SUMMER ❂ 2021
Newsletter
Breaking the poverty cycle through relationship, resources, and education.
ProjectConnectNashville.org
g n i r e w s n A l l a C s ’ d o G
“Families are like branches on a tree. We grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one.” — African Proverb 2020 was a difficult year for so many people; but if I’m honest 2021 has been more difficult for me. It’s been a rollercoaster ride of emotions for Michelle and me as we knew that God was calling us away from our friends that we have loved so dearly during our time at Project Connect Nashville. We are truly excited to answer God’s calling to South Africa, and our kids are excited too – praise God! We know there will be many tears as we will miss you dearly, but as the African Proverb above says, “our roots remain as one.” PCN contains our DNA so we will forever be in the heart of it even as our family branch is extending outward reaching for the sun and for the opportunity to bear new fruit in a new place. When Michelle and I started this organization 8 years ago, many church leaders and nonprofit experts said, “what you are wanting to do is impossible.” And they were right… but for God and for you. It was never truly our vision. It was God’s vision. Our job was to be faithful in carrying it out. It was our collective job to nurture it and to use the experiences that God had given us up to that point to press on. And we all did. God sent you, our volunteers, our donors, our staff, and our board to make sure this vision happened. I want you to know how deeply loved Michelle and I have felt by you and your willingness to pour your skills and talents, your time, and your resources into a vision that to many seemed “impossible.” Today, many people say that this ministry model is the model of the future. How does it feel to have been a part of that journey? I hope it’s been rewarding and has given you hope and understanding in what God can do when we work together. It’s done that for our family. Friends are already asking, “how can you leave NOW when PCN is at its pinnacle of success?” Simple: YOU. This organization was never about the Murdock Family. This organization was always about the Church. It was about people loving people using their benevolence to pull the brokenhearted into a healthy, Christ-centered relationship. We can leave because 3 years ago, I knew God was calling
me to something that I still couldn’t put my finger on, so we began to focus on equipping our staff as leaders. We are excited to see Zach Bevill step into the role of Interim Director, and we are confident that God has provided a staff and board that will continue to lead PCN through this decade. Will there be rocky moments? Well, there always have been so, yes. Are they so awesome that they don’t need you? No. More than ever, you are needed to come and walk alongside this beautiful ministry of hope and stability. We have always needed you. In fact, without you this ministry does not function. It’s in the design. For the Murdock Family, we will be doing Next Steps ministry of multiplication; connecting nonprofits and churches using many of the principles we’ve learned and developed over the years. We will be empowering others to serve in unique and sustainable ways and we will be learning from others. All I know is that God said, “it’s time.” And likewise, it’s time for you to determine how you can minister alongside PCN in even a bigger way to the men, women, and children we hold in such high regard. Will you continue to be a part of this journey? Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that we can do this because we are created in God’s wonderful design to do good works for His glory. Just a few last thoughts: 1. We’d love to stay in contact with you. Visit and sign up for our blog site OikosIntl.org to follow along on this new journey. 2. Pray for us! 3. We expect to be coming back to the US in 3 years, God willing. We’ve said this hundreds of times, so for one last time —
Get connected! Love, Alan, Michelle, Lily and Ruby Murdock
Kipp and Barbara have been friends of PCN since the beginning, and they both graduated with Madison’s 25th Work Life class!
Barbara’s PCN Journey
Kipp’s PCN Journey
By Stephanie Law
By Stephanie Law
When Barbara first met Grant Croley and Alan Murdock, she was welcomed to PCN with open arms. A graduate of multiple Work Life Classes, Barbara struggled to complete the course the first time around because she had never learned the truth about God. “I’ve known God quite a bit of my life,” she said. “It’s just accepting God as part of my life that was difficult.”
Kipp’s journey with PCN has been a long one but since asking Jesus to walk in relationship with him this year, he has found a place of healing and higher ground. Kipp’s growth in God has been an inspiration to his teachers and classmates, and we could not be prouder of him!
After battling substance abuse for several years and the tragic death of her mother in 2018, Barbara felt that it was the right time to start taking classes at PCN. She has completed Faith & Finance, the Story of God and Work Life. Each class provided her with supportive relationships and practical teaching that ultimately made her thankful for the hard times. Those experiences helped her to fully witness the joys that come with following God. “Now I believe in God, and I believe He can heal,” said Barbara.
