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United Ministries Announces Program Closure, New Focus on Economic Mobility, Housing Stability, and Homeless Services

News
United Ministries Announces Program Closure, New Focus on Economic Mobility, Housing Stability, and Homeless Services 54-year-Old Organization Enters New Phase of Clarity and Focus   GREENVILLE, S.C. (July 8th, 2024) – After thorough analysis and evaluation, United Ministries’ leadership team and Board of Directors have determined that the organization will no longer administer Adult Education…
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Meet Kelyn, Summer Intern

News
Good morning, afternoon, or evening! My name is Kelyn Bayne. I am a rising senior at Mauldin High School and an intern for United Ministries this summer. Alongside my obsession with Ted Lasso, I am passionate about government and mental health. I grew up in Clarksville, Tennessee until my parents moved to Greenville to plant…
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Meet Katie, Summer Intern

News
Hello! My name is Katie Barnes, I am 17 years old. I attend Southside High school (Go Tigers!) where I will be a rising senior and am currently an intern at United Ministries. Throughout my 3 years of high school, I’ve participated in both varsity volleyball and cheer. This year I participated in FCA which…
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Meet our intern Glenda

Blog
Hi! My name is Glenda McKnight, and I am serving as an intern here at United Ministries. I am a Senior Social Work student at Limestone University where I will be graduating this  December. I believe that United Ministries is the perfect fit to complete my internship because I love the idea of helping individuals…
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Meet our intern Megan

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My name is Megan Emmert, and I have been interning at United Ministries for about 5 weeks now. Before starting, I was looking for a place where I could learn about the shadows of society, and be part of something that made a meaningful difference in people’s lives. Helping out here has completely exceeded my…
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Meet our intern Jennifer

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My name is Jennifer Centa and I am from Greenville, South Carolina. I just graduated from Mauldin High School and will be heading to Yale University this fall!  Just from a few weeks interning and shadowing at the various programs UM offers, I have learned so much about the housing crisis in Greenville. The lack of affordable housing, whether…
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Meet our intern Stephanie

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My name is Stephanie Trame, and I am from Saint Joseph, a small town in central Illinois. I go to school at Furman University where I am a rising junior studying Communication Studies and English. I have always been very interested in the non-profit world and I wanted to intern at United Ministries because they…
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Meet our intern Rishita

Blog
Hi! I’m Rishita Tikkala and I am a senior in the International Baccalaureate program at Southside High School.  After I graduate high school, I plan to attend college and pursue a career in medicine.   I moved to Greenville when I was 9 years old and immediately loved how kind the people around me were, and…
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Uniting for Change: Justice & Grace Needs Shared By All

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“Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.” This Bryan Stevenson quote should resonate with every human – none of us wants to be defined by the worst thing we’ve done, because we have all done harm. We have hurt people we love. We haven’t been honest. We have looked out…
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Uniting for Change: A Call To Embody The Spirit Of Passion For Meaningful Change

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 The Community Remembrance Project of Greenville County (CRP) was born in 2019 as part of the broad-based community work being done by Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) in Montgomery, AL. The CRP is a coalition of organizations and individuals that champions transformative change through education and restorative truth-telling.  We collaborate with EJI to bring light…
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Bootless Straps – Tom Petty, Furman Intern

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“Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” That is a common phrase meant to define American ingenuity and perseverance in the face of challenges. To better yourself, you’ve got to toughen up and work for it. This is the prevailing philosophy amongst a lot of Americans when it comes to wealth. We look fondly on those…
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Knowing Bryan Stevenson’s Work

Blog
by Tom Petty, Furman Student Intern Bryan Stevenson, the keynote speaker at United Ministries’ UFC Luncheon this year, founded EJI (Equal Justice Initiative) with several goals. The organization is “committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Lizzie Bebber

50th Anniversary, Mission Advancement
You may know Lizzie Bebber as United Ministries’ patient and thoughtful new Executive Director: a person who goes the extra mile to get things done. While this is certainly true now, this attitude of service towards her community is one that was molded from a young age. Her passion for helping others “started as a…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Kreg Kimmons

50th Anniversary, Participant Stories
After experiencing his own demons in life, Kreg Kimmons is now on the path of giving “hope to the hopeless,” since he knows what it’s like to be hopeless himself. Kreg has had “25 years in the restaurant business,” a monetarily successful time when he became reliant on drugs and alcohol. This lifestyle eventually led…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Rufus Perry

50th Anniversary, Adult Education, Volunteers
Rufus Everette Perry is a modern-day Renaissance Man. He has a passion for travel and dining as well as helping others in a variety of ways. This is seen in his 25-year career commitment to corporate and career training at Greenville Tech, as well as the volunteerism he devoted himself to after he retired. Considering…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: JoKeitha Seabrook

50th Anniversary
JoKeitha Seabrook is “a server of people,” a role that she has incorporated into her professional life. She has been working at the United Way of Greenville County (UWGC) for 9 years, after working in both banking and for the local government. Recently, she has stepped into the position of Associate Vice President of Community…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Bob Dillon

