Extending Hope & Restoring Relationships: Brother Bryan Mission
“Men become homeless because they have run out of relationships not because they have run out of money,” says Brother Bryan Mission(BBM) Executive Director Jim Etheredge, citing a recent study conducted by Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University. It is with that understanding that the Mission helps homeless individuals in our community restore relationships. “We see miracles here of guys that reestablish relationships with family…We just start loving them and help them put the pieces of their lives back together,” says Etheredge adding that the Mission specifically does this through the New Life Fellowship (NLF) Program focused on residential recovery and job readiness. Graduates of the nine-month Christian recovery program also have the option to continue living in the Mission’s safe, Christian environment for up to two years as a part of the back to work program, Exodus.
The Mission is now better equipped to offer both these programs thanks to the completion of expanded kitchen and dining facilities as well as a renovated and much larger chapel area used for daily services. The expansion was made possible by the donated services of Grayson Construction as well as donations from the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, the S.E. Belcher Foundation, and Pace Runners, Inc. and individual donors. The Mission can now serve twice as many people at meal time and is expected to average 45,000 meals served this year. Plus, the old dining space has been renovated to provide more study space for residents. The next project is turning the old kitchen into laundry facilities so that residents can do their laundry in house. To help make this a reality and to support the ongoing expenses of the Mission, visit www.bbmission.com to donate on line or mail a contribution directly to the mission at P.O. Box 11254, Birmingham, 35202. Learn more at www.bbmission.com. †
