Thankful For An Amazing Summer!

Volunteer group from Glenkirk Church in Glendora, California

We would be remiss to let the summer end and to make ourselves busy with our plans for the fall without looking back on everything that God did through his hands and feet here at Christian Service Mission.  God sent us over a thousand volunteers during June and July and we put them all to work!  As a volunteer driven ministry, we have accepted God's call for us to steward the resources with which he has blessed us.  

Summer camp at New Rising Star

Our most valuable resource is the thousands of volunteers that come to us from all over our city and all over our country.  CSM is a Gospel-centered, volunteer driven and relationship oriented ministry that seeks to build the Kingdom of Christ here in the city of Birmingham.  This summer, we were blessed with so many opportunities to invest in the lives of our interns, our ministry partners and our volunteers.  Several of those opportunities came in the form of kids' camps, where our volunteers worked with local students (kindergarten through 8th grade) to further their education in math, reading, science, technology and scripture memory!  

We also worked with several community gardens to continue our initiative to produce healthy food for communities through our gardens and our cooking programs. Our housing ministry continues to work closely with homeowners all over Birmingham to build healthier homes and families through the restoration of houses in our partnering communities. Our volunteers worked all summer-long to advance CSM's relationships with our homeowners and communities.

Youth group from 6th Avenue Baptist Church pitching in
to help prepare the CSM gardens

And as always, our ministry center ("The Warehouse") was well taken care of by our volunteers as well.  Group after group came through to help us in our warehouse to sort, count, catalog and distribute resources to our communities of need through our local partners.  As CSM continues to stand in the gap to connect resources with needs, we know that we would not have near the ability or impact without our supporting Church family! Thank you to everyone who has volunteered with us this summer to help advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our city and to our partners around the globe!

 
A taste of summer at CSM:

Volunteers helping us with Summers Camps:

New Rising Star Summer Camp

True Vine Summer Camp

CSM Garden Center Volunteers:

Young gardeners ready to learn from summer gardening expert,
Tony (horticulture intern from Clemson)

Garden volunteers here all the way from California!

... and Tennessee! Franklin UMC Youth Group

Trinity UMC

Volunteers working in the CSM warehouse:

6th Ave Baptist

Aldersgate UMC

Bells Baptist, TN

Franklin UMC, TN

Haiti and Trinity UMC

Alabama Governor's Class

This list will give you an idea of how many groups were here from out of town (usually for a week at a time) and volunteering from around our city. A HUGE appreciation goes to Michael Bowen for his leadership and awesome management of these volunteer groups from around the country to make such a huge impact on our city!

Michael casting a vision for community development with summer volunteers

Out-of-Town (242 volunteers)

Boones Creek Christian Church (Johnson City, TN)

First Christian Church (Johnson City, TN)

Grace United Methodist Church (Napersville, IL)

Aldersgate United Methodist Church (Slidell, LA)

Glenkirk Church (Glendora, CA)

Bells First Baptist Church (Bells, TN)

First United Methodist Church of Franklin (Franklin, TN)

Poplar Ridge Christian Church (Piney Flats, TN)

First United Methodist Church of Cullman (Cullman, AL)

Church at Sandhurst (Florence, SC)

Local (610 volunteers)

Trinity United Methodist Church

Redeemer Community Church

Love Fellowship Christian Center

6th Avenue Baptist Church

Cornerstone Middle School

Junior Master Gardeners

BigTime Ministries

Samford Alabama Governor’s Class

United Ability

Riverchase Church of Christ

Church of the Highlands

Faith Presbyterian Church

Cahaba Park Presbyterian Church

The Church at Ross Bridge

Riverchase United Methodist Church

Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church

America’s First Federal Credit Union

Hillsboro School

Projects Included…

Housing – painting, roofing, siding, caulking & repair

Gardens – planting, harvesting, weeding, fertilizing, decorating, composting

Partners – kids’ camps, landscaping, thrift store, dormitory, painting, cleaning, demolition, outreach events, food packing & distribution

Schools – cleaning & school supply packing/delivery

Ministry Center – donation sorting, painting, demolition, landscaping, food distribution, diaper bundling, cleaning

Summer send-off for Michael and Jamie from interns, Caitlin and Corey

A Note From Tracy Hipps: Real Numbers (41.35.8.60)

Tracy Hipps, CSM Executive Director

As long as I can remember, numbers and dates are very significant to me. I remember special dates and reflect with God on their significance to my journey with Him. And, wow, I never thought I would see these numbers together. It has now been 41 years since I confessed Jesus as Lord in the home in which I grew up. In the same place where I had experienced deep hurt and confusion as a child, I received my Lord at 19 years of age. That was a day I have never regretted or forgotten.

It was 35 years ago that I began this journey into missions and trusting the Lord for my path and direction. This journey has taken me to Chicago and Birmingham, serving in four different ministries, always moving forward in this journey of serving the Lord, called to serve the inner city with the Gospel of Christ, remaining in the center of His will.

I know the Lord led me to CSM 8 years ago to serve our city in Gospel ministry through the building of bridges of reconciliation: the body of Christ (the churches) working together to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our Lord. This journey has increased the Gospel presence and effectiveness in Birmingham and throughout the country as people have come to serve with CSM. God said He would build His Church, and we have partnered with Him to do just that in our partnerships and relationships here in Birmingham.

