MARY JAMES TAKES MUSIC WITH A MESSAGE TO EUROPE THIS WEEK–WITH A #1 SINGLE TO WELCOME HER!
Country Music ICM “Female Vocalist of The Year” Emerges As Global Voice For Pro Life — Using Her Platform To Reach The World For Christ
(Nashville, Tennessee) –May 16, 2011 – With a powerful thread of restoration and hope imbedded deeply within her music and message, Mary James is packing her bags for Europe this week—planning on bringing her unique brand of Christian-country music to a new audience of listeners on the European continent during her May 18-30th scheduling.
The lovely San Diego born singer is filling a defined and growing “bridge” role in national and international ministry—as witnessed by this week’s European schedule.
Mary James was named ICM’s “Female Vocalist of the Year” in 2010, topping the Inspirational Country Music awards presented by the Nashville based Christian Country Music Association. The rise in national recognition for her music has found Mary amassing a growing audience that has pushed numerous top 10 singles and several #1’s to the top of the well-recognized Nashville based Power Source charts.
One of those #1 singles—Come To the Well was released in Europe to coincide with Mary’s overseas concerts. On the eve of her winging across the ocean, Come To The Well hit the #1 spot on Europe’s NCM Country Chart of May 14th, with a #2 positioning on the Euro Chart.
From the platform of her home-base at Dr. David Jeremiah’s Shadow Mountain Community Church in San Diego where she ministers regularly in music, word of her music reached Europe through her country inspired CD releases such as her most recent Beautiful Savior.
“Shadow Mountain has a very active missions department,” Mary noted in a recent interview, “and one particular missionary in Belgium really felt my music would connect with the world of Europeans who love country music. I’m quite excited as we’ll be doing eleven days—16 events that include a benefit concert for an orphanage in India, a concert for a hospital for handicapped children, an appearance to benefit the work of UNICEF, and a few home based events where I’ll have an opportunity to share my personal story and God’s amazing redeeming love on a very personal basis.”
Mary James understands profoundingly the transforming work of Jesus. From her life’s beginning as an unwanted child given up for adoption, through her own personal demons on the long journey to redemption, she has emerged as a powerful voice for issues that effect women—and not suprisingly–with a particular heart for pro life and crisis pregnancy.
“I want to protect the children that don’t have a voice and reach the potential mothers who are torn on whether the life within them is really a ‘life.’ The work of Crisis Pregnancy is getting to the heart of the mothers—I believe in this message so much,” Mary notes. “The only way we can change our country and the world around us on the issue of abortion will happen one heart at a time.”
While emerging a as fresh, passionate national voice for pro life and crisis pregnancy, Mary has led worship and performed special music alongside such influential ministries as those of Kay Arthur, E.V. Hill, Dr. Timothy LaHaye & Beverly LaHaye, Ken Davis, Nancy Stafford, Kirk Cameron and Miles McPherson to mention a few.
But it’s her love of country music that ultimately opened the door to Europe. “Country music is a universal language –very loved in Europe—so it’s the ideal opportunity to take the message wider. We hope to reach people for Jesus through the music. If scripture is interwoven, songs can be a powerful tool that moves the heart.”
Through her ongoing work as an artist spokesperson for Compassion International, Mary feels God has definitely given her life a fresh season of vision and a passion for outreach.
“That’s the burden of my heart—the homeless, the hungry—the poorest of the poor. God has been working on my spirit of entitlement—I’m starting to see with new eyes that I don’t ‘deserve’ any of the gifts He’s given me. I want to take the most important gift I have—His amazing grace—and do everything I can to give it away. That’s what we’re praying this trip is all about.”
