Central Church Missions Ministry

Central's Missionaries in Memphis

Rev. Bob Freudiger, - Executive Director of Calvary Rescue Mission

MISSION STATEMENT:
Calvary Rescue Mission will share the Good News and abundance of life eternal through Jesus Christ.

HOW TO CONTACT: 901-775-2570

METHODS USED TO FULFILL MISSION STATEMENT:
We have a chapel service every night and the Gospel is preached at that time. We also have counseling and prayer afterwards & use some seminary students for that purpose. During special holiday events we go out into the community & help, feed and witness to our neighbors.

HOW VOLUNTEERS CAN SERVE:
Serving supper, cooking supper, providing supper, helping in chapel services, fixing up the building and grounds

LOCATION: 960 S. Third

Rev. James Kellum, - Executive Director of Multi-National Ministries

Mission: Immigrant and refugee children in downtown Memphis

Mission Organization: A program of Memphis Leadership Foundation

How to reach him:
or 1548 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104, 901-274-7226

Current responsibilities: Multi-National Ministries presents the Gospel to immigrants and refugees in midtown Memphis. The ministry focuses on students who attend Bellevue Middle School and Bruce Elementary School.

Ministry news: This summer Multi-National Ministries will take approximately 150 young people to Camp Cordova. One week will be for elementary children and a second week will be for teenagers. The camps will provide a prime opportunity to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Multi-National Ministries will also transport kids to Vacation Bible Schools and group functions such as swimming parties and picnics. The ministry also will sponsor a Monday through Friday reading program for up to 30 children.

Current prayer request: Pray for opportunities to share the Gospel with the youth and that the Holy Spirit would work in their hearts to help them understand His truth.

Mission Organization: Teen Challenge

How to reach him:
or Teen Challenge, 33 North Cleveland, Memphis, TN 38104

Current responsibilities: Teen Challenge is a ministry to men 17 and older with life-controlling problems such as drug and alcohol abuse. Our 12-month residential program strives to help the whole man, not just the substance abuse. Through our Christ-centered, Bible-based educational programs, counseling and work programs, we give the students as many advantages as possible when re-entering society. Judges, who would rather send a young man to Teen Challenge than send him in jail, appoint some students. The success rate at Teen Challenge is consistently 70-86 percent, compared to a 5-10 percent success rate for public/private short-term inpatient drug programs.

Ministry news: One of Teen Challenge's goals for the near future is to expand the ministry facilities to accommodate 50 students; currently they can house only 30 students. Teen Challenge is in the process of trying to acquire surrounding property so that we can remodel the existing building and add on.

Current prayer request: Pray for the young men who come to Teen Challenge. Most of exhausted every avenue and are without monetary or family support. Also pray for the staff that they may have wisdom and patience in helping the students.

How to reach them:
or 2235 Covington Pike Drive, Memphis, TN 38128, (901) 388-1172

Current responsibilities: The mission of Life Choices, in obedience to Jesus Christ, is to strongly advocate the choice of life by giving alternatives to women facing unplanned pregnancy. We minister to women, men, and families before, during and after an unplanned pregnancy. Life Choices offers all of its services and programs in a caring, non-judgmental, non-discriminatory manner. The services and programs are to remain free and can be obtained by anyone regardless of race, creed, or religion.

Ministry news: There have been 21 women pray to receive Christ as their personal Savior this year. Life Choices will become a medical clinic that offers free ultra sound to abortion minded and abortion prone clients that come to our centers. Building plans continue to develop for a counseling/medical clinic/administrative center on our Raleigh LaGrange property. We pray for an early 2003 groundbreaking.

Current prayer request: Pray for the Lord to continue to send hurting, frightened women to this ministry. Pray for their hearts and minds to be ready to receive God's love, mercy and truth. Pray for the Board of Directors, staff and volunteers to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as they lead and serve Life Choices. Pray for God's divine protection, for His abundant provision, and for His abounding grace to continue to cover His work at Life Choices.

Keith and Beth Lamb (children: Jonah, Rose, and Joses)

Mission Organization: Child Evangelism Fellowship

How to reach them: email
or 2091 Lee Place, Memphis, TN 38104 (901 726-9084)
Home email:

Current responsibilities: To evangelize boys and girls with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and to disciple them in the Word of God and in a local church for Christian Living. CEF seeks to develop neighborhood Bible studies for children and to strengthen existing children's ministries within churches. CEF current conducts several local evangelistic programs for children. Good News Clubs are weekly neighborhood Bible clubs that meet in day care center, schools and community centers; 5-Day Clubs meet one hour a day for five days during the summer. Monthly and Party Clubs are Bible clubs that meet monthly or seasonally during holidays. Camp Good News is a series of three one-week camp sessions in the summer that can accommodate up 40 girls and 40 boys. Tel-A-Story is a local telephone number that kids can call to hear the gospel through Bible stories. CEF also sponsors programs to help teach adults to evangelize children.

