Seventh Annual Memphis Union Mission Heritage Classic
Spring is nearly here, which means that the seventh annual Memphis Union Mission Heritage Golf Classic will also be here soon!
The tournament will be held Monday, May 7 at Windyke Country Club, and all proceeds will benefit Memphis Union Mission. So not only is it a fun afternoon of golf; it’s an event that will benefit needy people here in our community.
Registration and lunch will begin at 11:30 a.m., and teams will tee off with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. The tournament uses a scramble format, so you don’t have to be a great golfer to have fun.
There will be a putting contest, a hole-in-one contest, and plenty of great prizes. We are looking for golfers and sponsors, as well as donated prizes and goodies to reward our participants. We also need volunteers to help make sure everything runs smoothly.
We hope to see you there!
For more information, please contact Steve Carpenter at (901) 526-8403, ext. 2009.
Warm Coats + Hearts Drive
When you’re homeless during the winter, having a warm coat is not only a blessing; it can be a life-saver. And for Memphis Union Mission, being able to distribute clean, usable coats is an important way to serve our guests.
That’s why the Mission once again has partnered with Burlington Coat Factory and OneWarmCoat.org in the “Warm Coats + Warm Hearts” coat drive that will last until February 20.
During the drive, you may drop off your gently-used coats at any of the following Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse locations:
- 5100 Park Ave., Memphis
- 4991 Stage Rd., Memphis
- 550 Stateline Rd., Southaven
- 6480 Winchester Rd., Memphis
Our greatest need is for men’s coats. And, as always, donations can also be dropped off at our shelter at 383 Poplar Ave. in Downtown Memphis.
For more information, please contact Steve Carpenter at (901) 526-8403, ext. 2009.
Land Use Control Board Recommends Approval of Special Use Permit
On January 12, Memphis Union Mission was able to open a new chapter in our ministry’s history when the Land Use Control Board recommended the Mission's application for a special use permit.
If approved by the Memphis city council, the permit would allow the Mission to purchase a large piece of property behind our current shelter at 383 Poplar Ave.
This purchase would give the Mission 3.1 acres of land in Downtown Memphis on which we will eventually be able to expand to better serve our guests and address some of the crowding issues at our current shelter. It will also give us the opportunity to provide new services to our guests that we have never been able to do before. We are very excited about the future!
Please stay tuned for future developments. In the meantime, thank you so much for making this possible through your prayers and support! God bless you!
For more information, please contact Steve Carpenter at (901) 526-8403, ext. 2009.
Memphis Union Mission Partners with Team Max and the Memphis Symphony
Earlier this month, we and our guests enjoyed a special and unusual treat, thanks to Team Max and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.
Team Max is a group of volunteers that was headed up by Gayle Rose to honor the memory of her son, Max, who lost his life in a car crash three years ago.
Max was a service-minded young man, and the group follows in his steps by serving the community in a variety of creative ways.
On January 3, they honored the three-year anniversary of Max’s passing by serving at the Mission. That evening, Gayle and her team served dinner to our guests. Then, at 7 p.m., our guests and the volunteers walked across the street to our Opportunity Center at 600 Poplar Ave. and enjoyed an outstanding concert by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra and choir performed four pieces, interspersed with readings of Max's poems.
We estimate that over 425 people attended the concert, and the response from our guests that evening was extremely positive.
Thank you, Gayle, Team Max, and Memphis Symphony for making it a really special evening for everyone involved!
A Service Opportunity for Men
Hey, men! Are you part of a men’s Bible study or Sunday school class that is looking to reach out to other men and form meaningful relationships?
If so, Memphis Union Mission has a great opportunity for you!
We are inviting men’s groups to consider getting involved with the mentoring program at our Wright Transitional House.
Our goal is to encourage and foster healthy relationships between the men in our transitional program and other mature Christian men.
We are looking to achieve this goal with what we call SERVE AND CONNECT. We’re asking for mature Christian men to come and serve at a Saturday breakfast or at a weekday dinner.
