Memphis Urban Ministry

Community Meals Build Relationships

2009-02-06T09:59:00.000-08:00

Throughout our city, and especially in the 38126 zip code, the end of the month is a particularly difficult time to put food on the table. Families usually run out of financial resources by the last two weeks of every month. In an attempt to address this need and demonstrate God’s love in our city, we have begun hosting community meals in the south downtown area. Three local congregations are joining together with MUM to provide a nutritious meal and time of fellowship three days out of each month: Sycamore View church of Christ, Raleigh Community church of Christ, and Grace Crossing Church.

Despite the cold weather, we had a great turnout each evening. The members from the area churches and local residents were laughing and beginning to build relationships with their new found neighbors. One gentleman came in to see what was going on and he said that he could feel the love in the place. Praise the Lord when activities that MUM initiates create opportunities for the love of God to be experienced.

Each night, we shared a meal with nearly a dozen families and around 50 individual people. One of these families had seven children under the age of 9. The second night of the community meals was Wednesday, January 28th. School had been canceled that day due to winter weather. Virtually all of the children living in Cleaborn Homes receive a free or reduced lunch. This means that when school is out, there is a strong likelihood that food will be scarce at home. At the community meal that night, families enjoyed BBQ chicken sandwiches, greens, corn on the cob, and peach cobbler. That night a few less children went to bed hungry.

We are so thankful to have Christians in the city who care about the hungry, and we look forward to all of the bridges that will be built between neighbors through our MUM Community Meals.

A Brighter Christmas

2009-01-09T13:04:00.000-08:00

There were smiles on the faces of hundreds of children on Christmas morning again this year because of the MUM Christmas Stores and a new St. Nicholas Project effort. These activities provided a means for the love of Christ to be demonstrated and countless words of gratitude to be uttered to our God.

This year the stores were held on Saturday, December 20th, with locations at the MUM Hub Downtown, Raleigh Community Church of Christ, and Ross Road Church of Christ. A total of 1291 toys and gifts were donated and divided among the three locations. 451 kids from 228 families woke up Christmas morning with toys purchased for them by their parents.

Two highlights from the Downtown Christmas Store stand out. There were two families from the neighborhood that assisted with the store and felt a great deal of dignity in serving God and giving back to their neighborhood. Second, nearly half of the shoppers said that they were looking for a church home. This is a great signal to confirm that there are numerous people in the community looking for a congregation to call home. We pray that all of our ministry will continue to glorify God and lead our neighbors to become faithful followers of Christ.

This year was also the first year that the Ross Road Church of Christ hosted a Christmas Store location. The Ross Road congregation is in a time of revival and renewed energy. Part of the energy has been focused on reaching out and ministering to the community around them.
The St. Nicholas Project was born out of the sincere love of the Highland church for the children from our MUM Summer Camp. Several of these children would have had nothing to open on Christmas morning. Let’s praise God that we are bridging gaps in our community and demonstrating genuine love for one another.

Dorn Muscar

Vision for the Future

2008-09-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

In Isaiah 61:1-4, God paints a vision of the future where the poor, the broken, and the hurting rise up and become the leaders, restorers, and re-builders of their community. Jesus declares God’s vision as His mission in Luke 4 when he reads from Isaiah in the synagogue of Nazareth. Therefore, God’s vision is our mission right here in Memphis. We see a future in Memphis where everyone has the opportunity to be in a saving relationship with their Creator through Jesus. We envision mobilizing an army through partnerships to connect poor families with the resources they need to live a life outside of poverty.

In this God-sized vision, we will renovate blighted properties to provide affordable housing so that the poor can have a decent place to live. Through partnerships, MUM sees a future where we strengthen families, raise up Christian leaders, create jobs, and provide micro loans. MUM’s vision of the future is to have greater resources to provide emergency assistance such as food, clothes, and shelter. MUM envisions having a full time social worker who will help families sort through the host of problems faced by people living in poverty.

Through MUM and our partners, God’s vision is already breaking into reality in Memphis. MUM has provided jobs through the Summer Camp at Downtown Church of Christ and the day care center at the Raleigh Community Church of Christ. MUM has served meals to the homeless and provided lunches for children during the summer. Through generous donations, MUM has provided school supplies, turkeys for Thanksgiving, and toys for children at Christmas.
Our God-sized vision continues where we see a renovated facility that is the inner city hub of operations for MUM that will be used seven days a week to serve one of the poorest neighborhoods in our nation. Inside the newly renovated inner city hub, we see a vibrant church that meets there and a daily after school program, recreational programs, and educational opportunities for parents and children living in the downtown community.
We invite you to envision with MUM a transformed community and with your continued support, this vision will become a reality.