Ministry news: CThere are 213 campers registerd with 77 staff trained and ready for camp. The camp program runs June 20 through July 10.

Current prayer request: Pray for the children to be saved, and to learn new reasons to sing God's praise. Pray for the staff as they prepare their hearts to serve. Pray for safety for the campers and staff.

Mission Organization: Service Over Self

How to reach him:email
or Service Over Self, 2505 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38112, (901-681-9044).

Current responsibilities: SOS exists to glorify God by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed through urban home repair camps. As an expression of Christ's love, SOS seeks to empower persons and transform neighborhoods by utilizing volunteers to renovate homes of disadvantaged homeowners in Memphis.

Ministry news: SOS is recruiting college ministries to attend our Spring 04 mission camps and college students to serve on our 04 summer staff.

Current prayer request: pray for the spiritual leadership and wisdom of the staff of SOS, and that people would come to know and love Jesus Christ through SOS.

Mission Organization: Olford Ministries International

How to reach them:
or Olford Ministries International
PO Box 757800, Memphis, TN 38175-7800 (901-757-7977)

Current responsibilities: OMI's motto is "ministry to ministers is ministry to multitudes." OMI is designed to encourage and uplift pastors so that they are better prepared to nurture and lead their congregations. OMI uses training Institutes and Workshops to train pastors and lay leaders in expository preaching. OMI also is involved in producing audio and videotapes, publishing books and radio. The Stephen Olford Center for Biblical Preaching also hosts special events such as the Christian Life Convention, held in the spring and fall.

Current prayer request: For God's anointing and enabling for preaching and teaching. For wisdom and direction to prioritize OMI's many opportunities of service. For financial under girding of ministry operations and for scholarship funding for attendees.

Rev. and Mrs. Bill and Ruby Burdett

Mission Organization: The Love Home (Independent ministry)

How to reach them:
2075 Brierbrook
Germantown, TN 38138-3911 (901-754-2363)

Current responsibilities: Caring for the spiritual and physical needs of unmarried, pregnant girls. Because of the Burdetts' health problems, the Love Home seldom houses the girls in the Burdett home, but finds accommodations for the homeless. They also give out food and clothes (both maternity and baby clothes) and provide baby supplies.

Ministry news: Currently working with three girls, helping with food, clothes, and transportation to the doctor. On March 15 their first Love Home baby will be nineteen. On August 1 of 2004 the Love Home will be twenty years old.

Current prayer request: For God to supply our needs and for our health problems.

Executive Director: George Kuykendall
Director of Victim Assistance: Carol Wiley

Mission Organization: Citizens for Community Values of Memphis, Inc.

How to reach them: Address, P. O. Box 770775 Memphis, TN 38177-0775; Phone: (901) 685-1493; Email George at or Carol at .

Current responsibilities:The Executive Director, George Kuykendall oversees all the activities and ministries under CCV's umbrella and he is the one who heads up CCV's "Fight for Decency" in Memphis and the Mid-South.

The Director of Victim Assistance, Carol Wiley is in charge of the "A Way Out" Victim Assistance Program and of other victim assistance concerns that result from the harms of pornography and the sex-oriented businesses.

Mission Statement: The CCV mission is to inspire, motivate and mobilize citizens, community leaders and elected officials to take action against sexual exploitation and pornography so that (1) our children and families are protected, (2) victims are rescued and restored, (3) the standard of decency is raised and (4) our quality of life is improved. CCV is a faith-based 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization.

CCV actively fights sexual exploitation and the harmful effects of pornography on several fronts: Public Awareness and Education: Inform the public of the availability and harm of exploitive and abusive pornography, particularly in the lives of children. Protection against Media Pornography: Provide information to parents, educational leaders, librarians and business people on how to protect themselves, their children and their employees from published media and internet pornography. In fact, in 1999, CCV led a campaign resulting in the Memphis and Shelby County Public Library system installing internet software to filter pornographic web sites. CCV has also assisted nine other cities in their battle for filtration.

Legal: Support the enactment and enforcement, within the Constitution, of limitations on pornography. The U. S. Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that child pornography and obscenity (defined as hard-core pornography which lacks significant literary, artistic, political or scientific value) are not protected by the First Amendment. "A Way Out" Victim Assistance Program: This singularly unique Memphis program assists women who desire to permanently leave the sex for sale industry (topless clubs and prostitution) and works to restore them to a life of health and wholeness physically, mentally emotionally and spiritually. Through a number of very practical steps, we provide our clients and their children with...

food, clothing, and shelter needs,
Bible study and Biblically based twelve-step program,
counseling and mentoring,
health and dental care,
change of residence,
enrollment in drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs,
educational and job training.

