Memphis- multi-cultural DNA

6/9

We arrived in Memphis with the trip odometer reading 2870 miles.

After many nights staying primarily with families, it was good to be back in what felt a little bit like a dorm. Our host for the night were four college aged guys who were current or past participants in a discipleship program called Downline Ministries. They lived together in a house located in the Bing Hampton district of Memphis and were also in some capacity associated with Fellowship Memphis an intentionally multi-cultural church located in the community.

Upon arrival, we cleaned off the road grime and then went out for some Memphis BBQ with Richard and Justin, two guys from the house. They shared about their experiences going through the Downline discipleship program. While their stories were different, it was clear that God had used the program to impact their lives not only to foster growth in their charecter but also to develop a desire to make the great commision a constant part of their lives.

Later, we went on a tour of the city. Memphis has a deep history of racial tension. It was used by Harriet Tubman as a hub along the underground railroad and was also the setting to the assasination of Dr. King. These roots result in a tension that seems to be ingrained into the city. Fellowship Memphis is working to break down these walls and the church's leadership has taken on the difficult but they believe necessary task of doing multi-cultural church . Check out their explination of the church's DNA here.

Alex and I left for Texas early in the morning with full tanks thanks to a generous gift by one of our new friends in the house.