Thanks to our Immanuel family for such a generous response in providing food to people in need at Thanksgiving.  It was truly humbling to see God at work in such a powerful way.  As a result, we were able to provide 55 food boxes with gift cards to families in need this Thanksgiving, who were identified in conjunction with several of our partners in ministry in our community.  Here’s how Immanuel is helping make a difference in the lives of these families.

Neighborhood Christian Centers – Their primary mission is to guide those in need toward stability and sustainability through compassionate, Christ-centered ministries and empowerment programs.  Established in 1978, ministries include emergency aid, life skills and job training, Bible study, and family enrichment program youth.  Immanuel has worked with NCC for a number of years through our church and school ministry, often around Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Most of the families in need we helped at Thanksgiving were the poorest of the poor in our community.

HopeWorks – Serves the under-resourced through outreach programs that develop individual worth, encourage personal responsibility, and promote the honor and value of work by implementing a holistic approach through daily classes and meals, educational training, and spiritual counseling to break the cycle of crime, addiction, and generational poverty that traps so many in our city.  HopeWorks has served the Memphis / Shelby County area for over 25 years.  Those in need we helped at Thanksgiving were students enrolled in personal and career development classes at HopeWorks and their families.

Memphis Union Mission – The Mission ministers to the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of men, women and children who are homeless, addicted, and in crisis.  Immanuel has partnered with the Mission for a number of years by sharing the Gospel while leading the chapel service at the Mission, providing and preparing lunch and dinner, and by supplying clothes and hygiene kits, as ways to help meet the needs of the homeless.  We were able to help those in need at Thanksgiving by providing food to families in the neighborhood near the Mission’s Opportunity Center and families requesting specific assistance through the Mission.

RestoreCorps – The mission of RestoreCorps is to eradicate human trafficking by empowering survivors, equipping communities, and seeking justice through systemic change.  85% of Tennessee counties, including Shelby County, have documented cases of human trafficking.  Restore Corps has been designated as the official single point of contact for human trafficking services in the West Tennessee division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.  Providing food at Thanksgiving helps not only meet a physical need but also provides a sense of normalcy for survivors of human trafficking.

Immanuel Lutheran Church – Our own are also part of our community.  We shared our blessings with those in our midst that were in need at Thanksgiving.

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.  Philippians 1:3-6 (ESV)