Every facet of the program addresses the practical and underlying needs of these women. The end result leads to a healthy lifestyle, strong parenting skills, stability, job readiness and the ability to become and remain a productive member of the workforce. Most importantly we introduce her to a loving Savior who has the capacity and desire to forgive offering a chance for a new life, a fresh start filled with hope and dignity. L

Current Prayer Requests: Pray for wisdom for George and Carol as they attend to their respective duties in the fight to raise the standard of decency in our city, making it a safer place for families to raise their children and in rescuing women who desire to leave the sex for sale industry by helping them find restoration and wholeness in Christ.

Mission Organization: Palmer Home for Children

How to reach them:email, or
PO Box 929, Hernando, MS 38631

Mission Statement: The mission of Palmer Home for Children is to present the hope of Christ to children who, through lack of an adequate family structure, are in need of a permanent long-term Christ-centered home. To that end, Palmer Home, as it has since 1895, remains committed to privately-funded, non-governmental child care which keeps siblings together, models evangelical Christian values, mends emotional scars, and restores for each child the full opportunity to reach his or her God-given potential.

Ministry news: May marked the dedication of the new Hernando Campus and all the promise it entails. The Board approved the new campus for one reason - to serve more needy children. There are many learning opportunities for the children this summer through summer camps and trips to service and ministry opportunities.

Current prayer request: Pray for the financial resources needed to provide for the increased number of children who are now coming to the facilities.

Mission Organization: Love in Action

How to reach them:phone (800) 201-4129; (901) 751-2468; (901) 751-1922 (fax), or
P. O. Box 280386, Memphis, TN 38168-0386

Mission Statement: Love in Action International is a professional staff of men and women passionately committed to helping people discover the truth about God and about who they really are in his son Jesus Christ. In the safety and strength of God's love men and women of all ages have found the courage to step out of sexual brokenness and enslaving life behaviors.

Prayer Requests:The prayer and praise below come from a good friend of mine, Roy McIntyre, who has actively ministered in Bangladesh for over 12 years now. He and I met in San Rafael California. Soon after our meeting he went to the mission field, got married, had kids and has remained faithful in a very tough situation throughout the years.

I was quite amazed to read the letter his wife, Jenna, sent today and thought you might find it amazing as well. I haven't heard of anything like this occurring in our western world before. God is doing some amazing things in areas of this world that we cannot relate to here in our country.

Please consider lifting this situation up in prayer today and as the Lord leads you to do so.

Dear Prayer Partners,

We have both exciting news and a prayer request for the Chakma people of Bangladesh. In the past few weeks, different Chakma leaders from both the Khagrachuri and Rangamati areas have told us about mass numbers of Chakmas who want to become Christians. We are not sure of the exact number, but one claimed it could be in the thousands. In one situation, a group of Chakma Buddhists went to the top Chakma political leader (who is also Buddhist) to tell him of their desire to become Christians. The political leader was neither positive nor negative regarding their desire which is actually good because he did not discourage them. "We have tried to follow the Buddhist law, but cannot and it has done nothing for us," expressed one leader. "We see our neighboring Christians from Mizoram (India), and realize how much Christianity has done for them. They did not become western Christians or Indian Christians. They became Christians in their own Mizo culture, and we want to become Chakma Christians."

Of course there is a great deal of teaching necessary for them to truly understand and accept the Gospel, but we have never heard of such an openness among the Chakmas -- the largest and most influential tribal group in Bangladesh. So many times over the last hundred years it seemed that the Chakmas were poised and ready to become a Christian tribe like their Mizo neighbors, but each time Satan destroyed the opportunities and kept them chained in his kingdom. Please pray fervently with us that Chakmas finally will be freed from their sins, will come out of the darkness, and into the light. "We have had many volunteer groups which have prayer walked for the tribal people this year," said one Chakma Christian leader. "It seems that God is answering these many prayers by sending His Holy Spirit to call the Chakmas to Himself."

We truly pray that this will be the breakthrough we have been waiting for, and thousands of Chakmas and other tribals will be swept into the Kingdom en mass. Please pray specifically for the Gospel Storying meeting of the leaders in Khagrachuri on Dec. 4, 5 and 6, and the seekers' meeting in Rangamati on Dec. 7. These are critical meetings as many village leaders from communities seeking to become Christians will attend. The leaders will take what they hear and learn from these meetings and share it with those in their communities seeking to become believers. December 1 is the day of prayer and fasting for South Asia. Would you consider fasting and praying with us that day? Pray that this will be the beginning of a Church Planting Movement among the Chakma and other tribes in Bangladesh.

Thanks for caring enough to pray, Roy and Jenna

Ministry news: website