THE PROJECT
OVER 7 MILLION MEN,
WOMEN & CHILDREN MAY BE
POSITIVELY IMPACTED
BY THE STEPHENS MINISTRY OF MEMPHIS INITIATIVE PROJECT
THE PROJECT
About Us
Abdur-Rashid W. Shakur, Project Manager
Stephens Ministry of Memphis
Proposal for the Creation of Stephens Ministry of Memphis and formation of a Property Rehab Limited Liability Task Group
A letter of intent has been created to confirm an interest to participate in the Stephens Ministry of Memphis Initiative and to propose a Property Rehab Task Group to address the homelessness and unemployment related to the poor and the needy in the greater Memphis area.
Stephens Ministry of Memphis in partnership with a start-up company created by Calvary Colony graduates within State and Federal guidelines will incorporate, chair and manage the activities of this task group as defined in appendix A. The Property Rehab Task Group Operational Framework provided under 'Task Groups' (see Stephens Ministry of Memphis Initiative website), will be used as a guideline for this activity.
We understand that, by undertaking this task group responsibility, Property Rehab Task Group will become a partner in this initiative, and that this Task Group definition and its eventual outputs will be posted on the Stephens Ministry of Memphis Initiative website.
We thank all faith based communities for the opportunity to present "The Dream of Memphis" and the endless possiblities to help facilitate this initiative which we feel is desperately needed in all of our communities around the country with key initiatives being undertaken with Stephens Ministry of Memphis, a soon to be 501 (c)(3) entity based in the State of Tennessee and/or Texas. We believe that the network of Stephens Ministry of Memphis and their Task Group outputs will benefit city, state and federal interests around the country and worldwide.
Divine Inspirations provided by When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself [Paperback] – April 20, 2012 by Steve Corbett (Author), Brian Fikkert (Author), David Platt (Foreword)
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WHAT GIFTS DO YOU HAVE? -See pg.120, When Helping Hurts...
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Affirms people’s dignity and contributes to the process of overcoming their poverty of being. And as they [the poor, the needy] tell us of their gifts and abilities, we can start to see them as God does, helping us to overcome our sense of superiority; that is, our own poverty of being.
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Business As Missions - See pg. 197, When Helping Hurts...
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A related intervention that has gained renewed popularity in the past decade is called business as missions (BAM). BAM finds its roots in the ministries of Al, Abdur & Antonio, who used their gift of salesmanship as a means of supporting their missionary work.
"Today, BAM takes on many forms, but its defining feature is that the missionary owns and operates a legitimate, for-profit business that he or she uses as a vehicle for ministry."
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Other interventions mentioned in the book, When Helping Hurts are; the Provider, Promotion, Partnership, and Complementary Training Models, all focus on helping poor people to own and operate their own microenterprises.
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THE HARD TRUTH
15 %
The number of people in poverty (48.2 million) in the U.S.
15 % of the homeless population in the USA - 83,170 - are considered "chronically homeless” individuals.
5%
US unemployment rate
Material Poverty Alleviation:
"Working to reconcile the four foundational relationships (pg. 54) so that people can fulfill their callings of glorifying God by working and supporting themselves and their families with the fruit of that work." (pg.187),
Divine Inspirations provided by When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself [Paperback] – April 20, 2012 by Steve Corbett (Author), Brian Fikkert (Author), David Platt (Foreword)