Mission Waco

MISSION
Fall 2015
WACO • WORLD
<www.missionwaco.org>
254.753.4900
Economic and Community Development
“UrbanEdibles” Food
Trailer Opens to the
Community
Now serving tailgaters at five
of Baylor’s home games and
upcoming church events
<urbanedibles@missionwaco.org>
After five months of volunteer and professional
labor, Mission Waco’s food trailer window is now
open and serving various menu items. Opening
day was Saturday, September 12, which began with free samples for the “Near Northside”
neighborhood. The project, designed to serve in
the community and provide job training for the
unemployed, cost $21,000, almost all of which
was donated from numerous supporters. What
began as an experiment with a rented food
trailer a year ago, turned into an opportunity
to promote employment, while serving others
throughout Waco. UrbanEdibles will set up
to sell food some weekends in the parking lot
behind the World Cup Cafe on N. 15th St and
Colcord Ave. Other venues that cater to at least
60 persons will be booked from our main office
at 254.753.4900. Got an event? We’ll work with
you on the menu and details.
The “Big Ugly Building” (BUB) on N. 15th/Colcord Ave to be
Transformed For and With the Neighborhood
After years of watching folks from across the street go in and out of the old convenience
store, exiting with lottery tickets, “40 ouncers,” over-priced day-old bread, and prizes from
“one-liners” (legal casino-type games that are not supposed to give out cash winnings in
Texas), Mission Waco finally made the deal. Though the roof was leaking badly and the
copper wiring had been stolen from most of the electrical panel and a/c units, there was an
emerging euphoric hope that now we had the opportunity to really help the neighborhood.
On a Saturday morning a few weeks after the purchase, the doors of the building were
opened to the neighborhood. The staff went door-to-door through the streets of “Near
Northside” inviting folks to attend the discussion and give their opinion about what was
needed most in that building for the good of the neighborhood. Sixty diverse residents and
friends showed up for a brief tour, listing their choices, and offering great ideas. Two of the
women, who live just two blocks away, said, “Please put a grocery store here!”
(continued inside)
Youth Job Training Leads to Real Jobs
Just ask Tristan who now works full time at Patrick Industries
This past summer twenty-five of twenty-six urban teens completed
Phase I (“soft skills”) in Mission Waco’s M-Powerment youth job training
program. While in Phase 2 (work experience), he was placed at Patrick
Industries to learn the world of work in practical ways. By the
time he finished that phase, Tristan Watkins had a “real” job, with
good pay, employed through Total Placement’s “temp to hire”
program at Patrick Industries. Chris Hicks (Production Manager
at Patrick Ind.) praised him, saying, “Tristan works harder than
most of my other employees.” And with hard work come the fruit
of his labors.Tristan is currently making plans to move into his
Field Trips to Area
own apartment closer to work, and is saving to buy his first new
Businesses Are Part
car. He plans to return to his TSTC program in once he is settled.
of the Program
Children’s
Program = A+
Not your average deal
When the elementary kids storm the door
of The R.O.C.K. four afternoons a week,
there is more than recreation and reading.
In fact, the place has because a tapestry of
various training opportunities and activities. This year, children can attend an engineering class, visual or performing arts,
ballet, chess class, or practice a musical
instrument. There are still tutoring classes
with volunteers, a Bible lesson, physical exercise and a meal at the Kid’s Cafe. These
outstanding opportunities have enhanced
the 20 year-old program like never before.
The downside for others is that the program continues to remain full with rare
openings for new students. To help address the dilemma, incoming children can
now enroll in either “Urban Expressions”
visual arts or the Jubilee Theatre performing arts class outside of the regular Monday-Thursday children’s program.
Transforming the BUB (Con’t. from p. 1)
60 Neighbors
Toured and
Discussed
Needed
Options for
the Building
“Since we live in a food desert, we walk 2.2
miles to the closest grocery store just to get
good and affordable food.” Most all of those
gathered (77%) agreed that some kind of
non-profit grocery store would be the best
choice for their neighborhood. Other opinions in the surveys suggested a restaurant
that employed urban youth, a cultural center, a pizza place, or a laundry. All of the
ideas made sense because there were few
options in the old historic neighborhood,
now slowly recovering from years of blight.
Since then, Mission Waco has continued
to meet with “experts,” do some research,
and consider the viability of their choices.
Grocery stores don’t usually come to old
neighborhoods since their profit margin on
fresh food is low. However, there are a few
non-profit models of stores around the nation that overcome the challenges, although
they seemed to have the benefit of significantly more financial capital.
Though the dream is a challenging one, God
has been faithful in such endeavors through
the years as Mission Waco has rebuilt the
old shopping center right across the street
and now houses the thriving World Cup
Café, Jubilee Theatre, youth center and visual arts program. We have made no promises, but are passionate that Isaiah’s words
can come true, “Your people will rebuild the
ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old
foundations; you will be called Repairer of
Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings” (Isa 58:12). We are still listening to our
neighbors, dreaming in big ways and asking
God to fulfill his will in the streets of North
Waco. We’re asking him to make the BUB
into a BBB (“big beautiful building).