Kipp started the first ever Work Life class held at PCN but had trouble completing it because of his struggle with substance abuse. He went on to start the course 3 other times, and he recently completed the last of those--our Madison location’s 25th class. When asked what was different this time, Kipp said, “My relationship with God. To feel his presence, and the people he put in my life was always one of the best for me. Even though I messed up time and time again, they still care about me and give me motivation and inspire me to want to do better because they know I can do better.”
The past few years have brought new joys and challenges for Barbara. “I still wasn’t ready for a job because I hadn’t worked all my life,” she admits, laughing about the memory of the first job PCN helped her find. “Someone put me to washing dishes and I was thinking, huh?”
He is now over 5 months sober, just got his driver’s license, and was baptized! With his new determination, an extensive educational background, and experience as an electrician and a construction worker, he has found multiple small jobs to make ends meet until he lands a solid living-wage position.
Now, Barbara feels the Lord working within her daily. She’s been a star employee at Kroger for over three years and recently earned a promotion. The inner work done by Barbara and the presence of God’s grace has not gone unnoticed. Barbara’s boss acknowledges positive growth in her attitude and willingness to be a team player.
Even as Kipp sees a promising job on the horizon, he plans to stay connected with Project Connect. “Relationships are key,” he says. “We were not made to be alone.” This is one of the most important things he has learned at PCN. Trusting other people has been hard for him, but he says, “You still have to trust in others. Just pray about it. Stay focused on what God has planned for you because he does have a plan for you.”
Grant Croley: PCN’s First Certified Volunteer Work Life Facilitator By Adrianne Gott
Grant Croley first heard about the Work Life program at Project Connect Nashville in 2017 when he was nearing retirement. It wasn’t long until he wholeheartedly committed himself to supporting this ministry with his time and talents by becoming PCN’s first certified volunteer Work Life facilitator. Since then, he has completed 20 series of classes. “Be ready for anything,” says Grant, whose motto for teaching the Work Life class is to be gentle, have patience, and to create a nonjudgmental environment. As a Work Life Facilitator, Grant invests in one-on-one time with students so that they feel comfortable and gain the most that they can from the experience. He believes that working with a diverse group of people, with many different backgrounds, requires an understanding that “there is brokenness in each one of us. That’s why we must support one another.” “Building our relationship with God, ourselves, others and the world are our main principles in Work Life,” explains Grant. Upon completion of each course, Grant and his students realize they have grown together both socially and spiritually. Staying connected through other PCN classes is encouraged and Grant enjoys seeing how perspectives change when students stick with the program. Besides teaching in the Work Life classes, Grant also enjoys volunteering for special projects for the Madison location of PCN and assists with the sound board for worship services on Sunday evenings.
Partnering With Chalmers Since the early years of PCN, we have used training and curriculum offered by The Chalmers Center at the core of our ministry. We have witnessed their Work Life and Faith & Finances classes change hundreds of perspectives as students and volunteers make connections between their faith, their relationships, and their work and financial habits. Recently, we have partnered with The Chalmers Center and are excited to be able to offer our very own Work Life facilitator training! These classes will be taught by experienced PCN facilitators. Contact your location’s volunteer coordinator for more information!
Woodbine
Summer Fun & Fellowship This summer, our Woodbine staff teamed up with The Church at Woodbine to host a week of Day Camp for kids in the community. 50 kids came and heard about Jesus and His overflowing love for them. They also had loads of fun—especially, that 4th and 5th grade class that was led by our very own Steph Carlson and Hannah Kehrer! Community Cookouts have also been a splash at our Woodbine location this summer! With a waterslide for the kids, a misty fan for the adults, and snow cones for everyone, this fun time of fellowship has been a valuable place of connection for neighbors, volunteers, and staff. We are so grateful to all of you for making these moments possible!
