Services for Churches - Grants Ministry
Loving Ministry Thrives in Arlington
Arlington Urban Ministries is among the hundreds of deserving agencies that benefited from our grants program. This guiding light mission opens its doors to anyone in need, extending Christ’s hope and God’s grace. It’s an agency the Foundation has acknowledged and willingly supported in the past and finds great satisfaction in serving again.
Because of its fruitful work, the Foundation recognizes Arlington Urban Ministries as a strong mission consistently providing services to people in crisis situations since it formed in 1997. As an extended arm of United Methodist churches in Arlington, programs developed by AUM include The Laundromat Ministry, Sidewalk Sunday School, and Living in the USA. The Laundromat Ministry is a vital program carrying the gospel into surrounding neighborhoods on Sunday afternoons by visiting local self-service laundries. Sidewalk Sunday School is a new ministry held for children on Saturday mornings at an apartment complex. Children learn about the Bible through games, puppet shows and stories. Living in the USA, a program currently being revitalized, teaches citizenship, basic life skills and English to non-English speaking families in the community.
But Arlington Urban Ministries hasn’t stopped there. Realizing the critical needs addressed by AUM required more funding, the agency moved proactively to open a resale shop. Nu2U Resale Store, stocked entirely with donated goods ranging from gently used household articles to truckloads of diapers and formula, maintains very low overhead which translates into additional funds for ministry.
“Financially, it’s been a Godsend,” said AUM Mission Manager Sandra Fry. “We’re earning $5,000 a month we can use to further our ministry and we’re able to send our clients over for items they really need at no cost. They appreciate it as much as we do.”
Obtaining an additional grant from the Foundation has allowed AUM to expand its hours, extend the work schedules of several employees and hire an assistant manager. With increased staff and extended hours, AUM sees more clients than ever and provides additional financial assistance to the individuals and families they currently serve. Part of the increased financial capacity came in the form of supplementary grant money obtained from TXU Electric. Without additional staffing, the TXU grant proposal would still be on AUM’s “to do” list, along with several other pending requests for funding.
“It’s just wonderful to be able to apply for these additional funds. This particular grant gives us the ability to help at least 200 more people a year with their TXU electric bills. We also just received a federal grant for $26,000 for capacity building. We’ll be able to build a database and revamp our records management systems, something we wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise,” Fry added.
AUM has also expanded its services to the homeless recently by providing cold drinking water on their front porch free of charge. While staying hydrated is something easily taken for granted, this service is meeting another critical need in the community. In addition, AUM will offer complimentary sack lunches to the homeless once a month this summer as a way to make contact with those who may need additional assistance or referrals to other social service agencies.
With donated Bibles available to one and all, and the underlying support of local United Methodist congregations, clients served by Arlington Urban Ministries are quietly reminded of the love and acceptance of God. Fry added, “So many people come to us in crisis we even offer prayer when it seems appropriate. We never force it on anyone, but there’s no doubt that the people we serve see through us that we’re here to do God’s work in the community.”
Partners in Ministry