What We Do

Who We Serve

We work primarily with low-income, disadvantaged families in the Hattiesburg area. Most of our families receive some form of support through welfare, food stamps, housing vouchers, and Medicaid. Many are working mothers, but cannot make it on their limited income. If we work with 100 children, one or two may have a biological dad at home. These families face low-paying jobs, limited opportunities for education, life in high-crime areas of town, and unsafe subsidized housing. In many cases, they do not have the resources, support, or skills to move forward in life. That is where we come in.

How We Serve

We believe our role is to meet both the spiritual and physical needs of children, families, and “youth in transition” in the Hattiesburg area. We do this work in a variety of ways through partnering with local churches and believers. Volunteers form a basic part of our ministry and activities.

What We Do

Bible Clubs

  • Most of the children and youth that we work with are initially met at our neighborhood Bible Clubs. This is a great tool for meeting kids where they live, teaching them the Bible and Scripture memory, and seeing if they really want to be discipled. Once we find a teachable youth, we will often work with them for many years after that. Some youth we have worked with all the way through college, into adulthood, and hopefully for the rest of their lives. Some we invite into our homes to live with us or with one of our volunteers for a year or so.

  • Jesus said: “Go and make disciples of all nations (neighborhoods), baptizing…and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you…” 

Scripture Memory Program

  • We work with children and families through scripture memory and Bible study with an emphasis on walking in God’s ways and obeying God’s wonderful words. One of our main tools is the ABC’s of Walking in God’s Ways, which most of the individuals we work with have memorized. The ABC’s Scripture memory booklet includes a Bible verse for every letter in the alphabet, twenty-six verses in all. This helps our kids store God’s word in their minds and in their hearts for years to come.

  • Psalm 119:11 (NKJV) Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

Mentoring & Individual Support

  • What is unique about UCM is that we often go into the community looking for kids that we can work with who want to memorize scripture, are teachable, respect authority, and want to work with us. We don’t just have people come to us. We actually meet and select the kids who show these characteristics. We stick with them as they grow up and do whatever we can to help meet the needs they have in life—medical help, getting glasses, getting a driver’s license, getting a car, getting into college, getting a job, etc. It’s very similar to raising your own children. If there is a need that they have preventing them from moving forward in life, we provide that, or we try to help meet that need if their parents are not able to.

  • James 1:27 (KJV) Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Work Days & Learning New Skills

  • We like to get our kids working on some weekends to help them learn some new skills, such as gardening, how to correctly wash a car, etc. We want them to understand that they need to put in an hour’s work for an hour’s pay. We also have skills classes to teach them how to cook, etc.

  • Ephesians 4:28 (NKJV) Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 

Mercy Ministry

  • So many of the families that we work with, even with their low-income jobs, often do not have enough money to meet their basic needs, such as: buying school uniforms, paying the light bill, buying enough gasoline to get to work, paying the rent bill, paying their car note (if they have a car), and the list goes on. So many also have no support system, no family member who can help them in their time of need. They simply lose their car since they cannot pay this month’s car note, lose their job since they do not have enough gasoline to get to and from work, receive an eviction notice that they and their children will have to move out of their apartment, are told that their lights are about to be turned off, etc. This is where we come in. If this is one of the so often single moms with children that we are working with, and who is trying to make it on her low-income pay, we will almost always step in to help with this need. Yes, we often give away a lot of money to help the low-income families that we serve.

  • 1 John 3:16-17 (NKJV)     By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 
    But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

Christmas Present Distribution

  • For Christmas, we collect and distribute Christmas presents for our kids. We work with local churches and their membership in providing and distributing these presents through an “angel tree” type of activity. We try to get each child two gifts.

  • Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV) For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Bible Study Publications

  • UCM develops and publishes most of its own Scripture Memory and Bible study publications that are written specifically for our students. These Bible studies are available free of charge for you to download and use. They are located under the Resources page. We encourage you to look at them and feel free to use them for your own family devotion time with your children and for any of your church activities, including a Sunday School or Wednesday evening program, etc.

  • 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 

Saturday Lunch & Bible Study

  • On Saturday, we meet with our youth and some adults for a time of sharing a meal, normally pizza, cookies and brownies, chips, and lemonade. Then we divide up into groups of older youth, children, and adults as we feed on God’s word. We so appreciate the adults who come out faithfully on Saturday to help us with this activity. Our volunteers make this and so many of our activities a reality.
  •  
    1 Peter 2:2 (KJV) As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

Fun & Fellowship on Friday Nights

  • A lot of our kids don’t have a good activity to be involved with on the weekends, so we started a Fun & Fellowship time where our kids can come to a local church or the house of a partner to play games, have a meal, make friends, and have a time of devotion. This is a special, fun activity for our kids, and oftentimes they are not able to come to a Christian home with an intact family and relationships that they may never have seen before.

  • Due to a lack of volunteers, we are not able to keep this activity going at this time, but we would love to start it up again, and the kids really love it.

  • Psalms 118:24 (NKJV) This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Connections Program

  • This is our main discipleship activity where we are teaching kids God’s word and helping them to understand and walk in God’s ways. In this model, we hold weekly meetings with our kids where we meet with them one-on-one (one or two teachers per one or two students) and study the Bible and how it applies to our lives. We seek to “Connect” our students to God and to other Christians. Our volunteers often work with a child for many years, watching them grow up while developing a relationship that allows for mentoring and support over the long haul. We are relationally oriented; we select kids that want to learn, take correction, and are teachable. Churches that have worked with us include Temple Baptist Church, First Presbyterian Church of Hattiesburg, Heritage Church, Woodland Presbyterian Church, and others.

    We have had to put this activity on hold due to a lack of churches and volunteers who want to meet with our kids weekly to disciple them and who are able to transport them to and from the church.

    For information about starting a program in your own church or getting involved in an existing connections group, contact us.

  • Acts 2:42 (KJV) And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.