Groups who are interested agree to provide the food, which can be cooked on- or off-site, and serve it to the 26 men who are in the last stage of our recovery and discipleship program. These men are working full time and preparing to transition into the community, so it’s important for them to develop friendships during this critical time.
Celebrate Recovery Ministry Meets Weekly
If you are a graduate of Memphis Union Mission's Iron-On-Iron program, you are invited to join us for our weekly Celebrate Recovery meetings. They are held every Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. at 600 Poplar Ave.
This is part of Memphis Union Mission's effort to build an after-care program to provide fellowship and accountability to men who've graduated from our long-term recovery program. If you fit this description, we hope to see you there!
For more information, please contact Kenneth Ewalt at (901) 746-8902, ext. 1202.
U of M Nursing Students Serve at Memphis Union Mission
Every few weeks, the lobby of Memphis Union Mission's Emergency Shelter at 383 Poplar Ave. is aswarm with people donning blue and white coats.
The coats are worn by students and faculty from the University of Memphis School of Nursing, who are enrolled in the school's community health class.
Students enrolled in the class get practical experience in community health through various community service projects, and Memphis Union Mission is one of the places that they visit on a regular basis.
Joy Ellen Hoffman is a clinical assistant proffessor at the nursing school and is part of the team that organizes the trips to Memphis Union Mission.
"When I bring them down here, they are terrified," says Hoffman. "Many have never been to a place like this and don't know what to expect."
But after the visits, students are often pleasantly surprised about their visit to the Mission and their encounter with the homeless guests there.
"They comment about how clean everything was and how nice the men were," says Hoffman. "It really takes away their fears about serving the homeless community."
It's a partnership that has lasted for several years, with students providing services like blood pressure and eye screenings and serving lunch.
On their most recent visit on November 11, the students did a foot clinic. They cleaned guest's feet and helped treat them for basic problems like athletes foot, toenail fungus, corns, and calluses. They also provided referrals for guests with more severe foot problems.
Please join us in thanking the faculty and students from the U of M School of Nursing for their long-standing partnership and for helping Memphis Union Mission to provide comprehensive outreach to our homeless guests!
Local Barbering Program Provides Grooming at Mission
If you were to walk into our Opportunity Center on any Wednesday morning, you could be forgiven for thinking that you had accidentally walked into a barber college.
Every Wednesday, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., the Tennessee Technology Center’s barbering program sets up shop at the Mission’s facility at 600 Poplar Ave. to provide free haircuts to anyone in need.
The free haircuts are part of a long-standing partnership between the school and Memphis Union Mission, one that began in 1999.
“The program itself began as part of the Convoy of Hope,” said Ernestine Peete, senior barber instructor. “A bunch of churches got together to make a difference, and we were asked to help by providing the haircuts.”
At about the same time, some students at the school were having a difficult time completing their course work because they didn’t have enough clients.
Ernestine suggested that they walk along Poplar Avenue seeking clients. As the word got out, lines of people would form outside the school’s doors at 5 a.m.
“That was overwhelming,” said Peete. So she talked with Memphis Union Mission and other local homeless service providers about setting up a remote barber shop at their locations.
At first, the school set up shop every other week at Memphis Union Mission’s shelter at 383 Poplar Ave. But now that the Mission has opened up the new Opportunity Center, and has more room in which to work, the school sets up shop there every Wednesday to provide the free haircuts.
For the school and for Memphis Union Mission, the partnership has been mutually beneficial by providing practical training for students and a real ministry opportunity for the Mission.
“It’s a win-win for everyone; it’s now a part of our curriculum,” says Peete. “We’re helping the community and the community is helping us.”
Moreover, several Memphis Union Mission program clients have gone through the school’s barbering program.
“We look at the Mission as if they’re family,” she said.
Please join us in thanking Ernestine and her students at Tennessee Technology Center for providing such a meaningful service to our guests!
