Spiritual & Leadership Development

Men's Bible Study | Various times throughout the year
Men from our neighborhood meet weekly to be discipled and to learn more about the Bible by simply reading God's Word together and dialoguing about it's meaning and how it applies to their lives. Relationships are built and friendships are made. NOTE: We are seeking to offer more opportunities for Biblical discipleship. Would you like to help? Contact Terry.

Leadership in Community Events | Various times throughout the year
Several seasonal events are held in the Oasis neighborhood that require volunteers from both inside and outside of the community. Helping to plan, promote and carry out such events provides experience in working with people, being responsible, following through with tasks, and establishing a sense of pride. It also plants the seeds for relationships to develop and grow through working and playing together!

Easter Egg Hunt | April 9, 2009 from 2-5pm
Neighborhood children are invited to come to an outdoor massive egg hunt and celebration that includes carnival-like games, candy and lots of fun! We need lots of egg hiders and helpers. Contact Karen.

Back to School Drive | August 2009
Each Fall we organize a school-supply and uniform drive to be given to those in our schools who would otherwise be unable to come to school prepared. Contact Brenda.

Fall Festival | October 2009
As a kick-off to the new season, local residents assist in throwing a Fall party on the lawn with games, barbeque and great music. It's a beautiful time of year to get out and enjoy the weather and get to know the neighborhood residents in this fun, casual atmosphere. The more the merrier! Click here for more details. Contact Karen.

Thanksgiving Feast Baskets | November 2009
Providing a delicious Thanksgiving feast by helping to gather and assemble holiday baskets for a family who wouldn't be able to afford one is incredibly rewarding! Join us! We want you to know how awesome it feels to give in this way! Contact Tom.

Education & Employment

GED Support Group | various times throughout the year
One of the most frequent requests we get is to offer classes to help adults achieve their GED. We have recently started a pilot-program and have enrolled our first group of students. We'd love to match up mentors with each student to provide encouragement, positive role modeling, and assistance as needed. Contact Terrice.

Job Search Assistance / Employment Referrals | ongoing
The next step after accomplishing the GED is to find a job. Increasing employment and wages is the best way to reduce poverty in our community. Do you own your own business, manage a department, work in human resources, specialize in a specific business function, or have connections in the business world? If you do and you have a heart for under-resourced adults, we would love to talk to you! The opportunity to help someone get and keep a job is exciting and honors Christ by helping someone in need. Help us connect our adults with good jobs! Contact Terrice.

Personal Finance Coaching | ongoing
We need adults who understand the basic concepts of personal finance to help address the areas of budgeting, debt reduction, savings, investing, and banking. This ministry is more about sitting down with people, developing relationships, and helping them with their basic financial practices than it is about higher level investing/banking. Don't be intimidated! If you can balance a checkbook and keep tabs on your own bills, you can assist others in doing the same. Contact Doug.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) | January-April 14, Tues 5:30-7pm & Sat 10am-1pm
Each year volunteers are trained to help neighborhood residents file their taxes at no charge. No accounting experience is necessary; we'll train you! This is a tangible and practical ministry that is greatly appreciated by those who take advantage of it. This past tax season we logged in 312 volunteer hours, helping more than 200 families and saved them more than $300,000 in credits and rebate incentives! Contact Doug.

Health Education | ongoing
Help improve the general health habits of community residents through education and awareness. Various outreaches are incorporated into our other programs (such as teaching healthy eating habits to our kids at the Bickford Community Center). We need your help to assist in developing this component of our ministry to a more comprehensive degree. Doctors, dentists, dieticians, nurses, or anyone in the health/medical field, we especially need you! Contact Meade.

Affordable Housing / Hope House & Bearwater Park | TBD
Boarded up and vacant homes become a magnet for drug and gang activity. We have a huge need for quality, affordable housing in our community that helps families transition from renters to owners in an empowering way and revitalizes the community. Come make a difference with us by assisting with building new homes and rehabbing dilapidated properties, or provide lunch for all the workers! There are things needing done for all ages and skill levels!   Contact Terrice.

Oasis Toy Store | Collections begin mid-November / Store opens in December
Deliver a joyful Christmas to families in need! Work side-by-side with the local residents we train and employ to run our toy store, or donate toys or money and you will surely bring smiles to many children. Parents get the joy of providing a Christmas for their families through the discounted name-brand toys. This volunteer opportunity will really get you in the holiday spirit and is a blast! Contact Tom.

Senior Citizen Assistance

Bickford Senior Citizen's Program | Monday-Friday 8:30am-1:00pm
Seniors' in our neighborhood are thriving with daily activities, programs and social services being offered at the Bickford Community Center! Men and women ages 60 and older gather each weekday to participate in the following:
— Free daily lunch at the Bickford Community Center
— Free transportation to/from the Bickford Community Center as well as doctor appointments
— Daily events such as: organized games, seminars pertaining to the elderly, ceramics, exercise classes, field trips, quilting, Bible studies, computer lab hours and more!
— Social services such as:  Assistance in applying for utility bill scholarships, tax help and winter weatherization of homes needing repair
If you have a heart for the elderly, come and join us!  You will surely be loved and appreciated!!  For more information, contact Jennifer.

Volunteer Training

Urban Plunge | Spring & Fall
Take a missions trip in your own backyard and immerse yourself in inner city Memphis! This is an unforgettable experience that will change the way you look at life and our city. Come and join us!

Justice Tour | June 2010
Take a three-day journey to Selma, Montgomery and Birmingham to walk the same path as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others walked in the late 50s and 60s during turbulent times in our country. Come and explore the history of another culture and see first-hand the historic Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, the Edmund Pettus Bridge and much more! Eli, Terry, Sharon and Di will escort you on this unforgettable journey. Cost is $150 to cover the hotel, transportation, entrance fees and a few meals. Contact Sharon and say ‘Count me In!'

OTHER

Knitting 4 Hope | 1st Tuesday of the month from 4:30-7:00pm / Room 104 at Hope Presbyterian Church
Are you interested in using your knitting skills for a great cause?  If so, join other knitters in their goal of making 114 blankets to be given to the new tenants at the Bearwater Creek Apartements that are being renovated!  Each blanket will be delivered with a special word of encouragement or a Bible verse attached.  Watch the Knitting 4 Hope website to see how many blankets have already been completed!

The Lord has given you gifts, talents and abilities. Oasis of Hope almost certainly needs help in any area you might think to offer. Please be creative and contact us about how you feel the Lord wants to use you.

If you would like to investigate the possibility of working in any of the above ministry opportunities, please feel free to contact us for more information. Also, if you have a new idea for a potential program, let us know! Please fill out our Volunteer Application Form and we'll get you started on your way to making a difference in North Memphis!!