distress. We will offer them immediate intervention and comfort and ensure that their basic needs are met. We will begin to develop a specific program aimed at assisting, educating, and encouraging each person in personal growth spiritually, emotionally and in life skills. Some other services proposed are:
Safe housing/placement assistance
Food
Clothing
Transportation assistance
Spiritual counseling
Christian Education
Tutorial assistance
Structured Daily Activities
Accountability Mentors
Family Reunification Support (where possible)
We can defend these fatherless children through intercessory prayer, being a witness of our heavenly Father, and teaching them the steps to salvation. Once a child believes that Jesus, the Son of God, died for his/her sins and was resurrected to give him/her eternal life, the child will no longer be fatherless.
Q: Why not just let the families of widows' care for them?
A: When a widow is referred to us the very first questions we ask are who and where is their family? If there is a family member able to care for the widow we make every effort to empower the family members to be the primary caregivers and support them in their efforts with guidance, encouragement and love. Even though the Bible uses some very harsh language about families not taking care of their widowed family members, we do not believe that a widow should be penalized because she has been neglected by her family. We do feel, however, that a family that is neglecting its widowed member should know how severely our heavenly father regards this. The widows we minister to are either alone in their crisis or are contacting us about volunteering to help the orphans.
Q: The Bible talks about a widow having to be over 60 years old and married to only one man. Is that your belief?
A: The famous evangelist and Bible scholar, John Wesley wrote specifically about the scripture 1Timothy 5:9, he interpreted it to mean: "Let not a widow be chosen - Into the number of deaconesses, who attended sick women or travelling preachers. Under threescore (60 years old) - Afterwards they were admitted at forty, if they were eminent for holiness. Having been the wife of one husband - That is, having lived in lawful marriage, whether with one or more persons successively." We agree with his interpretation and accept any woman of any age forsaken by her husband for any reason to be a widow by definition. However, the availability for widows in leadership and ministry is reserved for the widows over 40 and who meet the above qualifications. The younger widows are urged to remarry so as to glorify God in living as a wife honoring her husband and the plan of God as stated also in Wesley's note for 1Timothy 5:15: "I counsel therefore the younger women - Widows or virgins, such as are not disposed to live single. To marry, to bear children, to guide the family - Then will they have sufficient employment of their own. And give no occasion of reproach to the adversary - Whether Jew or heathen."
Q: How can I find more information about your ministry?
A: We welcome all inquiries. Please complete the form on the "Contact Us" page or email us with your questions.
© Mary's Comfort Ministries, Inc. 2006