To learn more of contact Beth directly, please visit our website at www.United-Ministries.org

   I am on vacation this week, but I pulled myself away from taped episodes of “Revenge” to attend a GED graduation held by our friends at United Ministries. They had given me the honor of introducing Max.  

  Max was a hard-core regular at Triune for many years. By hardcore, I mean nobody on our staff could get through to him. He was an alcoholic and a brawler. He came in every weekend with fresh breaks and fresh bruises and an indignant story to go along with them.

  But I liked Max’s honesty. He owned up to his problem drinking, which inevitably led to an explosion of his pent-up anger.   “You’re better than this,” I told him on more than one occasion, as he shrugged, thanked us for the meal and left the dining hall.

  Every once in awhile, Max would disappear for months at a time, and I’d hold out hope that he was doing better. But inevitably, he’d return with an explanation of jail time or a hospital stay.

   Then last summer he disappeared again. On a visit to the Greenville Rescue Mission, I ran into him. He was clean and clear-eyed and told me he’d been sober for eight months. He also told me he needed to stay away from Triune, because he would run into too many of his drinking buddies there.

  ”I understand completely,” I told him. “We’re always glad to see you, but you’re making a wise decision.”

   He did, however, return for worship. That’s how he happened to be in the congregation on the Sunday morning that John Baker of GreenvilleWorks spoke about job training. John brought in an old-fashioned chalk board and drew a graph of how good jobs were available in Greenville’s transportation industry — but only to those who could build upon a foundation of sobriety and education.

  Max rushed to meet with John afterward. Within days, he was enrolled in United Ministries’ GED program. He stopped by the church a few more times — to bring us a Christmas card, then to search our dress clothes closet for a suitable outfit to wear when automotive executives met their trainees for lunch.  

   At the graduation ceremony, I looked with awe at the nearly 200 cap-and-gowned grads, young and old, male and female, multi-hued. I took note of how many of our agency friends were a part of Max’s recovery — Miracle Hill’s Rescue Mission, United Ministries, Greenville Tech, GreenvilleWorks, Buncombe Street UMC. “Thanks for not giving up on me,” Max whispered after his speech.

The same could be said for all of them. 

 Blessings,

 Deb Richardson-Moore 

Still, 2011 brought marked success for our participants and program in more ways than one.  We partnered with United Way, SHARE, and Greenville Literacy Association to sponsor WorkKeys to all of our GED students and Employment Readiness participants.  As a result, we welcomed a new staff member to our team, Loren Carr.  We continued to emphasize the importance of workplace readiness and needed career skills by strengthening the link between the Adult Education program and Employment Readiness. 

Since we began offering WorkKeys only five months ago, 169 individuals have earned a Career Readiness Certificate.  That means, 169 individuals can apply for jobs that otherwise would have been out of reach.    

Further helping secure employment, 9 of our graduates participated in job training programs sponsored by United Ministries, which varied from Certified Nursing Assistant to Forklift Operation.  These job training programs provided the students with very specific preparation and the certification needed for higher-paying, stable employment.

A successful year would not be complete without a graduation ceremony to acknowledge the hard work and efforts of our students.  Buncombe Street United Methodist, once again, generously offered their space as we celebrated two more graduation ceremonies.  The evenings were filled with joyous celebrations in front of packed audiences.            

In 2011, we also continued to see a young demographic with about half of our student body composed of individuals under the age of 24.  We enrolled 932 new students for a total student body of 1,833 individuals.  The year ended with 368 GED graduates.  And while we’re wildly excited about these accomplishments, more importantly, we’re even more thrilled by the relationships built, the stories that we shared, and the privilege to work with such a diverse, deserving group of people. 

Thank you for sharing in our students’ success!

Most Wednesday mornings, volunteer Susan Bracknell comes to talk with the people waiting in the Emergency Assistance lobby. They are here seeking rent or utility assistance. Susan chats with them one on one to find out what is the most important thing they have learned in life. Many refer to their faith and relationship with Jesus. Others talk about gratitude. Some mention phrases such as “Respect goes a long way” or “Look forward; don’t look backward.”

But on a recent Wednesday morning, something happened that filled Susan with wonder and joy. She had already spoken with a woman who was soon to become an ordained minister in her church. The next person Susan planned to speak with was noticeably  shaking. Susan gently touched the woman and asked if she were okay. She nodded her head so Susan asked her what she thought her most important life lesson was. Her response, “I’m glad to know that Jesus is alive. We have hope. I’ve done a lot and God’s kept me. I want to thank Him. We can’t do anything without Him.” She continued to shake. The soon-to-be minister moved closer and declared that she wanted to pray for the woman, if that was okay. She nodded.

Susan said the prayer was eloquent and full of healing language. When the minister said, “Amen,” Susan reported that she felt a flood of loving, positive energy…such as she had never experienced…run through her body. The shaking woman no longer shook and said, “When I called United Ministries I had no doubt that God was not going to show up for me. Let not your heart be troubled.” Susan knew in her heart that God indeed was present.

 ”And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good”  – 2 Thessalonians 3:13 (NIV)

I decided to go to seminary because I felt the “calling” of God in my life. I felt deeply within me that God wanted me to participate in His ministry while I was here on earth. I studied for years, learning everything I could from Church History, Hebrew culture, foreign languages, and memorizing bible Scriptures so I could be a better servant. However, the drawback to seminary is the spiritual drying out that it induces in everyone. Our study of God becomes very knowledge based and we begin to forget how it feels to just be kind and generous to those around us. We are too busy studying the Bible to actually act it out .After years of thinking I was destined to be a pastor, God put a new calling in my life. After graduating He put the calling of simply serving His children in the most basic of ways. He called me here to United Ministries.