(Jim Harbin)

School Store Serves Community

2008-08-26T10:40:00.000-07:00

The Memphis Urban Ministry School Stores were a huge success this year. Both School Store locations (Downtown Church of Christ and Raleigh Community Church of Christ) served a combined total of 968 kids during the hours of operation.

Thirty minutes before the School Store at the Downtown church was scheduled to open, all the seats inside were full and many individuals were standing outside waiting to come in. Downtown Church of Christ minister, William Smith, noted the difference from last year when things were steady all day but never full.

Besides serving the community with free school supplies, the School Store provides an opportunity for us to minister to the hurting in our community. Kenny Allen, a minister at Raleigh Community Church of Christ, was able to pray with several who came through to receive supplies. One of those he prayed with was a Grandmother who was there to receive school supplies for her grandchildren. This woman has three boys and a daughter. Two of her sons had recently been captured by law enforcement and her other son was on the run.

Every child who attended the School Store at Raleigh was also able to receive a free dental screening and a free toothbrush thanks to a partnership with the Firestone Dental Group.

We owe a big “thank you” to Mark Green and Highland Church of Christ. Mark is a deacon at Highland Church of Christ and each year coordinates the purchasing of the school supplies. He also donated all of Highland’s remaining school supplies to MUM to use in the Downtown community where several individuals had to be turned away when supplies ran out at that location.

Dorn Muscar weds Carolyn Crim

2008-07-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

MUM staff member Dorn Muscar (Outreach Minister) and Carolyn Crim were married on Saturday, June 28th in Carolyn’s hometown in eastern Tennessee. Several from MUM and Raleigh Community Church of Christ were able to attend the wedding. Carolyn has been a big part of Dorn’s ministry with MUM and serving in her own ways at Raleigh Community. They now live in the Uptown community of Memphis. Congratulations Dorn and Carolyn! May God bless your life and ministry together!

Dressed with Love

2008-07-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

One of the neat things about MUM Summer Day Camp is that many of our counselors and staff are made up of individuals who either live or have lived in the same neighborhood as the kids who attend camp. Having “walked in their shoes” gives our counselors a special understanding in how to relate to some of the challenges and obstacles that the kids face. Recently, I witnessed a powerful interaction between one of our camp staff members and one of the campers that really embodies what we hope this camp can be.

Ms. Brenda has lived in Cleaborn Homes (the housing project across from camp) and is currently a member of the Downtown Church. She was also hired to be on the staff of MUM Summer Day Camp. Ms. Brenda has seen it all – she can tell you hundreds of stories about life in “the projects”. I believe that these experiences have given her the ability to love the kids at camp in a very special way. This love was recently made evident in a simple act of kindness between Ms. Brenda and one of our great young campers, Renea.

Renea has a wonderful personality – she loves to play games and is a great basketball player. Unfortunately, despite all of her great qualities, Renea doesn’t always see herself as valuable. She often isolates herself and is hurt very badly when someone picks on her. Last week was particularly tough for Renea, and she was just having a bad week. Ms. Brenda immediately noticed Renea’s sad demeanor and knew exactly what Renea needed.

Over the course of the next few days, Ms. Brenda spent some time at Renea’s apartment, talking to Renea’s caretaker. Ms. Brenda had noticed that Renea would come dressed in the same old clothes every day, and decided that she would take Renea to find some brand new outfits - these weren’t hand-me-down clothes or clothes from our clothes closet, these were brand new clothes! Ms. Brenda even decided to do Renea’s hair!

The following week, Renea came back to camp a completely different person – her smile now lit up the room. It wasn’t just the fact that she was wearing a new set of clothes – you could just tell that Renea felt accepted and loved. Today, I’m thankful for Ms. Brenda and grateful for the chance to see Christ through her compassionate love.

- Ryan Fowler

Impress it On Their Hearts

2008-06-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday nights at the Raleigh Community church of Christ, the teen Bible study has really begun to grow. More than twenty teenagers have been coming, half of whom are not even regular attendees of the Raleigh Community Church Sunday services. We have a small room we call the teen room, but we have had so many kids in attendance that we can not meet there any more. Since the weather has been nice we have adjusted by meeting outside and the teens are enjoying that so far.

We have been discussing how God can help us over come obstacles we face in life, and on one particular Wednesday, I asked them to memorize three short verses. Out of 25 students about a third took it seriously and were successful in their memorization. Two particular young men stood out. Neither of them are members of our congregation. Nick is a 13 year old I have come to know over the past year and half and Jeremy is a 15 year old that I had only met for the second time.

