SMA, the Southern Ministry Agency that represents speakers, authors and musicians in the faith-based community, announced the agency is now a non-profit ministry, with plans to launch new initiatives in publishing, music and national conferences, with portions of proceeds aiding those in need in the United States and abroad.

“Becoming a non-profit was the next step in accomplishing the goals of SMA. We are already an established ministry, but in order to become more effective with outreach, we needed to expand to allow others to participate and invest in our vision,” said Sherry Konopka, who founded SMA in 1990. “We’ve changed the focus of our ministry to include both the internal and the external. We felt the pull to bring hope and healing to those in need, as well as to the hungry and poor, both in the United States and abroad,” Konopka said, who is also a former singer in the popular southern gospel music group Manna.

SMA will expand its reach through key partnerships. “We’re partnering with other faith-based programs and ministries with the same goals. By restructuring to a non-profit, it frees us to give back to others beyond our local community and gather the resources to effectively help others,” said Leigh-Anna Kaye, a musician and author who will be leading SMA’s music, publishing and conference initiatives.

Kaye is partnering with award-winning music producer Andrew Weitz to develop the new initiatives. “We sensed a need within the faith-based community for the distribution of new publishing and music resources that focus on hope and healing,” Kaye said.

Kaye is also the founder of Reshape My Heart ministries and conferences, a faith-based organization designed to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the complete person. Kaye will use her experience with Reshape My Heart to develop SMA’s conferences. “SMA’s national conferences will address spiritual needs, inner and outer beauty, mentoring, relationships and the context of ‘community living’ within Christianity,” Kaye added.

Both Kaye and Konopka’s personal experiences helped fuel SMA’s new drive—Konopka’s personal story includes her own successful battle against cancer. “SMA is moving into an exciting period of outreach, and we’re thrilled to see how we can impact the world with the message of hope and healing,” Konopka said.

For more information please contact:

Sherry Konopka
P. O. Box 322
Oliver Springs, TN 37840
skonopka@esper.com or 865-435-7594

or

Leigh-Anna Kaye
11115 Aqua Vista #308
Studio City, CA 91602
Purepublicity3@Aol.com or 818-508-7011