What we do here is the Gospel in his most basic form. We are given daily opportunities to simply be kind to those in our community. Every day I am presented with an opportunity to hear the struggles of someone and then given a chance to respond. All of our programs are filling basic needs within our community.   Everyone here is a part of something greater. Our simple acts of kindness produce something more here. Yes, we help people get GED’s or help them pay bills, get a job, or perhaps end homelessness; but we are providing the community with something greater. We are providing our participants with Hope. Hope for a chance. Hope for a better Life. Hope for generational change. We actually get to be a part of this process. A simple act of kindness goes a long way here at United Ministries. The best part of working here is watching our volunteers participate in this as well. They are the driving force behind our success. Our programs could not accomplish their goals without them. Our volunteers come from different backgrounds, different beliefs, and they even have different goals. But these volunteers realize that they are a part of the bigger picture here in our community. They are actually participating in what I believe God has called us to do. God has been abundantly kind to us and simply calls us to do the same. Being a part of this is what my calling has become. What is your calling?

THANK YOU to everyone who helped make our work at United Ministries possible by contributing to this campaign. 

(Warning: You might need a tissue to watch this video!)

Thankfully, children view life in a more simple manner, and they don’t hesitate to tackle the seemingly insurmountable; At United Ministries, we’ve witnessed that a lot in the past few months.  Back in August we were blessed with a few small children who responded to a Facebook plea for help and filled our pantry with food items. 

Then came our annual Walk for the Homeless event.  The Buncombe Street United Methodist Church “Sprouts” (4th and 5th grade elementary students) literally led the pack, and their cute cheers easily earned them the “Most Spirited” award.  Their energy and enthusiasm was contagious!  Likewise, Bells Crossing Elementary supported the Walk for the Homeless with over 240 students participating in the 3.2 mile walk!  A ten-year old from a local church raised almost $400 just by asking his friends, family, and neighbors to support his Walk for the Homeless.

And just this week it has happened again.  Elementary students from a local church put together care packages for the homeless, which were not only filled with useful toiletry items, but were also hand decorated with drawings and encouraging notes from the kids.

We’re called to have ”faith like a child”, and we have the perfect example in the children supporting United Ministries.   No matter their size or age, kids are taking action and having a huge impact on the people who come through our doors for help.

The WorkKeys® Assessment System is a comprehensive system for measuring, communicating and improving the common skills required for success in the workplace.  The WorkKeys System can allow employers to identify individuals who have the basic skills required to be successful in a given position or career – specifically skills in reading, math, and locating information. There are four levels test-takers can earn – Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum

The WorkKeys Assessment System is quickly becoming the nationwide standard for measuring and communicating basic workplace skills. It is currently in use in all 50 states in the United States. The WorkKeys System was developed by ACT, Inc., the creators of the college entrance exam.

United Ministries will provide practice tests in all three foundational sections – Locating Information, Applied Mathematics, and Reading for Information – as well as access to WIN, a self-paced, self-directed computer program that helps to assess and improve skill levels.  Following the practice assessments and WIN practice, United Ministries will register students to take the WorkKeys assessment at One-Stop.  

Upstate Employer Partners that Recognize, Request or Require the Career Readiness Certificate

1. Ascend Performance Materials

2.AshlandPerformance Materials

3. Ashmore Brothers Inc.

4. Atlas Food Systems & Services, Inc.

5. B. P. Barber

6. Bon Secours St. Francis Health System

7. Bradshaw AutomotiveCos.

8. BWI

9.CannonMemorialHospital

10.CenterManufacturing SC

11. CeramTec N.A.

12. Champion Aerospace, LLC

13. Cliffstar Corporation

14. CMCSouth CarolinaSteel

15. CommunitySouth Bank & Trust

16. Confluence Watersports

17. Cooper Power Systems Inc.

18. Covidien

19. Cytec Carbon Fibers

20. Divatex Home Fashions

21. Dycos Staffing

22. Eastern Industrial

23. Entron Controls

24. Fabri-Kal

25. Fiberweb

26. First Citizens Bank

27. Fisher Barton SC, Inc

28. G E Aviation, US

29. GLEAMNS Human Resource Commission

30. Goodwill Industries of the Upstate

31. Grainger

32.GreenvilleChamber

33.GreenvilleCounty

34.GreenvilleCountyEMS

35. Greenville County Schools

36.GreenvilleHospitalSystem

37. Hartness International

38. Honeywell Aerospace

39. ISO Poly Films, Inc.

40. ITG Automotive Safety Products

41. Itron (Greenwood)

42. Itron (West Union)

43. Kaiser Aluminum

44. Komatsu America

45. KEMET

46. KS Gleitlager USA, Inc.

47. Magna Drive Automotive

48. Manpower, Inc.

49. Marketplace Staffing Services

50. Michelin, N.A.

51. Michelin Americas Research & Development Corp.

52. Morgan AM&T

53. Nestle USA, Inc.

54. Nutra Manufacturing, Inc.

55. Ortec, Inc.

56. Phillips Staffing

57. Piedmont Plastics

58.PiedmontTechnicalCollege

59. Pierburg, Inc.

60. Proterra

61. PSS Professional Staffing Solutions, LLC

62. Recruiting Solutions

63. Roy Metal Finishing Company

64. Ryder

65. School Dist. ofPickensCounty

66. Sealed Air

67. Self Regional Healthcare

68. Sodexo Healthcare Services@ Piedmont Medical Center

69. Southern Weaving Company

70. Standard Motor Products

71. TBMC, Inc.

72. Tesco, Inc.

73. The Blood Connection (Greenville)

74. The Blood Connection (Piedmont)

75. The C. F. Sauer Company

76. Treblig, Inc.

77. United Tool & Mold, Inc.

78. Woven Electronics