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FAQ about Memphis Union Mission

Does a person have to be a Christian in order to receive services?
Is Memphis Union Mission tied to any particular church or denomination?
Is Memphis Union Mission strictly a local organization?
How many staff does the Mission have?
What is the success rate of the people in your programs?
Why do you make chapel attendance mandatory for homeless people to eat?
Is that what Jesus would do?
Didn’t the Mission lose government funding over this issue?


Does a person have to be a Christian in order to receive services?
Memphis Union Mission does not withhold its services on the basis of race, religion, or any other factor.


Is Memphis Union Mission tied to any particular church or denomination?
Although Memphis Union Mission is a Christian organization, we are not tied to any one church or denomination. In fact, we enjoy support and involvement from a wide variety of congregations.


Is Memphis Union Mission strictly a local organization?
Yes. Like most rescue missions, Memphis Union Mission is autonomous and governed by a local Board of Directors. All funds received stay within Memphis and Shelby County.


How many staff does the Mission have?
Ministry-wide, Memphis Union Mission employs 27 individuals.


What is the success rate of the people in your programs?
Of the men who enter our 30-day Awareness Program, 79 percent graduate onto the long-term recovery program at Calvary Colony. And 59 percent of those men graduate from the recovery program. Of the women who enter Moriah House, 80 percent graduate from that program.


Why do you make chapel attendance mandatory for homeless people
to eat?
Asking our guests to sit through a brief chapel service before eating a free meal is not asking too much. Most service organizations in Memphis do not require a chapel service of any kind. Therefore, guests who object to our chapel services have other options available to them. Conversely, those who don’t object participate in the services without much reserve. In fact, our services are more vibrant and exciting than many local church services.

More importantly, we know that the chapel services have had an impact on so many lives. We can relate story after story of men and women who have received Christ and experienced a total transformation, and it all began in a typical chapel service.


Is that what Jesus would do?
A better question would be “What did Jesus do?” This question can be answered by reading Scripture, rather than by conjecture. In the Gospel of Matthew, we see that Jesus fed the multitudes after they had been with him for three whole days. We’re only asking our guests to be with us for 45 minutes!


Didn’t the Mission lose government funding over this issue?
At one time, Memphis Union Mission received USDA food subsidies. However, the Mission was disqualified from this program in August, 2000, when the USDA discovered that we make chapel attendance mandatory. The Mission has not changed its policy, and neither has the USDA. Ultimately, friends like you have made up the difference, so we are fine without the government’s help!