Oasis of Hope is a non-profit, community-based Christian organization that encourages life-on-life relationships that connect people across racial and socioeconomic boundaries. Our mission is to demonstrate Christ’s love to an under-resourced community in Memphis by elevating and improving the quality of neighborhood life through empowerment and partnerships.
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"Undefeated" Documentary Has Been Nominated For an Oscar!

So, what is Oasis' connection with she Manassas Football Team and the documentary Undefeated?  For years we have assisted Manassas High School in providing volunteer coaches, pre-game meals, fans in the stands, and conducted a pre-season training camp for the players where we not only hone their athletic skills, but their spiritual game as well!  Oasis' staff was highly involved in assisting the movie directors as they shot hours and hours of film of the team. Undefeated takes place in our ministry neighborhood and chronicles the Manassas Tigers’ 2009 football season, on and off-the-field, as they strive to win the first playoff game in the high school’s 110-year history. A perennial whipping boy, in recent decades Manassas had gone so far as to sell their home games to the highest bidder, but that all changed in the spring of 2004 when Bill Courtney, a former high school football coach turned lumber salesman, volunteered to lend a hand. When he arrived, the team consisted of 17 players, some timeworn equipment and a patch of grass masquerading as a practice field. Focusing more on winning young men than football games, the football program nevertheless began resurrecting itself and, in 2009, features the most talented team Manassas has ever fielded; a team that seems poised to end the playoff jinx that has plagued the school since time immemorial. A coming-of-age documentary film, Undefeated provides audiences an intimate view of an underprivileged group of teens and their inspirational coach, as they attempt to make history. This film features Montrail 'Money' Brown, O.C. Brown, Bill Courtney and Chavis Daniels and is set to open in Memphis Friday, March 2nd at select theatres.  Read what USA Today says about the film.  Read what the LA Times says about the film.

Manassas High School Receives $10,000 From Ellen

The Weinstein Company (TWC) recently announced that Grammy® Award-winning rapper/producer/actor/entrepreneur Sean Combs has signed on as an executive producer of the studio's new documentary UNDEFEATED, which has been nominated for the 2012 Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature. Combs will also be an executive producer on TWC's planned feature remake of UNDEFEATED in which he plans to hire actors to re-create the story of the Manassas Football Team.  Wow!

Plunge Right In (To Inner City Memphis)!

Space is limited; sign up now to attend the March 1-4 Urban Plunge!  This experience is a powerful mission trip to your own back yard to the inner city of Memphis during Urban Plunge. Learn about partnering ministries and what we are all collectively doing as a city to love on those who are less fortunate. Join Eli, Terry, Sharon and other staffers who will take you on a 4-day unforgettable experience where you will visit the National Civil Rights Museum, the Underground Railroad ('Slave Haven'), attend a panel discussion on racial reconciliation, visit various neighborhood ministries and participate in a work project in North Memphis.  You will not return home the same!  Registrations are limited and cost is $100 for Hope members or $175 for non-members.  Our next Plunge will be in the Fall.  Expect to be moved.  Contact Di for more information.

Taxes Filed for FREE??  That's no Misprint!

Did you know Oasis has a group of faithful volunteers who have been trained in tax preparation and have saved families in North Memphis over $1.5 million dollars the past six years?  Thanks to accountant Doug Edwards who had a vision for this, about 15 volunteers are available on Tuesdays from 5:30-7p and Saturdays from 10a-1p at the Bickford Community Center willing and able to help families save money in earned income tax credits and filing fees!  At the opening of their 7th year, they have already saved residents $212,500 and counting!  Last year, the following story was shared: We had a lady come in who wanted us to amend her return. She had it initially done at one of those quicky tax places and they didn't do it right. They charged her $460 to do the return, $30 to e-file it and then asked for $45 to amend it. PLUS they filed the return so that they would get the refund so the money she received from them was treated as a short term loan at 85% interest until they received the money from the IRS! This was a simple return for a lady whose income was just over $6,000/year and it probably took them 20 minutes to do it. This is what goes on out there so the work we do is valuable and helps save people money, as well as making sure we get them all the credits they deserve. Talk about making a practical difference! 

