420 Courtland St. NE , Atlanta • 30308 • 404-873-7450
Crossroads Community Ministry (CCM) serves the newly homeless and the homeless who are physically and emotionally disabled. With professional staff and volunteers, its program strives to build supportive relationships with the homeless men, women, and children it serves and through education and knowledge resources empower them to move from dependency to economic self-sufficiency and personal fulfillment.
Lunch is served Monday through Saturday to 250-300 homeless individuals. The ministry provides these same people an orientation to homeless resources and guidance to obtain a Georgia ID, without which one cannot obtain employment or public assistance. CCM’s address provides guests with a mail site that they can use as their own while they are served there. It is difficult to apply for work without an address.
CCM provides counseling and acts as a referral source for services needed by guests. Also, Bible study and a worship service take place every Saturday morning. This ministry began in the mid-1970s as the St. Luke’s Community Kitchen Ministries. Its emphasis was on feeding the homeless.
Our Associate Pastor Nath Briley was called to join the ministry in 1996 and help implement additional services under the new title, Crossroads Community Ministry. Among other things, he instituted Bible study and a weekly worship service, enlarged the resource network and expanded case management for homeless guests.
The CCM staff includes six full-time and four part-time individuals, and it relies heavily on interns and volunteers. Regional seminaries assign students as part of their outreach curriculum.
The annual budget is $430,000 and is raised from individuals, foundations, churches, and government grants. DPC contributes $1500.
CCM tries to meet its guests’ needs. Many people need a simple boost; others need much love and care. Opportunities to serve include work in the soup kitchen and the homeless mail room, serving as a counselor in the Help Office, helping with administration, supplying computer expertise, and assisting with breakfast, Bible study and worship on Saturday morning. Other than Saturday morning need is greatest from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. , Monday through Friday. Only the number of available volunteers and amount of financial resource limit the homeless numbers served. This is a life-changing ministry.
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