Want to help?
Volunteers are the heart and
soul of most of the children/
youth programs. If you have 2-4
hours a week, come volunteer!
254.753.4900.
Individual Donations
Make It Happen
Well over one-half of Mission Waco’s budget comes from donors like you. In fact,
we recieve 4x more from caring individuals than any other source of funding. Less
than 11% of those funds go to administration. Check us out at the BBB or Charity
Navigator. Yearly outside audits available.
Mission World
Many of our readers only know about
Mission Waco’s work among the poor and
marginalized in Central Texas and are unaware of the global engagement the organization has been doing since its first day.
The Christian community development
work in Haiti, Mexico City and India has
been significant. Here’s a brief reminder:
HAITI
“Light Haiti”-working with Dwyer Group
and New Vision Renewable Energy, we’ll light
up the village of Ferrier this November with
home solar panels.
Clean Water Wells-800 villagers of the
poorest have access to drinking water from
each one of the hundreds of wells we have
drilled . “Our children are living longer,” say the
parents. Cost is $4500 per well.
School Sponsorships-Over 400 children are now enrolled in school due to their donors who pay $219/year. More are waiting.
Micro-Credit Loans-extremely poor
women who complete classes receive small
loans to create or expand a small businesses.
Health Clinic-Dr. Nirla Nelson is the Haitian doctor sponsored by Mission World. She
sees hundreds of patients who have no other
access to healthcare or medicine.
MxCITY
Maranatha Baptist Church- Over 30
years Roberto Mendoza has partnered with us
to serve addicts, orphans, the elderly, and the
poorest of the poor in a city of 30 million.
The Orphanage- 250 physically and
mentally disabled children led by Sister Inez
are supported in La Providencia in part through
funds and donations.
INDIA
Unreached People Group- a poor, trib-
al Muslim group in NW India is part of the focus
of Mission World’s work for over 30 years.
Business as Mission- Outreach through
local enterprises has expanded significantly.
10 Years Serving
Turkey & Dressing
to Waco’s Homeless
Melissa & Don Naylor & Danny Londenberg
have directed the annual Mission Waco
“Thanksgiving Day for the Homeless”
While many spend Thanksgiving Day catching up on sleep, watching football and enjoying the day with family at the dinner
table, a host of volunteers at the Meyer
Center are up early in the kitchen preparing to serve a homemade meal to 110
homeless men and women. For a decade,
this event has become deeply meaningful
for those who come to cook, serve, clean
up and even have a time of worship and
thanksgiving to God for our blessings before the feast begins.
Becoming More
Compassionate
Apathy and indifference toward the poor
can steal some of the greatest joys of life
away. Jesus’ life and words remind us
that it is in giving ourselves away to the
needs of others that we discover our own
meaning and purpose. In a busy world,
it’s often hard to find time to really see
and make time for “the least of these.”
Mission Waco is committed to “mobilizing” middle-class folks to compassionate
involvement among the poor. Here are
some ways you may want to get involved:
OTHER SIDE OF WACO TOUR-
the 90 minute bus ride helps you “see
and understand” the realities of poverty
in Waco. Groups of 8 or more. (free)
POVERTY SIMULATION- 15x a
year this challenging weekend (Fri evening through Sunday afternoon) will engage your heart and mind as you become
temporarily poor and process the issues
of poverty. ($65) See <http://missionwaco.
org/poverty-simulation/> for details.
Christmas Toy Store
Donation Drive Kicks Off
Nov. 29 with Biker Toy Run
20+ Local Churches Participate
The roar of motorcycles is only exceeded by the screams of delight by children
who hear them coming as they wait
outside their churches on the Sunday
morning after Thanksgiving to donate
their purchased toys for Mission Waco’s
annual Christmas Toy Store in early December. Low-income parents purchase
the donated toys for only 20% of their
cost, but allows them to have the dignity of buying their own children’s toys.
Want to donate or be a donor church?
EXPOSURE TRIPS- Frequent trips
to Haiti, Mexico City and India allow
you to “go and see” the realities of poverty and find ways to make a difference.
Upcoming trips include: Costs vary. See
details at <http://missionwaco.org/exposure-trips/>.
HAITI- March 4-12
INDIA- May 15-June 12
MEXICO CITY- June 30-July 7
ONE-TIME ACTION- One hour of
hands-on compassion can impact your
life. Consider one of theses:
1. Friday Morning Breakfast- 6:00am at
First Lutheran Church building.
2. My Brother’s Keeper chapel @ shelternightly, 7:00 pm. Contact Travis first.
3.Saturday morning “King’s Club” in
the housing complexes. Meet at10:00am
at The ROCK (N. 16th and West Ave.)
