Summer of Mission and Outreach – July 2026

As summer draws to a close, I am grateful for the many ways Emmanuel has continued to live out Christ’s call to love our neighbors. Mission is both what we do and who we are.

One of the most meaningful moments of the month for me was our Prayer Vigil, where members of Emmanuel gathered alongside neighbors and other churches to pray for our city and nation. We specifically lifted up immigrant children and families and how the Church can offer hospitality in fearful times.

Those prayers were accompanied by action through our annual Backpack Drive. Thanks to the generosity of our congregation, 25 backpacks filled with school supplies were placed into the hands of students and families who need them most through our partners at La Puerta/Aldergate UMC. It was especially meaningful to recognize that many of the children and neighborhoods we prayed for during the vigil are the very ones who will benefit from these gifts. I had the privilege of passing on a few handwritten prayers en Español from the vigil with the backpacks. They were received with tears.

We also had the privilege of partnering with Centenary UMC again by reading with children one-on-one. Spending time with these young scholars, some of whom we’ve seen for years with Project Transformation, remind us that education is one of the most effective long-term solutions to poverty. Investment in education and mutual relationships transforms communities.

Our commitment to learning continued through our three-week online study of Freeing Congregational Mission. Together we explored what it means to move beyond seeing mission as one committee or one program and instead embrace it as the calling of the entire church. The conversations challenged us to think differently about how Emmanuel can become even more faithful in Memphis, with our global partners, and everyone in between.

We’re always learning how loving neighbors goes beyond special projects and into the everyday life of discipleship. Whether we are praying, serving children, studying together, or caring for our neighbors, God is continually inviting us to participate in the work of mercy and justice – meeting immediate needs but also understanding and challenging the systems that perpetuate those needs. 

Concerning our regular, year-round projects and partnerships:

Food Pantry

Ever since last year’s food crisis, we have been serving 70+ families a month.  Each family receives boxes of food according to the size of their family, plus a “supplemental bag” of items purchased by Emmanuel.  Emmanuel buys the food boxes from Catholic Charities for $5 but each box contains substantially more value. As need ever increases, our ministry and capacity is responding. The team does an amazing job connecting to guests, praying with them, and sharing the abundance other guests bring (like bags of apples!). We’re even in conversation with neighboring church food pantries about swapping resources and wisdom.

Room in the Inn

Again, the need is growing in Memphis as more unhoused families struggle in our economy. The particular call in the last year has been to host women and children as the most vulnerable among us. The summer can be the most dangerous time as more people are on the streets, and the heat begets violence, and kids are out of school. The Cottage at Germantown UMC provides an easier way for us to meet this need June-August.  The winter season begins in November back in the Emmanuel gym.

Project 20/20

Project 20/20 quietly and graciously continues their work on Thursday mornings cleaning, sorting, shipping, and selling donated glasses. While making an impact with many mission teams around the world offering “recovery of sight to the blind”, the revenue also subsidizes our local efforts. This year, a major contribution made it possible to keep paying utility bills for our neighbors during the hottest weeks of summer.

 

There are always additional mission and outreach efforts going on through the folks of Emmanuel UMC; many efforts may not get recognized or even noticed. And still, Christ is served and glorified though it all. The widow, the orphan, the stranger. The vulnerable senior, the elementary student, the immigrant. These are the relationships for which God judges our righteousness. This is who Jesus has called us to love. Thank you for your hospitality and generosity as we work alongside our neighbors.

Faith & Promise,

Rev. Luke Lea