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Outreach
Ministries
Idlewild
Presbyterian Church, often called "the urban cathedral," has
earned this nickname for many reasons, including its gothic architecture;
more importantly, the church has made an unparalleled commitment to the
residents of the center of the city. Midtown Memphis is much more to us
than just an address. Whether embarking on large-scale initiatives, such
as building transitional housing apartments, or simply offering a hot
meal and warm fellowship to neighbors in need, Idlewild members strive
to take their faith into the community. Idlewild
Church supports a number of outreach ministries both locally and outside
the city limits. Each person is challenged to find the way he or she is
called to serve. If you are interested in getting involved in one or more
of our outreach ministries, opportunities abound!
The Reverend Margaret Burnett
Associate Pastor for Outreach Ministry
726-4681 ext 19
margaret@idlewildchurch.org
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Baseball to the Inner City (RBI)
RBI,
a free five-week baseball camp for
boys and girls ages 8-13, has recently been adopted and expanded by the
Memphis Redbirds. Most participants are children from neighboring areas
who would otherwise be left at home alone. RBI Staff includes Leroy McClain,
assistant principal at Melrose High School, and church members. An RBI
day begins with a gathering and devotional, followed by organized sandlot
baseball, and concludes with a lunch provided and delivered by church
members. RBI is followed by Extra Innings Day Camp (EI) at the church
for three weeks. EI days include Bible study, music, service projects,
arts and crafts, and city-wide field trips. Church members serve as staff
and volunteers.
The 2007 RBI started with a record-breaking bang in May as more than 140 boys and girls gathered to play ball and enjoy the summer. Special thanks to all the folks who donated equipment!
Adopt-A-School
 Idlewild Church has been an adopter of Idlewild Elementary, a neighborhood
public school, for many years. This year, more than 100 elementary students are spending an hour or two each week with tutors from our Adopt-A-School program. More than 50 Idlewild members are tutoring reading, science, math, social studies and writing.
In the Community Readers program, volunteers read books to the preschool classes. The church also hosts Idlewild Elementary's completions ceremonies each May.
Please contact Toni Baer or Margaret Burnett to see how you can get involved in our exciting Adopt-A-School programs.
 More Than A Meal (MTAM)
EACH THURSDAY
5:00 p.m.
MTAM Worship Service
Trippeer Chapel
5:30 p.m.
MTAM Dinner
T.K. Young Fellowship Hall
In
January of 2000 a small group of Idlewild members became part of a grass
roots effort to begin a soup kitchen and to help facilitate relationships
between church members and members of the greater midtown community. After
four months of study, discussion, and openness to the workings of the
Holy Spirit, the group cultivated a vision and set it in motion.
Assuming
that relationships foster more long-term healing than the band-aid approach
of merely filling empty stomachs, the group articulated the following
purposes of More Than A Meal: To provide physical and spiritual nourishment
to residents of a nearby boarding house and others who are homeless or
receive little income; and to provide Idlewild members with the chance
to form relationships of mutual giving and receiving with each other and
those they serve.
A
typical Thursday evening at MTAM begins when guests join members in setting
up tables, and making coffee. Members and guests then sit together at
circular tables and are served dinner. Everyone participates in a program
which consists of scripture reading, singing, and prayer using written
prayer requests of both members and guests. MTAM guests often volunteer
to read scripture, make announcements, sing, or recite original poetry.
Conversations between strangers occurs in the kitchen as the plates are
filled, at the tables during the supper, through the cooperation required
in preparing, serving and cleaning, and in the sharing of prayer requests.Some
100 folks currently attend More Than A Meal each week. Relationships between
members and guests are ever-evolving, and over time strangers have grown
to know and value one another, to pray with and for one another. These
relationships are nothing short of a miracle--they alone are what make
Thursday evenings at Idlewild more than just a meal.
Come to More Than A Meal any Thursday evening to serve and get to know our guests. Worship is at 5:00 in the Chapel; dinner and music begin at 5:30 in the T.K. Young Room. Please come and bring your family—you can make a real difference in the lives of God’s people in Midtown Memphis!
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Dress
for Success Memphis
 How do you interview for the job you need when
you cannot afford to purchase a suit for the interview? From this catch-22
came Dress for Success Memphis, which provides job interview clothing
to low income women in transition from welfare to work. Women are referred
to the program from a number of welfare-to-work agencies. Each woman meets
with one of our consultants, who helps her select one interview-appropriate
outfit with all the accessories. Dress for Success Memphis, which is
affiliated with Dress for Success Worldwide, has helped close to 3,000 women
since opening in 1998. For more information on Dress for Success Memphis and how to make a donation, please call Dress for Success at 725-8077 or visit www.dfsmemphis.org.
