At HOPEtown, we aim to
minister with those in need in
the same way Jesus did it.

We don't minister TO the margins, but instead we deliberately stake out the margins so that we can minister FROM the margins.

Because we are ALL in need.

Because doing GOOD
is never BAD.

Because doing RIGHT
is never WRONG.

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About Us

HOPEtown is a 501(c)(3) Christian non-profit organization devoted to ministering with those in need in Lewisburg, Tennessee and the surrounding area. We are not a church, nor are we the ministry of any particular church. This is by design. Quite deliberately, we are both non-denominational and interdenominational as part of our effort to transcend and even dismantle barriers so that we can serve and partner with the entire community. Close partnerships include several different churches, businesses, civic organizations; and numerous individuals in the community.

Through a variety of continuously expanding programs, we minister with those in need of food, clothing, hygiene items, rent & utility assistance, home maintenance & repair, counseling, worship, Bible teaching, spiritual mentoring, and assistance with homelessness. Additionally, we provide summer nutrition and enrichment for children, and we also are grateful to provide safe shelter and aid for victims of homelessness and domestic violence. Meeting unmet needs is always what we aim to do, and we pray that God will enable and equip us to add additional programs as the need demands.

DOING GOOD IS NEVER BAD. DOING RIGHT IS NEVER WRONG.

This is the fundamental philosophy behind everything we do .

We believe this is the natural conclusion drawn from what Jesus both taught and lived. He taught us to do for others what we would want done for us...to give, without expectation of repayment, to those with no ability to repay. And instead of keeping His distance and merely ministering TO the poor and sick and sinful and forgotten---those living on the margins of society---He chose to minister FROM the margins, having Himself grown up in a poor family in a backwater town (Nazareth) in a rural region (Galilee) that also was the site of most of His own ministry. This prophetic approach to ministry, foretold by the Hebrew prophet Isaiah 750 years earlier, didn't exactly make Jesus popular with the religious leaders of His day, but He wasn't focused on popularity or prestige. He didn't need to justify His work by receiving the stamp of approval from the establishment. He simply did what was good and right, and never once was it---or was He--bad or wrong. He was the living Word of God, and He still is and forever will be. It is our aim at HOPEtown to honor Jesus by walking in His steps. We deliberately occupy the margins because we believe it is from the margins that we are best situated to (1) minister to the marginalized, (2) sound God's prophetic call to the religious establishment, and (3) remain humble enough to confess our own needs so that we may be ministered to as well. HOPEtown is not a ministry TO people in need but instead is a ministry WITH people in need, for we all are needy as we stand before the God who, glory to His name, is able to fully meet our needs in the saving grace of His Son. May all we do always be in His name and to His glory.

OUR PROGRAMS

Harvest of Hope Food Pantry of Marshall County is our constantly maintained supply of non-perishable food items that we use to regularly assist those in need. These food items are almost entirely provided by local individuals, churches, businesses, schools, and civic organizations.

Martha's Closet is our clothing ministry. We receive innumerable clothing donations and then organize them and place them in our Martha's Closet store, in which those in need may shop at no charge for whatever clothing needs they and their family may have.

Jericho Road, which owes its name to a detail in Jesus’ timeless parable of the Good Samaritan, is the program in which we provide rent/utility/medication assistance for local residents in need. In 2020 this total exceeded $20,000.

Project 9:58 is our homelessness ministry. We offer a warm-up shelter in the winter through our partnership with First Presbyterian Church and also offer assistance in locating and paying for housing. A new transitional housing component of this ministry, called HOPEhouse, will be getting its start with an exciting real estate purchase we made in April 2021.

Hands of Hope is a grassroots, volunteer-led program focused on providing cost-free home maintenance and repair for elderly or disabled persons who do not possess the financial means and physical ability to perform the needed work themselves.

Table 4.12 is the name of our meal delivery program for seniors and disabled persons. Every Wednesday we deliver a hot meal and critical grocery and hygiene items to several dozen persons who have limited health, transportation, or financial ability.

The Well is our weekly outreach event on Saturday evenings. At 4 pm we have an open gym time for kids (we provide adult supervision). At 5 pm we have a time of fellowship and worship led by our Executive Director and by a rotating cast of volunteers from several different churches. During this time we also offer (1) children's classes taught by dedicated and skilled volunteer teachers and (2) a hot and delicious meal to every person present.

Bright Ideas is our summer and after-school children's program. From 8 am-noon on summer Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, we provide food in addition to educational, spiritual, and character enrichment for 1st grade-6th grade children. The after-school component of this program is offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the school year from 3:30-5:30 pm. As in all our programs, there is no cost to the children or their families.

Our Director

Frank Sullivan

Executive Director

Our historic hub

The historic Connelly School, which has served as a high school, junior high school, and middle school, dates back to 1929. It ceased its school functions more than twenty years ago, and its cafeteria, kitchen, locker rooms, mezzanine, gymnasium, and athletic field now serve as the hub of our work in Lewisburg. Sitting near the center of the largest and most impoverished neighborhood in the city, its location and history make it an ideal site from which to reach out to those in need in our community. We realize that it's not the prettiest or most state-of-the-art spot in town, but it serves God's purpose in our ministry and serves it well. We also realize that some would say the building's best days are behind it, but we don't see it that way at all. As we see it, our facility's marginal condition and reimagined purpose enable it to serve as an ideal metaphor for the work God is doing in us and with us at HOPEtown. We believe that means its best days are now and that even better days are yet to come!
Our historic hub

Upcoming Events

15 May

Game Night with Small Town Games

22 May

The Well

DONATIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

$50

Donation Amount

Contact Us

  • 330 North 5th Avenue, Lewisburg, TN, USA
  • Lewisburg, Tennessee 37091
  •  931-993-7791
  •  hopetownlewisburg@gmail.com
  •  Closed on Sundays. Open on Mondays by appointment only. Tuesday-Thursday 9 am-5 pm. Friday 9 am-2 pm. Saturday 12-7 pm. Please call us at any time if your need is a dire emergency.