North Nashville
Moving Forward in North Nashville By Barb Smith What a difference a year has made! For weeks after a tornado struck North Nashville in March 2020, the entire area near 1813 Knowles Street was without power, scattered with fallen trees and power lines, and covered with tarps on damaged roofs. It was a devastating blow to an already struggling community, but it sparked the beginning of a year of dramatic growth and partnerships. “God has provided partners from so many churches and organizations to accomplish His Kingdom work in our community,” said Ella Clay, PCN Program Manager for the North Nashville Campus at this address. “Hundreds of volunteers have demonstrated the love of Christ through generosity and compassion and it’s making such a difference.” One of those works of love was helping us renovate our new office that offers space for PCN to a place to call our home, make it comfortable, and practice hospitality. In early August, with the help of a faithful volunteer crew, our North Nashville staff moved into the totally renovated building, affectionately called the White House Resource Center. It sits next door to the Historic First Community Church where Ella also serves as Pastor. The White House has been owned by the HFCC since 1995 and had been used as a residential/rental property until it was vacated and in need of repair after the 2020 tornado. For the past year, it has
undergone a complete renovation including a new roof, all new flooring, painted interior walls and trim, lifted ceilings, and electrical and HVAC upgrades – much of which was done by volunteer teams and contractors. The 1300sq.ft. White House features a reception area, a hot food delivery and processing area, a food pantry and supply center, and offices for the PCN staff. Clients can sign up for counseling and educational programs such as Faith and Finance, Trauma Healing, Story of God, and Boundaries, all of which take place in classrooms right next door in the church building, starting this fall on Sunday evenings, September 26 - November 7. “Another exciting feature is the large kitchen which includes a full commercial refrigeration system and freezers and enough room for counseling and demonstrations so that our clients can be instructed in healthy cooking and food choices that will help them fight disease and improve nutrition habits,” said Ella. A recent partnership with the Congregational Health and Education Network out of Meharry Medical Center will enable PCN to counsel clients about their nutrition to achieve long-term health improvements. Fresh produce is also harvested from a large community garden in the back yard which flourishes under the care of dedicated volunteers.
If you stop by Knowles Street on a weekday, you’re likely to see Quanita meticulously organizing the store house of supplies for those in need while cheerfully greeting and serving those who walk up for assistance. You might find Randy, a volunteer gardener who cultivates and harvests the backyard garden. Nataly might be helping a volunteer check in or working with Katherine and Sid, volunteer drivers, as they load dozens of hot lunches in their cars to be delivered to those who can’t pick them up. Each day, 225 lunches (sponsored by a generous donor) are prepared by Mercy Chefs and delivered to the White House for distribution to families in the neighborhood.
Ella’s purple office is warm and inviting
The pantry area has plenty of space for dry and canned goods and supplies
Commercial refrigerators and freezers allow us to stock meats, vegetables, and dairy products
“The expanding partnership with our Historic First Community Church and Project Connect Nashville couldn’t have come at a more important time in the life of our city,” said Ella. “This new expanded facility will enable PCN North Nashville to meet the physical, spiritual, educational and emotional needs of many more families.” And people are noticing! “As the work of HFCC and PCN has become more visible in this area, referrals have increased from new partners such as the MNPD and the Sherriff’s Department and the Nashville Dream Center and many others, all of whom are supportive of the vital, ongoing, relationship-based ministries happening here,” said Ella. “It’s been a sweet and positive spin to see how the relationship between the local police and some of the neediest residents in our community has improved in the past year because of the outreach of PCN and our partners in these neighborhoods.” This dynamic and ever-expanding ministry in North Nashville depends on the generosity and support of many individual volunteers and local church groups. According to Quanita, there is always a need for non-perishable foods, paper towels and bath tissue, as well as volunteers to help with food delivery, pantry stocking, and packing of supply bags. For more details about how you can get involved, visit our “Get Connected” tab on our website!
Project Connect Nashville PO Box 295 Madison, TN 37116
SHARE THE HOPE, GIVE TODAY! Open to read encouraging stories of God’s work at PCN! Explore ways to get connected at ProjectConnectNashville.org!
Dear Friends of PCN, Change is often bittersweet. For us, God’s calling on Alan and Michelle to serve in Cape Town, South Africa is just that - bittersweet. We will miss them considerably but are thrilled about what God is going to do through them in South Africa. Please pray for the Murdock family as they follow God in obedience to His direction for their lives. Because of you, the PCN journey is far from complete. In fact, wonderful things are happening as the work of PCN continues to grow and to deepen its roots in relationship with those in need of reconciliation, restoration, and hope. We are excited to announce that God has made a way for PCN to purchase the Madison Center property where thousands of lives have walked through as volunteers and clients of PCN and experienced longterm transformation. We are grateful to folks, like you, who are generously supporting this purchase. We will be sharing more about this amazing opportunity in the coming months. Stay tuned…
The PCN Board and staff remain devoted to multiplying the impact of the mission and vision of PCN. We look forward to continuing to walk with you doing the work that God called us to do in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. There is much life-changing work to be done. God is so good to PCN and to the families that we serve. As we work, we prayerfully and excitedly watch to see what He is up to next. We are confident that He will continue to bless the good work that He began seven years ago through PCN. Grateful to serve,
Leilani Boulware Chair of the Board | Project Connect Nashville
Thank you to our contributing photographers Robert Price, Jessica McIntosh Photography, Amber Speigner, and Jamie Arthur!