About donations - Donations of interview-appropriate clothing for women
are gladly accepted. The Dress for Success Memphis boutique accepts donations on Thursdays from 9-12 and Saturdays from 10-1. For information on what type of clothinig is being accepted, where to bring donations, or how to make a monetary donation, please visit www.dfsmemphis.org.
Idlewild
Samaritan Counseling Center
Idlewild Presbyterian Church and the
Samaritan Counseling Centers of the Mid-South have a ministry partnership
which provides pastoral counseling, educational programs and consultation
resources to the people of Idlewild and the larger community. A not-for-profit
agency, the Idlewild Samaritan Center at 35 Auburndale is committed to
nurturing emotional and spiritual health. For information on Samaritan
Counseling Center services, call 729-3900. Appointments are available
Monday through Friday, day or evening.
Improving Public Education — Right Here at Idlewild
There is a Memphis City Schools Alternative Elementary School class meeting on the first floor of the Jones Building every day, and it is possible many of you are not even aware of this. Started four years ago here at Idlewild, this is the only alternative classroom currently located in a church. It serves a very specific need for those parents and children who want one more chance to prove themselves to the system — to show that the students are interested in learning, and are committed to performing and behaving in the way required in the city school system.
Elementary and middle school children are sent to this classroom as an alternative to suspension or expulsion for non-violent behavior — we all know what could result if that were allowed to happen. By housing the Idlewild Learning Center — by donating the space, by offering support, and by supplementing supplies so necessary for the classroom — the church as a whole is encouraging the children.
Idlewild Court Transitional Housing
The Idlewild Court Transitioinal Housing, at the corner of Peabody and Somerville streets, provides a transitional community for families. Residents may live there up to a year and receive counseling and advisement on employment, child care, and other skills. Idlewild’s Outreach Campaign built the first four-unit building, which opened in December 1997, then leveraged funding for an additional 16 apartments in this transitional housing community. MIFA manages the community, and helped raise funds for other construction phases. The Idlewild congregation seeks ways to be involved in the lives of the families in residence.
A new mentoring program is underway, pairing church members with Idlewild Court residents for assistance with budgeting and other life skills.
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Other
Local Ministries
Idlewild
Church provides financial and volunteer support of many other local ministries,
including: The Church Health Center, Dismas House, First Presbyterian
Soup Kitchen, The Food Bank, MIFA, The Calvary Street Ministry, Friends
for Life, Hope House, and Memphis Union Mission (www.memphisunionmission.org),
Memphis Family Shelter.
Global Missions
Idlewild
participates in a number of mission and outreach projects beyond the boundaries
of Memphis, Tennessee. In recent years we have made mission trips to Agua
Prieta, Mexico, Hondouras, and Jamaica; and worked with a group to build
homes in the Appalachian Mountain region. Our goal is to provide assistance
where needed, but more importantly to communicate to the residents that
we want to get to know them as children of God.
Clean Water for the World
The Clean Water Committee at Idlewild Presbyterian Church supports mission trips to install clean water systems in cooperation with Living Waters for the World (LWW). In addition to the installations, people in the local communities are trained to maintain and support the systems. So fa, Idlewild has installed systems in Ghana and in Mexico. For more information about Idlewild's Clean Water program contact committee chair Buddy Nix at vhnix@comcast.net.
Living Waters for the World recently completed its 166th installation! LWW is a global mission resource of the Synod of Living Waters (PC USA). It serves as a resource to churches of all denominations, civic organizations and others in mission, enabling them to provide clean water to communities in need. To learn more about this exciting ministry visit www.livingwatersfortheworld.org.
NOTE: Living Waters for the World will be featured in the April edition of Presbyterians Today magazine. Visit www.pcusa.org/today.
The PC(USA) Border Ministry
 Idlewild
Church works actively with the PC(USA)
Border Ministry at Agua Prieta, Mexico (near Douglas, Arizona).
The church helps pay the salary of a nurse and doctor at a health clinic
that was built by Idlewild. In 1998 and 1999, the church sponsored and coordinated
a Rhodes College spring break trip to Agua Prieta, where students experienced
life on the border while helping build the foundation for a community
center/health outpost. At Christmas time, children's mission
groups Micah's Missionaries and Small Samaritans collect, pack and ship hundreds of gift bags to children in
Agua Prieta.
 Caring for Our Planet
The McMerton Community Garden is up and growing! The Peacemaking Committee started this garden in the Binghamton community last summer, and it has expanded to several nearby plots. Folks meet regularly to share the work and fun. If you would like to get involved please contact Idlewild member Carl Awsumb, cawsumb@comcast.net.
McMerton Garden's website:http://merton38107.tripod.com/.
Click here to see a photo album of the garden.
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