On September 8, 2018, I will be 60 years old… a point in time where we join AARP (HA!). I will celebrate these special times by doing some amazing things. This year I am taking a 10-day journey of reflection. On day one I will spend time with Richard, who I discipled as Jr. High/ High school student and with whom I have reconciled after 47 years. On day two, I will be with college friends in full time ministry in Indiana. The third day, I will be with a ministry couple I have know for over 30 years in who are also in the disciple-making ministry. And then I will spend a few days in Chicago, with my wife Mary Jo, where we spent our first years in ministry. I will see friends like Ralph, Andrew, Richard, Pedro, Zackary, Brian, Tonisha, Sandra, Beatrice and many others with whom I have walked for many years. It is all about the people we know, love and invest our lives in. The fruit of our lives is reflected in our family, friends and disciples for 41 years of living for Christ, 35 years of serving Christ, 8 years of serving Him at CSM and 60 years of life here in God’s creation.    

I am thankful for these 60 years and the opportunity God has given me to serve His people.

“For we are God’s Masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus, to do good work which he preordained for for us.” Ephesians 2:10

Amazing Provision Makes CSM Accessible To All!

Tracy and CSM staff pleased to inaugurate the new lift on our front dock

Christian Service Mission has a beautiful community of volunteers, ranging from children all the way to an eighty+ gentleman who comes every week to take care of our plants, take out the trash, and refill our water cooler. Many of the volunteers who come have limited physical abilities and access into our warehouse has been difficult. We are truly fortunate to have so many people who care about CSM and we wanted to find a way to make getting into and out of our building easier for those serving here. Derek Gann, owner of 101 Mobility, heard our prayers and donated a lift! Our older volunteers are loving using the lift and our weekly volunteers from Vestavia's School to Work program and United Ability will have a much easier time getting into our building. We are so thankful for this great gift and incredible provision to assist our volunteers and visitors!

Derek and Ashley Gann,
101 Mobility Alabama owners

Owner, Derek Gann, is a Georgia native who is proud to call Birmingham “home.” Derek and Ashley are parents to two young children and were drawn to the Magic City for its family-centered community and excellent schools. Derek decided to open a 101 Mobility location in Alabama in hopes of bringing independence and mobility to individuals and families across the Heart of Dixie.

Birmingham Christian Family Magazine interviewed Derek Gann for this month’s issue and graciously gave us permission to reprint the article for our CSM family. Derek's answers provide a peek behind the curtain to see what drives the Gann family to allow God to use them to serve others in our community.

Q. How does your faith impact the way you run your business?
A. Simply put, our faith drives us. Each day we remind ourselves that all that we do on this side of eternity should all point to the greatness of Jesus. Even leading up to the decision to become business owners, every day was filled with prayer. We asked for wisdom, discernment and direction. Ashley and I feel that God has led us to right where we are and we must be faithful stewards of what we’ve been given. We think the greatest leader of all time is Jesus and we try daily to replicate those traits. Our faith doesn’t mean our business is void of difficult decisions or tough calls, but our faith guides us and reassures us of our purpose. We strongly believe that you have to have vision and our vision is to love our customers well, build strong community relationships, and provide top-notch service. These goals are all predicated on our faith and our hope to be a glimmer of light in what can be a dimmer time in one’s life.

Our regular volunteers have a much easier time
navigating the entrance to our offices now!

Q. What is the most rewarding aspect of the business to you?
A. No question, the most rewarding aspect of our business is being able to give someone a new lease on life. No one wants to wake up and discover they can no longer walk up their stairs or get around their house like they used to. So, when 101 Mobility can design a plan, unique to your needs, that gives you that freedom and independence back, it fills our heart and reminds us that each time a job is done, we’ve left one life a little better. The greatest gifts in life are truly the ones we give, not the ones we get. We are blessed to provide mobility devices that give back joy, that give back freedom, that give back hope. The stories we hear from the customers we serve can often leave tears in our own eyes, so being able to restore something that has been lost is the greatest reward of all.

Used by permission. Birmingham Christian Family Magazine, August 2018


This platform lift from 101 Mobility is capable of carrying nearly any person, with or without a wheelchair or powerchair. It employs an ACME screw drive motor system, which delivers precise and jerk-free movement while ascending and descending. Learn more at www.Alabama.101Mobility.com or call 205-538-5692.

Aaron and the S.W.A.T Team worked alongside YouthBuild
to prepare the concrete foundation for the lift

A huge thanks to Derek Gann for meeting this huge need!

Helping Get Kids Back To School

Willie on the fork lift

Last week, Willie cranked up the fork lift and our truck to deliver 7,395 pounds of school supplies, water and snacks to New Rising Star Church for their annual Back-To-School Anointing Service. We strategically assist NRS in any way we can to support their Gospel-driven and holistic community development ministry that is intentionally moving in multiple, strategic ways to create lasting change for the East side of Birmingham. Every year at this time, we partner with Pastor Beavers to provide critically needed school supplies to 500 kids in the East Lake community.

FITS socks donated

This year, we were also able to provide FITS® Socks for the kids. FITS® is a premium sock brand resulting from the collaboration of third and fourth generation textile manufacturers who are committed to American-made products and supporting ministries on the ground. Bob Yoe, the Birmingham, Alabama-based owner of FITS Technologies, is the great grandson of Braxton Bragg Comer who built Avondale Mills in Birmingham, one of the largest textile operations in the world at the time. Bob says, “A good sock is nothing less than a finely tuned machine.” We are so thankful for the donations made to CSM by FITS® so that we can be a blessing to the communities we serve.

Pastor Beavers praying over and pouring into the East Lake community