How It All Began
The year was 1945. As World War II drew to a close, a young man from Charleston, West Virginia, named Jimmy Stroud, was given a vision. Jimmy's life had been radically transformed after being led to Christ at the Charleston Union Mission. Jimmy now knew that God was calling him to start a new mission in another city; he just didn't know where.
At the same time, Christian businessman T. Walker Lewis saw that his home town of Memphis, Tennessee desperately needed a mission of its own. After hearing about Jimmy, Mr. Lewis invited him to Memphis in April to see if he would be the man to lead the new ministry.
When the two men finally met face-to-face, they knew that God had brought them together. "My prayers are answered," Lewis pronounced as he slapped his hand on his desk. "This is the man!" On June 17, 1945, the two men's unified vision became a reality, and Memphis Union Mission was founded.
The Early Years
No sooner had the Mission been founded than Jimmy established several goals for the new ministry. One goal was to hold chapel services every night of the year. Other goals included providing a place for homeless men to sleep and eat. In late 1945, these goals were accomplished when the Mission opened its first home at 107-111 Poplar Ave. -- a former saloon and gambling hall. At this location, Memphis Union Mission provided homeless and alcoholic men with what was referred to as "the wonderful three" - soup, soap and salvation.
Due to construction of Memphis' convention center, the Mission moved to its current location at 383 Poplar Ave. in 1963. The western half of the building served as a ministry to the down and out, while the eastern half served as a hall for Youth For Christ rallies. After the rallies discontinued in 1968, the entire building was consolidated for the sole purpose of ministering to the homeless. The facility, now known as the Men's Emergency Shelter and located at 383 Poplar Ave., is where Memphis Union Mission continues to minister to hundreds of hurting and homeless Memphians every day.
