Committed to the City
At Emerald Youth, one of our founding scriptures is Isaiah 61, which talks about the renewal of places that have seen more than their fair share of devastation. We are grateful that because of God’s continued faithfulness to our ministry through you — our donors, volunteers, and prayer partners — we are seeing that renewal firsthand in the heart of Knoxville.
Engaging in urban ministry can be difficult in the best of circumstances, and the pandemic only exacerbated much of what we already knew about the challenges our friends and neighbors face daily in under-resourced neighborhoods.
However, the pandemic also presented us with incredible opportunities to come alongside hundreds and hundreds of city families and walk with them through this season.
At no time since the pandemic began has Emerald Youth ever stopped serving young people.
Sure, things may have looked a little differently as we went from in-person gatherings to Zoom small groups or tutoring opportunities, but our staff continued engaging families in new and creative ways.
Here are a few examples of what that has looked like over the past several months:
We met practical needs such as household cleaning supplies, gas cards, and groceries.
We assisted families in obtaining technology or internet connectivity to complete their schoolwork, and academic support and tutoring so they didn’t get behind.
We have been able to connect parents of our young people with new jobs when theirs went away.
We have served as a resource connector to let the families we engage with know of programs helping with rent and utility assistance.
And we’re now preparing to host our annual Christmas Store that will serve more than 400 children and their families this holiday season. All of this happens because of your continued prayer and financial support, and for that, I’m grateful.
Thank you for helping us ensure that every child, in every neighborhood, has a full life (John 10:10).
Steve Diggs
President & CEO
Emerald Youth Foundation