Anti-Racism
They have treated the wound of my people carelessly, saying ‘Peace, Peace’ when there is no peace” - Jeremiah 6:14
What can I do? Create Relationship - Expand the Circle - Build Community
If you are asking, “What else can I do?” take a look at this list:
Read books by people of color.
Shop at stores owned by people of color.
If you have children or grandchildren give them books with protagonists and heroes of color and buy them diverse toys and dolls.
Follow the Conscious Kid on Instagram and Facebook.
Watch movies and shows starring and written and produced by people of color.
Seek out diverse groups of friends and educators for yourself and your kids.
Listen, listen, listen to the stories and lived experiences of people of color.
Read books specific to this work like How to be an Antiracist, White Fragility, or I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness.
Work in your company’s Human Resources Department to disrupt predominantly white channels of recruiting.
Get involved with your local chapter of Standing Up For Racial Justice.
Housing
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Room in the Inn
HERO
Appalachian Service Project
Open Table Nashville
Little House Village at Glencliff
Room in the Inn
Belmont UMC is one of several hundred churches in the Nashville area that provides a safe, warm place for homeless persons to stay overnight one night each week from November through March and receive three meals (dinner, breakfast, and a sack lunch). This ministry is provided in association with the Room In The Inn program developed and conducted by the Campus for Human Development, a non-profit organization founded by Father Charles Strobel.
RITI at Belmont is conducted under the guidance of the Homeless Ministries Team. This team establishes the guidelines and organizes and secures the basic supplies needed for the ministry.
HERO
During the fall 2022 semester, our congregation partnered with HERO (Homeless Education Resource Office) at Metro Nashville Public Schools (MPNS) works to provide necessary resources, supports and referrals to help homeless children and youth to be successful in school and have a positive school experience. Our team helped to provide four nights where families experiencing homelessness could come to one location, be welcomed with kindness and love, get a free meal, and meet with a wide-variety of homeless service providers in one place. During this pilot project, we helped HERO connected 10 families and over 20 children in Metro Nashville Public Schools with the resources available to them, as well as new coats, new shoes, hygiene items, and non-perishable food. To get involved, contact Catherine Knowles at (615) 259-8729 or Catherine.Knowles@mnps.org.
HERO updates and upcoming opportunities:
6 of those families are now housed or have been admitted to a shelter
4 of those families are employed
8 children and adults got connected to mental health services
12 children and adults were connected to a health care provider
8 families were connected to regular weekly laundry pick-up service
Beginning on March 6, and every first Monday of following months, Belmonters will have the opportunity to serve at the HERO site in North Nashville from 11am-1pm monthly. Tasks include sorting donations and tracking inventory. Catherine is assigning Belmont a room to be responsible for this work so when families visit, the right supplies are always available. See attached video. Click here to sign up.
Saturday, April 29, will be the first of our ongoing quarterly Saturday connection events. Improving upon what we learned during the pilot in the fall of 2022, we are transitioning to Saturday events. The purpose will be the same, to allow families experiencing homelessness to come to one location, be welcomed with kindness and love, get a free meal, meet with a wide-variety of homeless service providers in one place, and leave having made progress toward goals important to them. Check back in March for sign-ups.
Appalachian Service Project
Interested in serving this summer 2023? A team of youth and adults is forming now for a week of service, June 25-July 1. Contact Emma Bushong.
Youth serve in Magoffin County, KY with Appalachia Service Project (ASP) Summer 2022
After months of prep work including construction seminars, 26 youth and adults set out for Magoffin County in eastern KY to serve with the people of Salyersville for a week. Dividing into 3 work crews, we joined 3 other churches to help make homes warmer, safer and drier. Teams tackled drywall installation complete with mudding and taping plus painting, bathroom installation, and laying a floor at three worksites. We also met and became friends with the families we served along with including lots of children and pets. We learned so much about how they live, struggles and joys and in turn, learned about ourselves.
We are thankful for the continued support of our church family thru its gifts and prayers which we carried with us to eastern Kentucky. The very next week the region was ravaged by devastating floods. The families we served were not directly affected by the flood, but asked for us to pray for their community which took a direct hit interrupting life there.
Waverly Home Build – June 2022
For Waverly, TN the flood in August 2021 will be one of the greatest disasters in its history. Killing 24 residents and damaging over 400 homes, the community struggled to find hope and how to rebuild. Through an organized effort of local churches, civic groups and outside efforts, HOPE returned as volunteers poured in to help with cleanup and the rebuilding effort. Area churches each took a piece of the puzzle to support from meal prep and providing emergency food and supplies, to volunteer coordination and relief request intakes. Housing repair and homebuilding were the next big items to be tackled. The Appalachia Service Project stepped in and offered to build 25 new homes with volunteer labor at the direction of a local contractor. Belmont UMC sponsored one home through our Lenten Offering totaling over $20,000.