4.Group Projects- Email us to set up a
special time and project <groups@missionwaco.org>
“Two are better
than one for they
can help each
other succeed.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9
Unweaving the Many Knots Of
Entangled Poverty
Since most of us do not understand the complexities of poverty, we are prone to oversimplify
ways we think the poor could break the downward spiral when things go wrong. Just ask Jerrold McClinton how hard it is. He moved in with
his brother, a soldier at Ft. Hood, then found
work at a chicken plant. Things were looking up.
But his brother was soon transfered to Virginia
and the chicken plant closed down.
Unable to pay for his apartment alone, he moved
into a dumpster near the bus station to sleep.
But he continued to show up for his probation
meetings and pay his child support fees. In time,
a local agency bought him a bus ticket to Waco,
where Mission Waco opened a bed for him in
“My Brother’s Keeper” shelter. He attended the
nightly chapel services there and was invited to
attend a local church, where he was mentored
and helped to find a job at Long John Silvers.
He was then able to move into the transitional
program at MBK and successfully complete the
program in just four months. But again, it was
hard for Jerrold to pay his bills on such a small
wage and he hit the streets again, only to find
out a few weeks later that he had a brain tumor.
During the next seven weeks of chemo, he was
unable to pay his probation fee and was called
to court in Bell County. Mission Waco’s social
worker and attorney intervened and convinced
the court to delay any jail time. They helped
Jerrold find work at Caritas so he could pay his
probation costs. He was welcomed back into
the Mission Waco shelter and will reapply for
the Supportive Housing Program there so he
save money and get his basic needs met. Jerrold’s resilience and hopes are still alive. It’s a
long way back to self-sufficiency. He owns the
responsibilities of his decisions. Yet without the
assistance of at least nine caring individuals,
a church, several agencies and employers, he
would be just another statistic caught in the web
of despair with little hope of making it. There are
millions of folks across America just like Jerrold,
trying to overcome a myriad of challenges and
only able to do so with a hand up from people
like Jerrod, Bo, Dawn, Tim, Dylan, Kent, Sally,
and others who cared. “Thank you,” Jerrold
said. “Thank you.”
MISSION
WACO • WORLD
1315 N. 15th Street
Waco, TX 76707
& FAIR
TRADE
MARKET
World Cup Cafe
Saturday Nights
Wes & Emilie Cunningham kicked off
the weekly event with personal stories
that sparked the movie “Soronia”
Last June, Wes & Emilie Cunningham (pictured above) traveled only six blocks up
the street to rock the back room of the
World Cup Cafe with some great music
and neighborhood stories. The couple
moved into the old historic neighborhood
several years ago to escape the craziness
of the music world, to begin a family and
to make a difference. Captured in the film
Sironia, produced by Brandon Dickerson,
Wes’ story of being “chewed up and spit
out by the Hollywood music scene,” and
his subsequent search for something more
included the World Cup Cafe. But instead
of Sironia, Texas, it was really Waco.
continued...
Wes was hired by Jimmy Dorrell over ten
years ago to renovate the old corner building at the corner of the Jubilee Center on
N.15th St. and Colcord Ave. Ready to lay
down his guitar and work with his hands
for season, he helped design and coordinate the cafe, which has become a community-wide icon in “Near Northside.”
Voted #2 overall restaurant in the Waco
Tribune Herald Readers’ Choice poll, the
World Cup and Fair Trade Mkt has emerged
as an “Austin-like” cafe with high ratings on
Yelp! Urban Spoon, and Travel Advisor. The
back room was remodeled several years
later for groups and to sell a huge array
of handcrafted items made by the world’s
poor through the “Fair Trade” principles.
Last June, Wes opened the first music
night of the Saturday night event, complete with a new menu. Musicians have
included Dick Gimble, Nigel Yarborough,
Evan Klaras & Bob Scott, and others. Entertainment is free from 5:30-8:00pm. No
reservations are needed, though groups of
six or more can hold their place by calling
254.757.1748 in advance. (Note: Food, but
no musicians on Jubilee Theatre performance nights or Baylor football games.)
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 74
College Presidents
Join 10th Annual
“Walk for Homeless”
80 pairs of new shoes for homeless
Hundreds of “walkers” recently joined Mission Waco’s 1.2 mile educational/prayer
walk from the Meyer Center to six sites,
including Compassion Ministries, Caritas,
My Brother’s Keeper shelter, First Presbyterian Church, the V.A. Regional Center, and
Salvation Army. Academic presidents Judge
Ken Starr (Baylor), Johnette McKowan
(MCC) and Rob Wolaver (TSTC), all participated. Speakers at each stop described
their work among the poor and homeless.
The number of homeless in Waco has declined from 600 persons in 2005 to 255
counted in this year’s Point-in-Time count.