50th Anniversary, Board of Directors
Bob Dillon migrated to Greenville from Pennsylvania in 1971 with the textile business opportunities South Carolina offered. Making a living with a textile company, he also held a passion to become immersed with his new community. He found that “Leadership Greenville and Leadership SC were great ways to learn more about the local environment.” Just…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Deb Richardson-Moore

50th Anniversary
Reverend Deb Richardson-Moore believed that “God was calling [her] into ministry” when she left her 27-year career as a reporter to get her Master of Divinity. There, she became “just mesmerized” by the Bible and got connected to more faith-based organizations in the Greenville area, including being on the Board of Directors at United Ministries.…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Shenita Frazier

50th Anniversary, Adult Education, Integrated Services, Participant Stories, Participant Stories - Adult Education
Before Shenita Frazier committed her life to the Lord, she had attempted to stick to United Ministries’ Adult Education (AE) program three times. Shenita had quit high school in 12th grade when she “turned to drugs and had become rebellious.” She attributes this to have had a “hard life with little motivation, [but it led…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Laura Stout

50th Anniversary, News
Laura Stout, the current Missions Coordinator for First Baptist Church (FBC) Greenville, “grew up valuing community service” in Greenville. She volunteered at FBC when young and later involved in the Volunteer Service Corps at Wake Forest University, demonstrating her love of “being exposed to other people and ideas.” Her desire to help others led her…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Gary Barnhart

50th Anniversary, News, Volunteers
Gary Barnhart, a volunteer at United Ministries of three years, recently tutored a woman working towards getting her GED. This woman was nicer than imaginable and came to the Adult Education program to study “day after day after day.” The woman was also homeless during this time. After seeing how many barriers she had due…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Linda Satterfield

50th Anniversary, News, Volunteers
Linda Satterfield, a volunteer of 20 years at United Ministries’ (UM) Emergency Assistance program, keeps coming back to help year after year because she feels the “commitment to the community and individuals who need to be served.” She also stresses that she thoroughly enjoys the tasks she embraces here, from packing groceries to interviewing participants…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Dawn Dowden

50th Anniversary, Affordable Housing, News
Many in the Greenville community may know Dawn Dowden as the faithful Chief Operating Officer of Homes of Hope. Fewer know of the moving journey that helped lead her to the successful position that she’s in today. Twelve years ago, Dawn and her family experienced a costly health crisis that led to homelessness for her…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Susan McLarty

50th Anniversary, Affordable Housing, News
Susan McLarty, the coordinator of the Greenville Homeless Alliance (GHA), found her voice and her role in advocacy through her church community. Susan personally connected with Tony McDade, the retired United Ministries (UM) Executive Director, when he was in charge of GAIHN. Susan helped Tony expand the role of Westminster Presbyterian Church from being a…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Tina Bryant

50th Anniversary, Adult Education, News
Tina Bryant could hardly remember a time when her life wasn’t consumed by drugs. Under their spell, she found it difficult to care about anything else–certainly not her education. She recalls that she would often walk in the front door of her high school and head straight out the back to get high. Not surprisingly,…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Frances Poe

50th Anniversary, News
“United Ministries is a long novel with different chapters along the way.” Those are the words of Frances Poe, the current chair of United Ministries’ Board of Directors. Frances was connected to our organization at a young age, without even realizing it. As a Greenville native, she took part in the Walk for the Homeless…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Davida Bryant

50th Anniversary, Emergency Assistance, News
Davida Bryant began her time at United Ministries as an intern for various programs. She mostly worked as a receptionist during that time, which gave her the opportunity to learn about the many facets of United Ministries and to talk one-on-one with everyone from new participants to long-time board members. When the position opened in…
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Greetings from Lizzie and Tony

News, UM Staff
Dear friends, For 50 years, United Ministries has been meeting the needs of individuals and families in our community. While the programs have evolved over time, the focus has been the same – meeting people where they are and walking with them to get to where they want to go. This work is not easy.…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Debbie Cooper

50th Anniversary, News
So many aspects of life change when you have a child. Debbie Cooper, United Ministries’ (UM) board member of 4 years, says that her career ambitions completely changed while raising her first child. After working in a for-profit business for years, her perspective altered as she realized that she “wanted to make a difference in…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Hannah Ennis

50th Anniversary, Adult Education, News, UM Staff
Have you ever had an incident stick in your mind so sharply that it alters how you see your career? Hannah Ennis, United Ministries’ Student Resource Specialist, had such a moment. Before joining United Ministries’ team, she was on a mission trip in Louisiana. There, her group walked past and largely ignored an older, untidy-looking…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Beth Templeton

50th Anniversary, News, UM Staff
We all know that person who seems to be involved in everything and has you wondering if they ever sleep. Reverend Beth Templeton, who was Executive Director at United Ministries for 24 years, is such a person. Before her career at United Ministries, Beth went to Erskine Theological Seminary thinking she would work at a…
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50 Stories for 50 Years: Brooke Wilkinson

50th Anniversary, Emergency Assistance, Employment Readiness, Matched Savings Program, News, Participant Stories
Brooke Wilkinson joined Employment Readiness in the summer of 2017.  She was working, but after having completed a rehab program in 2015 for a methamphetamine addiction, Brooke needed a job that would better sup port her recovery.  Brooke worked with her employment counselor to practice interview questions, update her resume, and craft a cover letter.…
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