Community Care Fellowship

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Community Care Fellowship was founded in 1981 when Rev. James A. “Rock” Hardaway, the associate pastor of McKendree United Methodist Church, sought to bring together people to provide ministry outreach to the growing number of homeless people who made their way to the doors of that downtown Nashville church asking for assistance of various kinds. Community Care Fellowship was originally based in the McKendree United Methodist Church. The church members wanted to create an organized way in which to provide food and aid in the area, as they initially could not reasonably help such a large group of needy in the ever-growing neighborhood of East Nashville. When organizing this group, Rev. Rock decided to ask Ken Powers, another member of the church who had a place in the Social Concerns Committee, for help. “When the increase in need first became apparent, there were from 8 to 12 persons in the group, by Thanksgiving the average was 45; and in the spring of 1982, the average peaked at about 90 persons.” The only thing stopping them from helping more people was simply their inability to house them all in the building. The two men started a ritual in which they would meet with guests in a “rap session” during the hour preceding the worship service and attempt to learn more about this new phenomenon of homelessness that was creeping across the nation.

In 1984, the Community Care Fellowship was able to establish itself as an independent ministry. By September 1984, the Community Care Fellowship was able to obtain a lease for 114 Fourth Avenue in Downtown Nashville as a location to best service the homeless population of the city. The Community Care Fellowship lost its lease for the Downtown Nashville building on April 30, 1988, prompting the ministry to move its location to the Edgefield community. The building now stands at 511 S 8th Street.