Metropolitan Ministries, Chattanooga

Today, our urban ministry class visited Metropolitan Ministries in downtown Chattanooga. Metropolitan Ministries is an organization dedicated to homelessness prevention -- helping people pay that one electric bill or rent payment that's separating them from a life on the street. MetMin, as it's known for short, is a Jubilee Center of the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee. (From the diocesan website, to be designated as a Jubliee Center "is to be recognized as a special outreach ministry. Each Jubilee Center is engaged in mission and ministry with the poor and the oppressed, and each center must demonstrate four major aspects of Jubilee Ministry: advocacy, empowerment, evangelism and outreach.")

Becky Whelchel (far right) accepts certificate designating MetMin as a Jubilee Center of the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee. Image from MetMin MySpace page.

Our class arrived at MetMin on an off-time, when there were no clients present. Rebecca (Becky) Whelchel, the organization's executive director and one full-time employee (pictured above, far right), met us at the door with a beaming smile on her face.

"Hello! Welcome!" she said warmly, smiling brightly and looking each one of us directly in the eye, repeating our names back to us. "Tracy. Wonderful. So good to meet you!" she said, with genuine enthusiasm.

She escorted us into a small conference room, where there were M&Ms ("We always have to have M&Ms around -- You know, Metropolitan Ministries -- MM!" she said.) and pretzels on a table, which was nicely arranged with handouts for each one of us at every seat.

After we'd all gotten a cup of coffee or tea from the small, closet-sized kitchen adjacent to the conference room, Becky plopped herself down at the head of the table, her wispy blond hair spewing out in all directions from her loosely-pinned bun. She proceeded to talk to us about what Metropolitan Ministries is and the services they provide.

She and one part-time employee and around 30 regular volunteers run the place, which is open Monday through Wednesday to see clients. Becky said they are able to see around 30 clients a day. They used to be able to see 40 clients a day, but due to necessary budget cuts as a result of the economic downturn, they have had to limit the number of clients they can see and the number of hours they can be open. Their operating budget has decreased from over $300,000 a year to $270,000 -- and $140,000 of that amount goes to the electric company -- through their own utility bills as well as the bills they pay on behalf of their clients. Despite repeated attempts on MetMin's behalf to negotiate some kind of partnership with the electric company, the electric company has refused to work with MetMin. The company bases their reconnection fees on the customer's zip code, with those in poorer neighborhoods charged over four times as much for reconnection fees as those in richer neighborhoods. If someone can't pay their electric bill, how are they expected to pay a $250 reconnection fee?

Image from MetMin website

At the same time that their ability to provide help has decreased, the need in the area has increased. MetMin is the only organization left in their neighborhood providing service to the nearly-homeless; other organizations have been forced to close their doors as a result of the economy. MetMin sees clients on a first-come, first-served basis, so Becky said people begin lining up at 2:30 a.m. outside the office in order to secure their spot in line when the doors open at 8:30 a.m.

Image from Times Free Press.

Each client is met with a volunteer who sits with them, one-on-one, to identify needs and to match up ways MetMin can help. In addition to help with electric bills and other financial assistance, MetMin has a small food pantry and provides assistance with prescription medications, with filing disability claims, with legal consultations, and much more. In addition, MetMin offers occasional "Dog Days," when local veterinarians volunteer their time to care for homeless people's pets. The Chattanooga Times Free Press ran an article on "Dog Days" in May 2010, which you can read here.

Overall, our first outing was very inspiring and yet discouraging. The work that Becky and the volunteers at MetMin are doing is wonderful, but the need is so overwhelming, and the unwillingness of other organizations like the electric company to work with them in addressing the need was very discouraging. However, Becky's presence and positive spirit even in the midst of the difficulties were very inspiring.

"Y'all, I love what I do," she said with deep passion. "I can't imagine doing anything else."

Urban Ministry

This semester, I am taking an elective course at Sewanee called "City Faith: Urban Ministry Experience." Every Friday, our class of twelve or so seminary students will travel to Chattanooga or Nashville (the closest urban centers to Sewanee) to visit urban ministry sites and to talk with people who are engaged in ministry in those places.

This class -- and the professor who teaches it, The Rev. Dr. Susanna Metz -- are a big part of why I chose Sewanee for my seminary education. I met Susanna at a community lunch during the weekend I visited Sewanee and was excited to meet someone who "gets it" in terms of ministry to the marginalized. Susanna is very involved in various ministries to homeless people in Chattanooga, and as anyone who knows me or has been reading this blog will have figured out, my calling to the priesthood emerged out of my involvement with an outdoor church for the homeless in Cambridge.

Having already done a master's degree in religion and also having studied religion as an undergraduate, I was looking for a seminary that would give me practical knowledge and skills, not just head knowledge. I was sick of sitting around TALKING about ministry; I wanted to get out there and DO something. This class is a model of that -- as Susanna said during our first class meeting of the semester (at the seminary) today, sometimes it's important to get out of the classroom and off "the Mountain" and actually SEE stuff.

One of our assignments for this class is to keep a journal of reflections on our experiences each week. I plan to use the vehicle of this blog to keep track of my reflections and to also share them with a wider audience than just myself and my class. So, stay tuned for updates and examples of wonderful ways to be "downtown church."