In June 2022, 34 volunteers over the course of a week committed to taking a foundation to interior stud walls to completion. The house is wrapped on the walls and roof ready for the next folks to do their thing. Teamwork was and is a theme that keeps running thru my mind. Thirty-three folks had a hand in the building of this house, but a multitude of others supported us thru monetary donations, gifts of snacks and so many prayers.
Lots of sweat was poured out on this worksite, but it was all worth it yesterday to see the joy on the Mercer's faces especially great grandson, Elias' face. In one picture above, he is Face-timing with his Mom, showing her where he gets to sleep when he visits. He loved all of the windows and told us thank you for building them this home. I am thankful we could ease the pain of losing everything to floodwaters including a nephew, we learned yesterday. A stark reminder that each day is a gift and community is so important.
The Mercer's home was dedicated in late July with move in early August. Check back for opportunities to be a part of another build in spring, 2023. Click here to see a video about the build.
Open Table Nashville
Belmont UMC is partnered with Open Table Nashville, a non-profit, interfaith community that disrupts cycles of poverty, journeys with the marginalized and provides education about issues of homelessness.
Open Table Nashville was officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in June of 2011 as an interfaith homeless outreach nonprofit that disrupts cycles of poverty, journeys with the marginalized, and provides education about issues of homelessness.
Little House Village at Glencliff
Belmont UMC is partnered with The Village at Glencliff whose mission is to provide a dignified, loving, and hospitable medical respite/ bridge housing community for our most vulnerable friends experiencing homelessness in Nashville in an effort to meet each individual’s most basic needs so that they are empowered to focus on healing and permanent supportive housing.
The story of The Village at Glencliff began over ten years ago when four individuals came together in the wake of the devastating 2010 Nashville flood to found Open Table Nashville to advocate for housing for people experiencing homelessness who had been displaced by flooding. One of these individuals, Rev. Ingrid McIntyre, felt called to also create a unique model of respite care. Her vision was to create a post-hospitalization space to heal for the people she encountered every day trying to survive on Nashville’s streets, in alleyways, among underpasses, and in parks. Glencliff United Methodist Church donated a portion of their land to make it possible.
Education
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English as Second Language (ESL)
Project Transformation
Brighter Days
Belmont Weekday School
United4Hope
Preschool Equity
English as a Second Language (ESL)
The ESL program is back again this semester through a combination of in-person, online, and hybrid classes taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Volunteers teach English language, culture, current events, and more. Beginning classes are led by Christy Perkey and intermediate classes by Mary Jane Duke. A separate conversation ESL group meets Tuesdays under the leadership of Sally Tiven.
If you’d like more information about learning or teaching English, please email ESLinfo@belmontUMC.org or click here.
Project Transformation
Project Transformation is gearing up again this summer to connect college-aged interns with children in the community through a program to improve reading skills.
Once again, Belmonters will get a chance to be part of this important program. Volunteers are needed to read one-on-one with elementary aged children in the morning, the week of June 27-30, at Antioch United Methodist Church. They can volunteer for any or all of the four days. To receive a Project Transformation sign-up form, contact Celia Joyner. Since volunteers will be working with children, a background check is needed. Belmont UMC will contact volunteers if one is needed and if it is, will send the form.
In addition, Belmont is collecting materials for Project Transformation. A box will be set up in the back entrance of the church for children’s books, healthy snacks, and school supplies such as pencils, and glue sticks.
Where: Antioch UMW, 41 Tusculum Road, Nashville
Orientation: (required the first day only) 9:15-9:45
Program time: 9:45am-12:15pm
Belmont Weekday School
Through the ministry of childcare, the Belmont Weekday School extends the nurturing ministry of the church and proclaims justice to children, families and communities. The Weekday School is licensed by the State of Tennessee Department of Human Services and is a non-profit program. It is tuition driven and supplemented with designated fund-raising. For more information, click here.
Brighter Days
We are currently seeking volunteers for Edgehill Brighter Days after school tutoring Monday and Wednesday 3:30 p.m.-5:15 p.m. for children Kindergarten through 6th grade. We also need volunteers for Edgehill Early Learning on Tuesday 9:00 a.m..-11:30 a.m. All volunteers must participate in the Volunteer Orientation before volunteers (TBA). If interested, please email Nancy Crutcher at nancy@edgehill.org.
Brighter Days offers an after-school tutoring program of one-on-one relationships with children in the Edgehill neighborhood.
Pray.
- For the Edgehill community to provide activities for young male youth ages 9-14 years old.
- For Edgehill single-parents to find daycare and early childhood learning opportunities.
- For safe places for children to play daily.
- For clean and healthy grocery stores.
- For children to have equal education.
