Who We Are

We want to see inner city families come to know Christ as Savior and move out of spiritual and physical poverty. We do this by demonstrating Jesus’ love and teaching his words in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

OUR HISTORY:

United Christian Ministries is a 501(c)(3 ) located in Hattiesburg, MS. UCM was founded in 2006 by Jack and Gayle Kennedy when they responded to a call to devote themselves full-time to ministering to low-income families in Hattiesburg. They founded United Christian Ministries to share the Gospel of Christ and to show His compassion to the less fortunate in very real and physical ways. Since then, UCM has grown to build partnerships with local churches and volunteers who host weekly Bible studies and build mentoring relationships with about 50 students each week.

Over the  years, Jack and Gayle ran Bible Clubs where they went into disadvantaged, high poverty neighborhoods to teach the Word of God. They realized a shortcoming of this model was that they did not get to really know the families, because their time with them was isolated and limited. Around 2006, God put it on Jack’s heart that he needed to move into their neighborhoods – not necessarily that he would move physically there, but that he would be in their homes and they would be in his home. They got to know the kids, built relationships with parents, and some even came to live in their home. They came to understand their specific challenges and aspirations, and started to minister to them as a family. Gayle and Jack were joined with other Believers who partnered with them to “come alongside” these families. UCM helped these families come to know Christ, engaged them in weekly Bible studies, and provided a way for the Christian community to meet their physical needs, helping them move forward in life. From that work,  United Christian Ministry activities grew and more children have been reached for Christ and given the support and tools to escape a cycle of poverty.

Our new school opening in August 2016 is another example of how God continues to grow our ministry. We seek to bring glory to Christ by meeting the spiritual and physical needs of families in our community. We ask that you pray for our ministry and consider coming alongside us.

Click here to learn about out: UCM Staff and Leadership