Ann Perry's Story: Sharing the Gospel at Every Intersection
Ann Perry didn’t expect to go into ministry halfway through her life. At forty, she lost her dear husband in a tragic accident, and after a time of great sorrow and mourning, she submitted her life to ministry. The Lord soon led her to volunteer with the Mount Zion Baptist Association of North Carolina (MZBA). Shortly after starting to volunteer, the association knew they had a gem of a worker, and they hired her full-time! Working for the MZBA for 25 years, Ms. Perry spent much of her time working with local food banks, truck stops and prisons and witnessed the Lord move in many ways.
Ms. Perry always found new, innovative ways to minister to others and support the ministries in her charge. She started a thrift store that directly funded her association’s food bank. As a result, they no longer had to rely on the state convention to purchase food. The Lord also used Ann to create a local truck-stop ministry. She and her teams saw passing truckers as an unreached demographic, so they started the “Right Turn Trucker’s Chapel” at one of the local truck stops. Through this ministry, they were able to reach countless truck drivers with the Gospel.
Outside of her association, Ann became very involved in prison ministry. She assisted her local prison chaplain in starting a toy store for children of inmates. In this way, Ms. Perry gave incarcerated fathers a chance to be dads to their kids during Christmastime. And right up until COVID-19, she hosted monthly birthday parties for the inmates. The Gospel was preached and received many times at these events.
Now retired from the MZBA, Ann is still active in many of these ministries today because of the support she receives from Mission:Dignity®. Without Mission:Dignity, she would not be able to support herself financially or continue to serve in this capacity. Ann wants all Mission:Dignity donors to know, “I have searched my vocabulary and cannot find words that adequately express how much I appreciate your generous gifts.” Mission:Dignity has assisted Ms. Perry with new hearing aids, paid for dental work and sends monthly grants that keep her living on mission for the sake of the Kingdom.