A New Neighborhood and New Partnerships

It was over 2 years ago when I first met Pastor Tony Wade at the Memphis Athletic Ministries (MAM) Grizzlies Center in Alcy Ball, an older community in South Memphis. I was immediately impressed - by his story, his passion, and his love for God, people and his neighborhood.

At that first meeting Tony and I dreamed about what a partnership between his church, Divine Life Church, and SOS might look like.

That initial meeting has led to something incredible that only God could do.

This summer, SOS has partnered with Divine Life Church, MAM, and Alcy Ball Community Development to repair two homes in the Alcy Ball neighborhood.

SOS's work in Alcy Ball looks different than our previous camps.  We have hired a Construction Manager who lives in the community. And all the work is being done by Divine Life Church members and youth from several of MAM's gyms throughout the city. Many of the youth and adults doing the work live right in the same neighborhood as the homes they're working on.

A snapshot of this project:

2 homes completely re-roofed in Alcy Ball

Volunteers from Divine Life Church and MAM

Construction Manager from the neighborhood

Our hope is that we can continue to empower this local church and the development corporation in the neighborhood so that in a few years, SOS won't be needed and they can continue this work on their own for years to come.

What a joy this partnership has been! We praise God for this great work and are thankful for the opportunity to work with and learn from some amazing partners.