Signature Ministry In Action
Some may be familiar with Tupelo, Mississippi as it is the birthplace of Elvis Presley.
And, while that is true, Tupelo is also unique as it is one of the areas during the Civil Rights Movement that didn’t really have a lot of major protests because the leaders of the community, particularly in the white community and the black community, got together and decided that they wanted to make integration work.
And this church, First United Methodist, was the place that most of the people who wanted to be part of that movement attended. Fast forward all these years, and what remains is a desire to continue in this rich legacy of unification as a community.
The church leaders were in search of a way for their ministry to be as impactful as possible. They wanted to ensure their church was as relevant as it has always been to the real needs of their community. They didn’t want to be out of touch and disconnected. This led them to get help to discover there were underserved single mothers within 20 miles of their church building.
This opened the eyes of the staff to be strategically organized in connecting with this demographic and then helping them to connect with the Body of Christ. Ministries were born from this data to include a Mom’s Support Group, Parenting Classes, and Women’s Bible Studies.
All these ministries served dinner in order to lift the load while living into Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Focusing on how to best serve single parents, and specifically women, resulted in the local community feeling seen and heard. This also laid the foundation for even more opportunities for Tupelo FUMC to be the hands and heart of Christ.
Activities ranged from starting and continuously stocking a food pantry which includes sending home weekend meals for school children to providing mattresses and bedding along with a stuffed animal and a Bible to children in need. All of this need was discovered within 5 miles of the church.
When the purpose is to know God and to experience freedom through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church, it has to begin with the current reality while truly considering what the environment is and then evaluating just what the actual depth and reach can be.
Tupelo FUMC decided that it would indeed fulfill this community’s specific calling, in Jesus’ Name.