I handed out slips of paper with the verses on them and anyone who could memorize all three verses could have a bite-size candy bar. I gave them a few minutes to look over the verses, and while some did not even attempt, Jeremy took his paper and stood at a distance from the group to practice. Within five minutes, he came up, stood in front of his peers and stated “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” and “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” This was incredible to see. Shortly after Nick came up and did the same.

Later in the evening as most of the teens were playing basketball, Nick was teaching one of his friends Brandon, another 13 year-old, the verses. He even came back the next week and said the verses perfectly from heart. He told me how he had gone home and practiced all week. Nick is a really special young person and his story is so compelling because his father was murdered when Nick was just a baby. This exceptional young man is a great example of the countless young men who need extra love and support because of circumstance that are out of their control. I pray that disciples of Jesus will pay attention to these young men and point them to Christ.

- Dorn Muscar; MUM Outreach Minister

Giving Honor

2008-06-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

Romans 13:7 says that we are to give to each one what we owe them. We at MUM owe a great deal of thanks and honor to the youth groups of the Germantown Church of Christ and Great Oaks Church of Christ. These two youth groups came with the Spirit of service—cleaning, painting, decorating, sorting, and doing yard work—in the name of Christ, tag teaming to make preparations for the summer camp at the Downtown Church of Christ. The groups worked tirelessly June 2-6 getting the building ready. Great Oaks youth group painted, tore down moldy walls, cleaned the kitchen, bathrooms and made decorations. Germantown youth cleaned up children’s play area, decorated, sorted clothes, and cleaned out pantry. Several of the youth from Germantown also memorized the words of Jesus from Mark 10:45 "For the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many." Here are a couple of before and after photos of the work they completed.

You're Invited to Make Positive Impact This Summer

2008-05-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

MUM Summer Day Camp still needs more volunteers and camp sponsors.

Do you enjoy working with kids?

Are you good at playing games like duck duck goose and four square?

Do you love to laugh?

Do you want to be the hands and feet of Christ?

If so, you would might be the perfect volunteer for the MUM Summer Day Camp.

Or, maybe your summer is already booked - you can still sponsor a child to attend MUM Summer Day Camp. Because the camp is offered completely free, MUM relies on sponsorships from supporters like you to make the camp happen.

If you're interested in volunteering or sponsoring a child, please click here.

Meet Josh

2008-04-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

Josh grew up at the Downtown Church. Last summer he decided to come back to the neighborhood that he was raised in and work with the kids at the MUM Summer Camp. Click this link to hear his story.

MUM is currently gearing up for Summer Camp 2008 and we need sponsors! Our camp runs all summer long and it's offered completely free to kids in the Downtown Church neighborhood. Would you consider sponsoring one of these kids for the summer?

If you would like to sponsor a child for MUM Summer Camp, please click here.

OCU teams up with MUM

2008-03-15T17:38:00.000-07:00

During the upcoming week (March 17-21), MUM is hosting a free Spring Break Camp for the kids in the neighborhood of the Downtown Church. This year, a group of 14 students from Oklahoma Christian University are joining us to help us put on the camp. In addition to the camp, the OCU group will also be participating in the MUM Poverty Plunge which is meant to open their eyes to the complex problem of poverty in urban America.

Please be in prayer over this week as we seek to make a positive impact on kids in the neighborhood as well as the group from OCU. It's our desire to break down some of the racial and cultural barriers and allow the love of Christ to shine through!

New Office Space

2008-01-11T11:48:00.000-08:00

The MUM offices recently moved and are now located at 5565 Shelby Oaks Dr. Come on out and say hello!

Christmas Store Update

2007-12-11T12:38:00.000-08:00

Today, Dorn Muscar (apprentice at Raleigh Community) and myself finished rounding up all of the toys that had been donated for the MUM Christmas Store. It was really encouraging to see the generosity of so many people around the city. Churches, schools, and invidividuals from all over the country contributed toys and money to make the 2007 MUM Christmas Store happen. Thank you to everyone for your generous support! (Pictures will be coming soon)

This Wendesday (Dec. 12) volunteers from around the city will meet up at the Raleigh Community Church to sort out the donated toys and get them ready to be placed at the 3 store locations. Saturday (Dec. 15) is when the actual MUM Christmas Store takes place. If you are interested in helping at the store, give us a call at: 901-312-3486.

Stopping the Leaks!

2007-12-03T13:15:00.000-08:00

-This is the roof of the Downtown Church.

-It used to leak and flood the inside of the building everytime it rained.

-Not anymore!

Thanks go out to the Sycamore View Church of Christ and the White Station Church of Christ for helping us fix the roof at the DTC. There is more work to be done on this facility, but the fixing roof was a huge first step in the renovation of the DTC building!

