Description
Mediation and Restitution/Reconciliation Services (MARRS) was developed out of the knowledge that the crime rate among young people is out of control. It alarms us, but it also motivates us to intervene in a positive way. Our goal is to train volunteer mediators to counsel juvenile offenders and their victims so that a restitution agreement can be reached. MARRS also ministers to another at-risk group: chronically truant students at Treadwell High School. Early intervention, personal counseling, and home visits are used to intervene in the truant behavior and build relationships. Adolescents and Adults Sharing Knowledge (AASK) is committed to the Christian value of sexual abstinence before marriage. This program is on the "cutting edge" of ministry in the Memphis community, with a focus on elementary, middle school and high school students who live in or around the Lamar Terrace public housing project. AASK offers tutoring, personal counseling and recreation in order to build relationships and proclaim the Gospel. Memphis Athletic Ministries uses the medium of athletics, sports, and physical activities to help urban youth grow and mature physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Multinational Ministries (MNM) is a ministry created out of a relationship with World Vision. The purpose of the ministry is to develop opportunities for American Christians to engage in friendship evangelism with refugees in Memphis. The program also seeks employment for unemployed and underemployed refugees who complete the training program. There are outreach programs for elementary, middle school and high school students and English classes for adults. Economic Development Ministries is designed to empower men and women toward spiritual and economic stability through work. Economic Opportunities was designed to meet the needs of those clients who are difficult to place due to their past negative work histories or personal problems. Economic Opportunities is a business venture equipped to provide "hard to place" client with personal attention and care. This ministry's program involves daily prayer, devotions and weekly Bible Studies to encourage Christian values and strong work ethic in those individuals we serve. Neighborhood Housing Opportunities (NHO) was born out of partnership between Memphis Leadership Foundation and Neighborhood Christian Centers. The program is designed to empower the "working poor" to economic stability through home ownership via the provisions of Interim House and New Home Construction. Families move from rental housing into one of the apartments at Interim House to save for a down payment on their home. Staff and local churches minister to the families in areas of family budgeting, goal setting, debt retirement and home ownership skills. Christ Community Medical Center (CCMC) is a separate non-profit Christian ministry designed to provide quality health care in the inner city. CCMC brings healing to body and soul in hurting communities. For the Kingdom is a Christian camp, located in Northeast Shelby County designed to communicate hope and life skills to urban young people as well as facilitate evangelical discipleship opportunities for area churches. Read to Succeed (RTS) is a volunteer driven ministry built on individual reading assistance given by a volunteer reader to an urban elementary student. RTS recruits volunteers from local churches and partners with urban churches or para-church ministries to enhance reading skills and provide a forum for proclamation of the Gospel. Hope Christian Community Foundation was initially formed as a supporting ministry of Memphis Leadership Foundation. HCCF has developed into an autonomous community foundation that helps fund new ministry and expands existing work to further the Kingdom in the Mid South. STREETS is an outreach and discipleship program for adolescents in the Foote and Cleaborn Homes Housing Developments in Downtown Memphis. The program was designed to acquaint young people with Jesus Christ and to minister holistically to adolescents and their families in the day-to-day struggle for survival. PATHWAYS is an educational component of STREETS that serves the Foote and Cleaborn Homes Housing Developments in Downtown Memphis. The program provides one-on-one tutoring and mentoring for students on a weekly basis. Ten to fifteen 7th grade students are enrolled each year with the end goal of helping them gain acceptance to colleges and universities. Service Over Self (SOS) is a home repair ministry that invites youth groups and their adult counselors to spend one week in the inner city of Memphis. These volunteers work with the economically disadvantaged homeowner to make their house more comfortable and energy efficient. There is no cost to the homeowner for labor or materials. The Urban Youth Initiative (UYI) is a program that recruits, funds, trains and deploys inner-city youth ministers to reach unchurched urban young people. The goal of the UYI is to see 50 urban youth ministers in place by the year 2000. Young Women Striving for Excellence (YWSE) ministers to urban young women in our city. The YWSE staff and volunteers conduct Bible studies and fellowship opportunities with the goal of preparing these young ladies for success in their environment. Girls of Grace (GOG) ministers to young girls in elementary school in North Frayser, assisting them to read, develop a positive self-image, learn about abstinence, and experience God's love for them. Program to Assist Student Success (PASS) supplies adjunct guidance assistance, educational specialists and vocational specialists to several schools in the Memphis City School System. Cooperative Computer Ministry (CCM) a ministry designed to train urban youth in the area of computer literacy, as well as, to serve the computer needs of the ministries of MLF. Victims to Victory (VTV) ministers to the needs of friends and families of homicide victims and exhorts, assists, and equips local churches and Christians to meet the needs of crime victims and their families.
