More than a Statistic

The story of Minister Mary Edwards

Minister Mary Edwards is an encouraging and powerful force in the City of Detroit. Through various ministries and volunteer efforts, Minister Edwards has made a difference for her community and in the lives of those she has touched. For years, she worked along with her husband in the Joy of Jesus ministry helping and counseling people facing adversity. Minister Mary is the president of a guild of 200 Christian writers. In her written series “Life is in the Blood: Lift a Finger to Help!” Minister Edwards encouraged African-Americans to register with the National Marrow Donor Program so African-Americans with leukemia and other diseases would have a greater chance of finding a matching donor.

From the beginning, she has also been a great help to Right to Life of Michigan’s successful efforts to establish a prolife educational resource center in Detroit, The Destination Life Center at 3000 Gratiot. After the recent passing of her husband, Rev. Eddie Edwards, Mary started a support group called Widows with Wisdom to help people “make the adjustment to living without their spouses.”

Minister Edwards is no newcomer to turning hard times into a chance to help others. She recently authored a story in the book “Chicken Soup for the African American Soul.” The story is her personal testimony about how she didn’t let an unplanned pregnancy at a young age keep her down. When her teacher and principal discovered Mary’s pregnancy at the “tender age of thirteen” they assumed that this honor roll student whose mother was a single parent would quickly become another “statistic.” A doctor even suggested that she have an abortion because of her age. Mary had another idea. She gave birth and graduated high school with honors at 16, received the “Point of Light” Award from former President Bush, was voted “One of the Most Influential African American Women in Metropolitan Detroit” and has authored six books, including her latest, “Ponderings from the Heart of Mary.”
The thousands of people touched by Mary’s ministries over the years know that she is much more than a statistic. She is a force for good.

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