Lots of Fall Events!

2007-11-11T15:08:00.000-08:00

Fall is a busy time for Memphis Urban Ministry. Here are a few things that have already happened or will be happening during the fall season.

1. MUM Poverty Plunge: On Nov. 2-4 we hosted our first Poverty Plunge with a group from the Skyline church of Christ in Jackson, TN. From all accounts, the weekend was a huge success. The college students who came were given the chance to experience poverty for a short time, hopefully opening their eyes to the challenges that the poor face every day. We are currently planning for future Poverty Plunge weekends, so if you have a group that would be interested in coming, let us know!

2. MUM Turkey Giveaway: We are currently in the middle of our Turkey Giveaway fundraiser. Every year MUM collects funds that are used to provide Thanksgiving turkeys to needy families in the communities we work with. Year after year, we are amazed at the generosity of the faith community in Memphis, and this year has been no exception.

3. Christmas Toy Store: While the Christmas holiday is supposed to be a wonderful, joyous time of the year, for many of our neighbors in the city, Christmas is just another reminder of the enormous gap between the wealthy and the poor. As a result, the poor often become the focus of a lot of charity, which can strip them of their dignity even further. The MUM Christmas Store is an effort to counter this problem. By collecting brand new, donated toys and reselling them at highly discounted prices, we are able to provide more affordable toy options for parents without stripping them of their dignity. Help support the MUM Christmas Store by purchasing and donating new toys! This year you can even shop from our gift registry list set-up at all Wal-Mart stores and online at www.walmart.com. To find our wish list, just use "MUM" as the first name and "Christmas" as the last name. By using this list, you can be sure that the toys you purchase are culturally and ethnically appropriate. Donate some toys and share the season!

Poverty: From Waco to Memphis

2007-09-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

Recently, 3 MUM team members (Dorn, Carolyn, and Ryan) took a trip down to Waco, TX to go through a poverty simulation, hosted by another urban ministry called Mission Waco. It was a exhausting and challenging weekend, yet it forced us to open our eyes to the poverty that surrounds us. We were reminded that true compassion means entering into and understanding the suffering of those around us.

In the future, MUM hopes to offer a similar experience here in Memphis. Groups interested in participating in a poverty simulation should contact the MUM office - 901-312-3486.

Details about the MUM Poverty Plunge will be coming soon, so check back often.

To read some of Ryan's thoughts on the trip to Waco, click here.

RCC Child Care Center Dedication!

2007-09-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

Sunday, Sept 23 - The Raleigh Community Church of Christ will be hosting a dedication ceremony to celebrate and pray over their brand new Christian Child Care Center. This project has been in the works for several years and it has finally come to fruition. As a result, we want to celebrate its opening. The ceremony will be held at the Raleigh Community Church of Christ (Click here for directions). Everyone is invited to come celebrate with us. There will be a fellowship meal, followed by a brief ceremony.

The festivities will start at 1 PM and will be over by 3 PM!

If you can't make it out, please join us in prayer over this new work.

For more details, call: 901-385-9858

School Store a HUGE Success!

2007-08-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

Once again, the School Store blessed thousands of Memphis/West Memphis kids in need with essential school supplies. In total, approximately 3,700 inner-city kids were able to obtain the supplies they need for the upcoming school year - all completely free!

School Stores were held at the Highland St. Church, Raleigh Community Church, the Downtown Church, and Wonder City Church (in West Memphis, AR). Free immunizations were also given out at the Highland Store (see video below).

Enormous thanks go out to Mark Green (School Store organizer) and all of those who contributed support to this great outreach.

Below is some recent news coverage for the immunizations that took place at the School Store:

If you want to learn more about the school store, check out this website:
http://www.highlandschoolstore.com

DTC Summer Camp - Celebration Dinner

2007-08-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

Even though the hot summer sun isn't showing any signs of letting up, the DTC Summer Day Camp wrapped up their summer long program last Friday night. It was an evening of celebrating the achievements, personalities, and friendships that took shape at the DTC this summer. As you can see in the pictures below, the night was filled with lots of good food and lots of smiles. Several parents of DTC campers also joined us in the celebration, as did members of the Sycamore View Church youth group.

MUM would like to thank all of the supporting churches for their involvement with this project. Without you, the DTC Day Camp wouldn't have happened.

We also need to recognize the outstanding efforts of Dorn Muscar (camp director), Carolyn Crim (counselor), Josh Webster (counselor), and Rochelle Person (counselor). They each did an incredible job working with the kids this summer.

See you next summer!

