The bright side of all I'm about to write, is that our ministry is healthier than it's ever been. Our teachers 100% have a heart for our vision and understand the importance of not compromising to the world's standards. Our participants are learning, growing, loving and inviting! We are having a wonderful season together. We've had some amazing "alumni" return to the group to participate again and have also welcomed some stunning newcomers that we are so thankful for!
The downside.....our Roseville studio has become an unsafe place to be. Our first priority is always the safety and security of our ministry participants. Royal Stage is currently home to:
1. Survivors of sex trafficking who are brought to the studio weekly for dance/drama therapy
2. Abuse survivors of all types who take weekly classes and/or serve as teachers
3. Girls who are still working to overcome struggles with cutting, eating disorders, addictions, etc.
4. A great, growing group of children who we really want to teach a different path through the arts
5. A wonderful, solid, healthy group of teens/adults who are pursuing God and thriving.
Over the past couple of months, we have been going through some tough stuff with our Roseville studio (which is where 80% of our operations take place).
1. Our rent has been tripled since 2012.
2. The store next to us got a new owner, and he has bullied and harrassed both our clients and those patronizing the buisness on the other side of him.
3. This store owner has also acted illegally on a few occasions, The police have noted everything as a civil matter, and the landlord is noting everything as a police matter, which means if things were to escalate, we have zero support or help in terms of safety and security.
4. The studio is located two doors down from a liquor store, which has brought more than a few incidents down our way including drunken fights, homeless men approaching our young girls, etc.
5. Our back dock has become a hangout for drunk people who have fallen asleep against our building and a recycling plant that drops freights during our classes that have now caused property damage to our building.
6. Heading into another winter, our bathroom and prayer room will continue to have leaks and last year was the second year in a row that panels fell out of the ceiling and caused significant water damage until we could convince the landlord to come fix anything.
We are not trying to be Negative Nellies - the building was SO perfect for us two years ago! We loved it, were blessed with so many miracles, etc. - but it is no longer a location that aligns with our vision to be a safe place for young women working through a whole array of stuff.
We don't expect God to do heart surgery in a place we are so distracted by the chaos around us, that we cannot even properly focus on Him.
THE GOOD NEWS is we have TWO awesome opportunities, one of which WILL happen by November 1st. (which is a whole other story!)
We have located a building that is close but in a much safer location, will allow us to have multiple classes run simultaneously and provide us space for meetings, prayer, counseling sessions and even naps! :)
If this falls through, we have confirmed a move-in date of November 1 with another space in our current complex that is further away from the drama and will allow us a bit more space than we have now.
WE NEED YOUR HELP. Seriously. I apologize from the bottom of my heart that my life does not allow me time to approach you all individually - but we are praying that everyone who reads this will have a heart to get involved.
First and foremost, we need prayer. Prayers for protection against stress, dissension, discouragement and the financial pit that comes with the process of relocation.
Secondly, we really need help financially. Don't run away yet. We don't need a lot of help. God has been amazing to us. We need to raise an additional $2000/mo in financial support to become the studio we aim to be going into 2015. This will cover ALL moving costs, future bills & maintenance, and the ability to have a 100% FREE summer camp in 2015 in Sacramento.
That means we only need 200 people to commit to $10/mo! Ten bucks is so easy - it's something most of us can do to help, and God will stretch it so far.
Please consider filling out this form to start donating $10 monthly.
This is our regular donation form - you'll see it asks for $25/mo. Don't panic. If you can do that, fantastic! Thank you! If you can't, then $10 is what we ask, and is beyond wonderful.
Lastly, we need some specific donations of goods and services - we need hardwood "click together" flooring OR marley flooring. (if you don't know what that is, it's okay. Please do not attempt to buy it without consulting a dancer!) :)
We need mirrors (they cost $80 each and we can tell you where to get them, or if you have mirrored closet doors, those work too).
We need STRONG GUYS! We are installing floors, hanging heavy mirrors, etc.
We need TRUCKS. So much. We always need trucks. Gah. Stupid truck need. I don't know what the thorn in Paul's flesh was....but mine is always a lack of truck transport.
We need party planners! Yep. We're gonna have a party when this is all through.
Please help! I know you can give your time and finances to a million ministries - and I'm sure they are all great. Please tithe to your churches, tithe to your neighbor's missions team....but if you've got ten dollars each month to give, we would love to give it a great new home :)
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