Green House Computer Lab - Up & Running!

Our Green House computer room has recently been freshened up a bit, thanks to help from Stanley Woods (a.k.a. Mr. Stan), a Hope member who has been volunteering his time updating the computers and also providing weekly computer training sessions to our Pathfinders and Ambassadors. He’s been instructing the students on everything from how to set up a computer out of the box, to safe practices for surfing the Internet and social media sites, and also plans to teach them how to use computer programs such as Excel and PowerPoint, and even create web pages! Thank you, Mr. Stan, for being such a valuable resource to our kids!  We are still looking for a couple of interested volunteers who might be willing to come and “hang out” in the computer room with the kids for an hour or two each week and provide any help they might need. Email Brenda or call at 496-5516 if this sounds like something you might be interested in!

Work Has Begun on Bearwater Park Infrastructure!

FEBRUARY Update: Affordable, decent housing is nearly non-existent in the inner city.  As a ministry that wants to show how much we care for not only a person's spiritual needs, but also their physical needs, we are thrilled to have received a grant to assist us in building 51 new homes (in Phase One) and impacting hundreds of lives. The engineering plans are now complete and have been approved by City Council. We're now waiting on approval from the Office of Planning and Development on the housing plans. We have selected a construction company for the infrastructure work on the site, and work has begun!  We anticipate Phase One to cost around $2.1 million with our responsibility to raise approximately an additional $300,000 in gap funding to accomplish this major goal.  The development will bring quality housing at very affordable rents to families in our community, which is a dire need.  You can help be a part of the solution to this problem.  If you would like to give to this outreach, you can donate online or write checks to Oasis of Hope, Inc. and put Bearwater Park in the memo.  Click here or click the site plan graphic to view the property!  For ongoing details on this project view the Bearwater Park web page.  In addition, this past year, Oasis of Hope received a grant from the State of TN to rehab four homes in the community.  We have completed these homes and have 3 more families blessed with a quality, affordable place to live in the neighborhood!  The fourth house is being used by Hope's Urban ministry as a transitional house for the homeless to get back on their feet.

More Tutors Needed At KIPP!

KIPP has lost several of their tutors this semester and we would really like to replace them, if possible. The students always feel so badly when that happens. Please consider giving an hour of your time during the week to tutor either reading or math in grades 5 - 8. Required training is provided, and there are two training dates coming up soon: Saturday, February 4, 9am to Noon or Thursday, February 16, 5:30-8:30pm. Contact Brenda to get signed up!

There are lots of available tutoring slots:
-Monday - Thursdays,9:30 – 12:30, 10:55 – 11:55, 12:50 – 1:50, 2:15 – 3:15
-Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays, 5:15-6:00 pm -Occasional Saturdays, 9:00 – 11:00

Oasis is Planning a Career Preparedness Course

Wanted:  Retired Business Person or Retired Teacher with some business background willing to commit 15 hours/week for eight weeks in March/April 2012 to help test a Jobs Readiness Program
Oasis of Hope is planning in March/April 2012 to conduct and run a scaled-down test of a well-done job readiness program for recent high school graduates called Jobs for LIFE.  The program is very solid and has been used in a number of cities in the U.S.  If the test is successful, the program could be expanded to a class size of ten students and conducted in March/April and July/August each year.  For more information, please contact Terry Hoff or Norm Rodriguez.

Do You Ever Wonder What the RESULTS are of Our Ministry Efforts?

Yes, it's hard to measure the impact that we are having on a community, and especially on the lives of people who are affected by what we do, but, in an effort to share exactly this, we have put together a 'Results' page identifying quantifiable, measureable outcomes from our humble and sincere efforts to be making a difference.

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