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What is Integrated Community Ministries
Integrated Community Ministries, Incorporated (ICM) is a non-profit service organization. ICM was incorporated in May 2000 to serve the people of McCreary and surrounding counties in eastern Kentucky and Tennessee. We are committed to a Christian service approach in our understanding of God and in our relationships with mankind. ICM is an "umbrella" agency for the Community Distribution Center and the Heritage Learning Center.
We believe that people must first meet the most basic of human needs such as needs for food, clothing and shelter before they can reach their full potential as citizens and as neighbors in the community of Christ. This is why we founded the West McCreary Community Center which supplies food, clothing and building supplies to needy families in the area.
McCreary County currently has an unemployment rate of 11.2% making it the county with the highest rate of unemployment in the state. Nearly half of Kentucky's children live in families with incomes 200 percent of the federal poverty level or below. (1990 Census). According to the Consolidated Planning Program for McCreary County schools, 87% of the children in this area live in poverty.
Understanding the impact of poverty on the families in the region, we also saw a great need for better life skills and improved education. We were blessed to build the Heritage Learning Center which houses a computer library with DSL internet access, a small book library, a community center and a classroom. To date, we have had five adults to earn their GED. Also, there is a small playground area and a basketball court for the youth in the community.
There is no park, no theater and no bowling alley. These things are taken for granted in most communities. The needs are great here and the resources are few. Our area, though small, is not immune to the common evils such as drug abuse, domestic violence and alcoholism. Our ministry will address these issues on an individual basis and offer assistance with both their physical and their spiritual needs.
Christ in His earthly ministry often looked to the physical needs of people before He looked to their spiritual needs. We saw this when He fed the hungry and when He healed the sick. Someone once said the greatest message we would ever preach would be the example of our life. We believe that is true. Once people know you care for them, they are more willing to follow your example. We want them to see Christ in our example and to seek Him for their own.
First, Community Outreach (or as we call it --- front porch ministry) is essential in introducing people to Christian example. We have been blessed to help meet the physical needs in the area since late in 1999 when we first opened the doors to the West McCreary Community Center. We now have a new Distribution Center up and running. Neighbors once again have access to needed clothing and other household supplies. With the help of Hills and Hollers Ministry, we were able to see the project to fruition and to assist the children with school supplies for the new school year. This all in an effort to minister to our "neighbor's" physical needs.
Second, we will focus on Training and Equipping people. One of the newest programs to be offered at the Center is a Youth Ministry. The group meets weekly. The young people are being exposed to the example of Christ and are being taught the relationship between choices and consequences. In an area plagued with drug abuse, poverty and domestic violence, we want to present the young people with a positive viable choice for their futures.
We strive to meet the social needs in a variety of ways. We offer various activities from computer and GED classes to music-in-round and Bible School for the children. We will also offer discipleship programs throughout the year to meet the spiritual needs of the believers. We will learn together about the giving of time and talents to help ourselves and others, we will encourage involvement in a ministry or church, and we will learn about the mission of giving, going and sending.
Third, we will focus on worship and winning people to Christ. We were blessed this year to participate in 3 Bible School programs at the Learning Center. We saw both children and adults participate in the programs---Many who were not "church going" people. By bringing church to the people, we have been able to reach many families that otherwise would not have heard the good news.
We will be proactive in teaching the word of God through regularly scheduled Bible schools and other study programs at the Learning Center. We will strive to unify people of diverse backgrounds and to identify the calling and gifting of every believer and provide specific, balanced and innovative training which enables each to fulfill God's purpose in his or her life.
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