MUM: Technology 101

2007-07-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

This week, MUM began a new technology training course. The course targets individuals who are looking to better prepare themselves for the job workforce. The first week was a great success, and some incredible progress was made with the two women who participated. Both students left the course with new skills and a foundation to build on in the future. Unfortunately, limited funds and resources allow us to train only two individuals at a time for one week. In the future, we would like to offer an expanded course and make it available to more students. In order to do this though, we need your help.

Below are the two computers that were donated to MUM and used for our first week-long course. Each computer has up-to-date software and operates great.

And because these two computers were donated, two incredibly bright young ladies (pictured below) were able to learn more about how to use them. By obtaining these new skills, we hope that our students will see that their options for finding a job will be dramatically expanded. Both students were committed to bettering themselves and taking advantage of the opportunities given to them. Now it's up to us to give them, and countless others in our city, the opportunities they continue to seek. There are several ways you can help us continue our Technology 101 course:

1. Donate a computer - new or used (call us to see if your used computer would fit our needs)

2. Donate software - we need the following products: Microsoft Office 2007 and Quickbooks 2006 or 2007

3. Sponsor a student - $40 helps us provide the staffing, materials, and training for one student for one week. Click here to sponsor!

Are You Ready for Some Fútbol?

2007-06-29T12:04:00.001-07:00

MUM/Iglesia soccer tournament begins this weekend

Last year marked the first year in which MUM has teamed up with Iglesia de Cristo to host Fútbol Fe Amigos, a soccer tournament that seeks to establish connections with the growing Memphis Hispanic community. Last year's event was a great success and provided Iglesia de Cristo a great opportunity reach out to the community. Now it's time to do it again.

This time around the tournament will be a month long (instead of last year's format of one weekend), spanning from July 1 to July 29 and will take place at WJ Freeman Park in Bartlett. Feel free to stop by and cheer on the teams if you like! Games run from 3 pm to 6 pm each Sunday afternoon. Iglesia de Cristo is fielding a team of it's own called Rebaño Sagrado (translated - The Holy Flock) and would enjoy your support.

Already, leaders from Iglesia de Cristo have emerged to help with organizing this event. Volunteers from Iglesia have eagerly been signing up to help with painting fields, picking up trash, putting up tables, keeping score, and numerous other tasks. Also, each week leading up to the tournament, the Iglesia soccer team has been getting together for scrimmage games. These afternoons together has been a valuable time of fellowship and learning teamwork. The team from Iglesia is quickly realizing how much influence they can have on other teams simply by displaying Christ-like attitudes amongst all who are on the field.

If you would like to keep up with how the tournament is going, or just want to see some pictures, stop by http://ffa2007.blogspot.com/ - this blog will be updated each week, giving scores and stories from the previous weekend.

Developing the Raleigh Community

2007-06-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

By: Jim Harbin

Swanna was an unemployed, inner city single mom with four children who moved to Raleigh and started worshiping at the Raleigh Community church of Christ. A few months ago, after a series of Bible studies, Swanna was baptized at the Raleigh Community church of Christ. Thanks to MUM and a community development project at Raleigh Community, Swanna is now employed. Swanna, along with other church members and individuals in the community, work for Raleigh Community’s Summer Day Camp.

A little over two years ago, Raleigh Community had a vision of becoming a licensed day care center to further minister to children in their neighborhood. The building had to be renovated to meet licensing requirements. These renovations have now been completed and approved and Raleigh Community should be fully licensed and operational in August 2007. The majority of the funds for the renovation came from Raleigh members, with assistance from MUM. A significant donation from White Station church of Christ was made to assist in building a new playground at Raleigh Community Church. This playground (shown above) completes a year-long project of establishing a licensed daycare facility at the Raleigh Community Church. Beginning in fall 2007, Raleigh Community Daycare will be impacting the lives of neighborhood kids on a daily basis.

More Pictures from Daycamp - Week 1

2007-06-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

DTC Daycamp - Week 1 Underway

2007-06-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

Summer Daycamp at the DTC is underway! It took one full week to get the building cleaned up and ready to go, but thanks to the Great Oaks church of Christ and the Germantown church of Christ, the building is in better shape now than it has been in several years. Monday marked the start of the daycamps - youth groups from around the city are hosting crafts, games, Bible lessons, and serving lunches to kids in in the neighborhood.

Here are a few pictures from the past week:

We'll be posting lots of pictures and stories as the summer goes on, so check back often!

DTC Summer Camp Crew

2007-06-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

Dorn Muscar will be directing the DTC summer daycamps. Dorn is a student at Harding Graduate School and has been working with the youth at the Raleigh Community Church as well.

Carolyn Crim, a student at the University of Memphis, is also helping with the summer daycamps.