I can't hear the words "in the ghetto" without mimicking the King of Rock, Elvis Presley, who crooned the lament of a juvenile gunned down in the ghetto.In Memphis, more than 750,000 visitors a year plop down $27 (U.S.) to enter Elvis's Graceland mansion. They are hustled through the Jungle Room, the Meditation Garden (where Elvis's remains lie), the Automobile Museum, and by a wall where fans scribble messages to the "King." How commercialism turns mortals into idols! The National Civil Rights Museum is also in Memphis. It's built around the old, seedy Lorraine Motel, where another King—Martin Luther King—was shot on a tragic April day in 1968. 

The museum recreates epic moments in the civil rights struggle. Visitors can relive the agonizing choices that would either consign the ghetto to hopelessness, or offer a way out for the men and women who lived there.

Considering that this museum receives only one tenth of the crowds that visit Graceland, it would seem that music trumps morality. Despite this, King's voice still resounds: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

I've also discovered another kind of "Grace Land" that matters in Memphis—the Neighborhood Christian Centers (NCC).

For 25 years, Monroe and JoeAnn Ballard have carved an extraordinary ministry. First they hosted 76 foster children, then they started tutoring programs. Now they have developed a ministry that serves more than 150,000 people a year from their new $5 million (U.S.) administration building, five housing project sites, 75 affiliate sites, 20 youth ministry locations, two warehouses, and branch offices in three states—all on an annual budget of $2.4 million. Twenty-five full-time staff, 17 part-timers, and 850 volunteers make the program run.

As one of 210 official Compassionate Ministries Centers of the Church of the Nazarene in North America, the NCC fulfills its mission with verve: "To provide compassionate, Christ-centered ministry to the spiritual and practical needs of the city's poor."

NCC offers five thrusts: client needs, youth and education programs, counseling programs, community involvement, and family enrichment.

Under client needs, more than 100 million pounds of food have been distributed since 2001. Last year, 11,500 Christmas baskets were distributed along with used clothing and donated furniture. This ministry regularly offers utility assistance, emergency housing, and financial counseling.

The T.R.U.T.H. Seeker (Teens Reaching Understanding Through Him) after-school program inspires youth to discover the truth about God's Word and to share with others. YM3 is a multimedia ministry that produces videos for the Junior T.R.U.T.H. Seekers program. The NCC Arts Program trains young people to evangelize through original productions and camps. The tutoring program helps 200 young people study academics, Bible stories, and scripture memorization. The college assistance program gives scholarships and computers to 200 students. The foster care program has placed dozens of children into stable environments. Reaching out to married adults, LoveBuilders hosts activities and retreats to help 275 couples strengthen their marriages.

When JoeAnn is asked if the ministry helps the city of Memphis, she says, "The Bible states that 'the poor will always be with us.' I am convinced, however, they do not have to be the same people over and over again. Working with children from before birth until they graduate from college is the focus of NCC. We start while they are young and stick with them."

One of NCC's latest ventures is helping pastors in the "hood" who are committed to reaching lost souls. "Having a small vibrant church on a block where the poor can take ownership and leadership gives many a unique opportunity to exercise their gifts," JoeAnn says.

How sad that Elvis and Martin Luther King didn't live long enough to see this Nazarene couple speak and act with grace "in the ghetto?"

Fletcher L. Tink is an urban missions specialist who has conducted urban and leadership training in 25 nations. He may be contacted at {Tinkmetro@aol.com}.

Holiness Today, January/February 2005 

Please note: This article was originally published in 2005. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.