2012... A Year of Increased Effectiveness for the Christian Community

For more than ten years Mission Birmingham has worked to create partnerships across the greater Birmingham community. As a Christian community we desired to see our city reached with the message of the good news of the Kingdom of God. From the beginning we had a hearts desire to reach individuals and families with the proclamation and demonstration of the gospel. While the Church has the capacity and responsibility for the proclamation of the message, we realized that the greater community has a shared responsibility in the well being of our most vulnerable neighbors. To this end, Mission Birmingham brought on additional staff to build bridges between corporations, government, community based organizations and individuals to bind together to discover solutions that bring about holistic transformation. As we enter 2012, Mission Birmingham has established credibility in every sector of our community; now its time to put our whole team (every sector of our community) on the field.

With more than 1200 community based places of worship in the Birmingham region, it is fitting that we take the lead in uniting our entire community in a concerted response to the problems that are before us in the coming years. More specifically, the aftermath of the April 27th storms which leave us to face the largest reconstruction in Alabama since the Civil War. There are still thousands of families that will not recover without our help. While we seek to mobilize the Church to deliver the message of hope, we are consistently looking for more effective ways to facilitate holistic individual and community development.

We are currently planning the largest mobilization of the community of faith and the largest mobilization of the corporate, government and community sectors in our history. As our staff continues to grow, we are looking for more effective ways to maximize our efforts in the greater Birmingham community. Our role in the disaster recovery has led us to put on additional staff as we have received Case Management funding to assist families in their recovery. In addition, we have received significant funding for our housing program to provide affordable rental and home ownership opportunities. While we are excited about our community development opportunities, we are consistently looking for ways to ensure that our prayer, pastoral church mobilization distinctive is not compromised. Pray with us as we ask God for clarity on how to accomplish both more effectively. Most of all... pray for the families of our state as they begin year two of this seven year recovery that lies ahead in 2012.

Sincerly Yours,

Frank A. Woodson

2011 Christmas in the City: Impact 500-500

Holiday food boxes for needy families!

Mission Birmingham Transformation Strategies is excited about this year's "CHRISMAS IN THE CITY" initiative. The 2011 partnership promises to be the largest outreach in our history. We are partnering to feed 500 familes and to provide toys to 500 children living in the inner city or survivors of the April 27th Alabama Disaster.

Our individual, family, faith and corporate partners are committed to bringing the celebration of Christ to many of our regions most vulnerable families. For a donation of $20.00 you can feed a family a holiday meal including a turkey, collard greens, candy yams and much more. A donation of $100.00 will feed five deserving families and $500.00 will feed twenty five deserving families.

For up to date information on the Alabama recovery effort go to www.icarebham.org

Bringing the celebration of Christ to the City!

Helping Disaster Survivors Recover

Ministering to the needs of the disaster survivors is more than a job... it’s a privilege! Over the past few months we have heard stories from disaster survivors from across the state of Alabama. What we have come to understand is that while these families have clear physical needs, we cannot overlook that there is also a need for "soul-care" as well.

Over the last 12 years Mission Birmingham staff has worked with low to moderate and poor families. It takes a heartfelt compassion to treat these families with dignity and respect. More and more families are beginning to come to our Mission Birmingham office based simply on referrals from other survivors. What makes the difference? We have professionally trained Chaplains specialize in assisting families with critical stress management. To our surprise, after six months of recovery, many of the survivors have never been debriefed. In short, they have not had the opportunity to sit down and tell their stories. Case managing families is more than a process; it is a relationship based on the most basic human need... significance.

In Central Alabama there has been slow down in the Case Management process because of a lack of funding for several organizations and because of the lack of grassroots relational capacity. Mission Birmingham has been fortunate to have Case Management capacity prior to the April 27th Alabama Tornado Disaster. We are grateful to our financial partners that have allowed us the opportunity to continue without federal funding, and our Case Managers that are volunteering their time to help Alabama families recover.

It is important for Alabama families to know that we are here for the duration of the recovery effort. At Mission Birmingham, we know that recovery is not merely about buildings and street lights... it is about people... it is about ensuring that our neighbors recover!

Mission Birmingham Family Initiatives

Mission Birmingham Transformation Strategies (TransStrat)

Engaging nearly 500 Neighbors at a Community Day Event

Mission Birmingham has begun a community partnership with the HABD and the families of Marks Village Public Housing Community. For the past few years Mission Birmingham has had staff to volunteer with community programs in Birmingham's public housing communities with youth programs, tutoring, character development and community clean ups. We are excited about being the lead agency in providing community based programming that will enhance the lives of the more than 1200 residents in the Marks Village Community.

Mr. Corey Jackson, a former standout basketball player at UAB, is our Director at the community center. Corey brings more than ten years experience in working with families in public housing communities. Corey and Wayne Owens, Mission Birmingham Director of Operations, have been in a discipling relationship for several years. Together they will build programming that will enhance the lives of families in this community. In addition to youth programming, we are also looking at senior programs, community gardens, economic development, literacy, job readiness, home ownership, Chaplaincy and other soul care components.