Serve.
Brighter Days After School, September—May, help Monday through Thursday; 3:30-5:00 p.m.
- Help for 1 hour or 1.5 hours Monday through Thursday.
- One on one tutoring with K-6th graders, homework assignments, reading and math skills
- Provide special fun educational activities 3:10-3:35 p.m. (Choose a day Mon.-Thurs.)
Brighter Days Summer, Monday through Friday; 9:00-3:30 p.m.
- Help with educational activities. Monday-Wednesday 9:45-11:15 a.m.
- Help with basic skills in basketball/baseball and soccer. 1-2 hours a week
- Help with swimming lessons. Monday or Tuesday morning 10:00-10:45 a.m.
Moms of Edgehill, 3rd Wednesday of each month.
- Help with presentation/activities in Early Childhood Learning.
- Provide a healthy lunch for Moms.
- Provide nursery care.
Give.
The Edgehill United Methodist Neighborhood Ministries began in 1966 with the church developing relationships with its neighbors. Over 50 years later, through of the neighborhood has changed, the relational approach to ministry continues to be the same. We continually ask the question, how can we serve as a caring and positive agent in the lives of our immediate neighbors? This has been the vehicle on which our organization has acted and reacted to issues throughout our existence. We believe the children of the community represent its future, so we are always willing to answer questions by saying, “Let’s look into this... What can we do? Let’s try.”
The Neighborhood Ministries continues to work together with neighbors to provide a positive environment with wholesome activities that promote positive self-images, enhance the likelihood of success, lead to responsible decision making and motivate children to succeed.
Our first step in was to walk in the community on Saturday mornings to meet our neighborhood and neighbors. As we launched Brighter Days, our after-school tutoring ministry, we walked the neighborhood to register children and youth. During the summer months, we repeated the same process, offering activities Monday through Friday.
Today, Brighter Days continues to provide after-school program for children K-6th grade, Monday through Thursday, 3:00-5:30 p.m. during the school year.
Each summer Brighter Days offers a seven-week summer program Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. to 40 children. The cost of this program is $1558 per child. At a time when children are most vulnerable due to lack of planned activities, Brighter Days provides breakfast and lunch, educational skills reading/math, weekly outreach field trips, multicultural activities, community gardening, and life and social skills.
Our ministry aims to establish a positive relationship not only with neighborhood children but also with their families. The Moms of Edgehill Group provides times devotion and prayer for mothers, Early Childhood Development activities parents can use at home with their children, and child care for children six months through 5 years old. Financial support for Moms of Edgehill provides lunch and gift cards for necessities like medicine and baby formula. The Moms of Edgehill group meet 3rd Wednesday of each month.
Other ways to help:
- Volunteer to dance (ballet, tap, etc.) or drama (putting on play at the end of summer).
- Volunteer to teach swimming lessons, baseball and basketball skills.\
- Donate healthy snacks or fresh produce.
- Teach parents and activities and ideas they can use at home.
We are currently seeking volunteers for Edgehill Brighter Days after school tutoring Monday and Wednesday 3:30 p.m.-5:15 p.m. for children Kindergarten through 6th grade. We also need volunteers for Edgehill Early Learning on Tuesday 9:00 a.m..-11:30 a.m. All volunteers must participate in the Volunteer Orientation before volunteers (TBA). If interested, please email Nancy Crutcher at nancy@edgehill.org.
Preschool Equity
Content coming soon.
United4Hope
Belmont UMC is excited to be in partnership with United4Hope and Eakin Elementary. United4Hope brings together Nashville area churches and public schools to see Nashville’s students thrive and our communities transformed by serving in four primary roles: student support, staff encouragement, family engagement, and in-kind contributions.
The next planned activity in February 2023 is to support Eakin’s teachers through a raffle of Nashville Predators tickets. If you have Predators tickets that you’re not planning to use, the United4Hope team would appreciate a donation.
Clothing collection
Eakin Elementary is our partner school through United 4 Hope and we are excited to be able to assist the students and teachers in a variety of ways. We are collecting shorts and long pants for standard school attire (either navy or khaki, no jeans), in boys and girls sizes medium and large. You can leave your donation in the box in the Iris Room entrance area.
Tutors needed at neighborhood school
Volunteers are needed this year to tutor students at Eakin Elementary School as part of Belmont UMC’s United4Hope partnership.
Last year Belmont became one of more than 100 churches in Nashville participating in United4Hope, which connects local churches with schools. Since then, we have helped our neighbor, Eakin Elementary School, in various ways. We collected much needed supplies and materials for its teachers and students, painted and updated the teacher’s lounge, and provided notes to encourage teachers and staff.
Now, as we begin this school year, Belmonters will have the opportunity to tutor students in-person. If interested, please contact Mary Crichton.