A maternity home in Missouri will be the backdrop of a forthcoming short film. St. Raymond’s Society in Columbia, Mo., has been a ministry refuge for pregnant women since 2010. Co-Founder Steve Smith said the film, which is still in the editing stages, came about as an alternative to the annual banquet.
The movie Alexandria, is a production Revival Creative Co. in Columbia and Boster Castle Studios out of Kingdom City. A client by the name of Alexandria who came to St. Raymond’s early in the ministry's existence is the subject of the movie.
“She came to us six months off heroin, addicted, and abused,” Smith said. “She had a badattitude, but we stuck with her.”
Alexandria was also pregnant and a mother to a smaller child. St. Raymond’s worked with her and helped her earn her GED. She had a dream of attending college and was able to not only attend a university, but she also earned double degrees.
Alexandria is now married and working in her fields of study and recently purchased a home. She is also a mentor to the St. Raymond’s program and speaks on behalf of the ministry at events. Alexandria had suggested an alumni program for those who benefited from the maternity home to get together and encourage one another on a regular basis.
“We came up with the idea as we asked ourselves, ‘What can we do besides a banquet,’” Smith said. “We wanted to ‘unbanquet.’ We wanted something we could send to donors who have no desire to come to a banquet.”
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He said that originally the concept was for a documentary about the clients who had been significantly impacted. There was a list of clients and Alexandria was one of those clients.
“We just kept coming back to Alexandria,” Smith said. “And we realized, ‘This is our story.’”
Actors and actresses were hired to depict the story of the young woman in the feature film. There will also be interviewed clips with the real Alexandria.
Filming began last fall, and Smith said that Alexandria’s story will be streamed online for not only the ministry’s donors to view, but the general public will be also able to watch the film at no cost. At the conclusion of the film there will be a link to how viewers can donate to St. Raymond’s.
St. Raymond’s Society came about from when as Smith calls it, “two bald men walked into a restaurant.” He and co-founder Mike Hentges met once a week in a local restaurant to discuss what they could do to help the pro-life movement. Seeing the initial need of a maternity home, the men started St. Raymond’s Society in memory of Hentges’s dad, Raymond. They then did some research to learn that Saint Raymond was a patron saint of pregnancy and the unborn.
Smith pointed out that maternity homes and pregnancy centers can and do answer the question of, “Do you even care about the women after these babies are born?” Maternity homes have a history of specifically providing that care and more pregnancy help organizations are moving into offering housing.
Tweet This: Maternity homes and pregnancy centers can and do answer the question of, “Do you even care about the women after these babies are born?”
Smith and Hentges opened their maternity home in Jefferson City and another in Columbia. The ministry now operates a daycare/preschool to assist moms as well.
In answer to question of proving care for women and their children after the child is born, Smith said, “We’re here. We’re right here.”
Pregnancy Help News will provide a coverage update following the release of Alexandria.
