Ministry Dallas
Theology isn’t just an intellectual pursuit. It engages the heart and hands as well as the mind.
That’s the aim of Ministry Dallas, an annual program that took about two dozen Perkins students, faculty and staff into the community for three days of service, learning and engagement. Coordinated by the Office of Student Life and Engagement, this year’s program visited a food pantry, a United Methodist congregation, and an eatery with a mission.
Day One: Crossroads Community Services
The program kicked off Aug. 19 at Crossroads Community Services, where participants got an inside look at the organization’s multifaceted approach to fighting hunger.
Crossroads distributes nutritious food to an average of 1,100 households each month. In 2023 alone, the organization distributed approximately 12.5 million pounds of food, enough for more than 10 million meals. Its work also encompasses research, partnerships and other efforts aimed at building more nutrition-stable communities.
Perkins has a longtime connection to Crossroads. The Rev. Jay Cole, a Perkins graduate, helped launch the organization in 2001 from a small room at First United Methodist Church in downtown Dallas and led its growth into a major operation.
Ministry Dallas participants saw that operation firsthand. Clients meet with counselors to discuss household size, needs and food preferences before receiving personalized shopping lists and selecting food from the pantry.
For Randall Price, a Ph.D. student in Religious Studies who recently moved from North Carolina, the day offered a chance to serve his new community.
“I’m using the love of God that I learn and grow in through my studies to connect to the heart of the community,” he said.
For third-year M.T.S. student Reginald Hurd, the experience was more personal.
“I grew up near this area, and my family relied on services like this early in my life,” Hurd said. “So being able to come back and help others is really meaningful.”
Day Two: Hamilton Park United Methodist Church
The morning began with Bible study led by church members, followed by worship. Phelps preached from Lamentations, focusing on the importance of acknowledging grief: “You can’t heal pain you won’t name,” he said. “You can’t heal all by yourself.”
“I’ve never worshiped in a Methodist church,” said Dominique Waites, a first-year M.T.S. student from the Church of God in Christ tradition. “I’m still exploring my career path, so this was a chance to explore.”
Day Three: Hugs Café
Mondays are usually slow at Hugs Café in Dallas. But when Ministry Dallas participants arrived Aug. 24, business was brisk — so they went to work, sweeping floors, washing dishes and pitching in wherever needed.
The nonprofit restaurant employs young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Founder Ruth Thompson dreamed on two consecutive nights about creating a restaurant that would employ adults with disabilities. She shared the idea with others, and in 2015, the dream became Hugs Café.
That story caught the attention of M.Div. student Christina Banchs-McRae.
“It surprises me that not just one person, but several people, took the dream seriously enough to say, ‘OK, we need to do this,’” she said.
First-year M.T.S. student Emma Brady, who recently moved to Dallas from New Orleans, saw the visit as a way to connect with her new community.
“This was an opportunity to get plugged in,” she said. “Inclusion is something that’s really near and dear to my heart, and I hope it will be a part of my ministry for the rest of my life.”
First-year M.Div. student Jerry Chastain, a pastor in Alabama who leads a foundation offering outdoor activities for children with disabilities and their families, also came away with ideas for expanding his own program.
Putting theology into practice
Together, the three days offered students different ways to connect what they study at Perkins with the communities and people around them.
“Ministry Dallas is about making the connection between head knowledge and heart,” said Tracy Anne Allred, assistant dean of students.
M.Div. student Mark Odieny put it another way:
“Doing God’s work is not only in the books we’re studying,” he said. “It’s also getting out into the field and meeting people in real need and in real time. And that really connects with what we are learning.”