I have had and continue to have an extraordinary opportunity to extend a bounty to others in the form of honest employment, whereby they might also bless and provide for those who depend on them. Serving those I now lead and supervise has diminished the timetable for a path from rags to riches.  Stability and mobility out of poverty for a single woman in Orange Mound is beyond complicated.   

Their unfamiliar and daunting challenges interrupt my peace of mind but are common to all of them. Unreliable transportation is a given; many of their cars are on life support. Diabetes is tragically familiar. Food security for many depends on the generosity of others who bring lunch and treats daily.

Each lady comes to The House with personal heartaches that must be aired and shared.  Many of their kids are repeating the dreaded cycles of drug addiction, armed robbery, promiscuity, truancy, and rebellion. Bills with exorbitant late fees and utility cut-off notices find their addresses easily, however repairs on their rentals don’t.

Wise choices, and the resources to make wise choices, are a daily need and my constant prayer.  I long to be patient, gracious, and slow to anger, recognizing always God’s image is stamped on us, and His presence is a promise. He supplies provisions for us fellow pilgrims and fellow beggars, but they often seem to add up to only a ration. Divine reciprocity is not based on hard work, prayer, or kindness.

Several of the most ambitious ladies have side hustles to help their disrupted income flow. Each has more talent than she realizes. I am researching and overflowing with ideas to build out their enterprises, but what most need are a vision, encouragement, and a huge push. Seeking their prosperity, I overlook the debris field of crises in which they live.

One, whom we have helped establish a modest catering business, needs to quickly earn $5,000 from her efforts.  Her network is thinner than her know how. If she doesn’t net $5,000, her daughter remains in jail. She has seven more children of her own and is caring for another daughter’s special needs son.

One of our ladies has a knack for repurposing furniture but has never factored-in her labor costs into her price and virtually charges only for her supplies. She is losing business for lack of marketing. Her enthusiasm has deflated as she cares for her cousin who is special needs.

One has lost momentum and sales in her sewing career due to family pressures and caring for a beloved brother who has moved into her limited working space.

Since I cannot launch their businesses without their energy and aspirations, I am called to establish a tone and a culture of kindness and grace. The House has always been, and must remain, a safe place of beauty and joy for those with dreams that default to the tyranny of the urgent.

Simply said, intangible sensory experiences of compassion and hope permeate every room and corridor and hall of this building like a sweet perfume, and then it partners with the wafting fragrance of imported tea. Laughter is our over-the-counter medication, and reading the New Testament is critical mental therapy.

Those who work here do so with a sense of peace, purpose, and calm assured that they are valued and respected and appreciated.  Our interaction is a steady witness and invitation to respond more fully to the call of the Lord in our lives.

What a rare privilege it is for us all to experience faith in the unseen and to see, often without proof, that our obedience is the measure of our faith.

Last Wednesday morning, the House teemed with an almost chaotic energy. On one side of the retail space, our silver, metallic blue, and purple Christmas tree sparkled in the sunlight piercing the gaps in the wood blinds. But, across the room, pumpkins, scarecrows, and fall leaves adorned the shelves. Debbie, our operations manager, two volunteers, and all the ladies hustled to convert our usually calm and peaceful space into a bustling holiday cornucopia of Christmas gifts and goodies.

In the midst of all this, we held a workshop.

Rebecca Arendt, Executive Director of The Iris Collective, Katie Hook, the Operations and Production Manager, and Marcin Arendt, a brilliant violinist, visited the House to lead a Six Word Story workshop. The Iris Collective is performing a concert at Sweet LaLa’s on October 22^nd to highlight the mission and work of Thistle and Bee, Bluff City Toffee, and us. The musical selections for the concert are chosen to represent the organizations, so the workshop was designed to help The Iris Collective better understand who we are.

The concept of the Six Word Story may seem odd. It is derived from a genre known as Flash Fiction. Maybe the most famous one is misattributed to Ernest Hemingway and first appeared in print in 1906. The story read:

“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

The idea is that words have power and a poignant, captivating story can be told by choosing the right words.

To accommodate the abundance of Christmas gifts, the table we normally meet around was occupied, so everyone gathered in the kitchen. A few sat, but most stood, and none of us expected what came next.

Each one was given a card and asked to tell their story in six words. The words could be drafted as a sentence, a phrase, or each could stand apart from the others. Once the stories were written, the author would read her story, and Marcin would retell the story through his violin.

The first story read:

“Again, she failed. She tried again.”

The wise woman who wrote those words explained to the group,

“In spite of your life seeming to be a series of failures, you have to try again…I don’t have the option of just laying down and dying. I’ve got to try again regardless of how I feel.”

Marcin paused for a moment, readied his instrument, and played a series of notes that captured the near resignation of failing over and over, but then it arced with sounds and rhythms of persistence and determination. On cue, a chorus of nodding heads agreed that his interpretation was on point.

Another storyteller wrote:

“Jesus. Poverty. Self-sufficient. Bringing community back.”

The words alone evoked “ahs,” “mmhms,” and “yeses.” Then Marcin played and the tears welled-up in our eyes.

For the next few minutes, the ladies shared their stories with common themes of trusting God, brokenness to redemption, sisterhood, love, peace, and happiness. Marcin captured every sentiment beautifully. The ladies embraced throughout, and we all cried some more.

We’ve written many times about the chaos that often exists in the lives of the women we serve outside of the tranquility and compassion experienced at the House. Murder, addiction, fear, and hopelessness are familiar to every woman that comes to My Cup of Tea.

Metaphorically, the swirl that greeted us at the House that morning, like the “swirl” in the lives of the My Cup of Tea women, consumed our senses and distracted us from our true purpose. But in those few moments spent reflecting on our journeys and listening to the stories of changed lives, each of us was reminded of our blessings and the One who sustains us all.  

And that is music to our ears.

“The Lord will save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives, at the house of the Lord.” – Isaiah 38:20

Since we began emailing a newsletter, we have written more than 200 unique blog posts. We've shared posts about many different aspects of tea, upcoming events and opportunities to support us, and, of course, the daily lives of the My Cup of Tea ladies.

When we launched our present website, most, but not all, blogs we had written made it onto the new platform. The new platform allowed us to track the number of times someone reads a specific blog. This made us curious about which posts generated the most interest, so we thought we would share them with you.

In the number one spot by far is The Magic of Green Tea. This informative blog post addresses all of the health benefits associated with green tea and how to enjoy it hot or cold. This post was read more than 8,000 times!

Perfect for the season and on the heels of National Chai Day, our second most-read blog is What is Chai? Like the post about green tea, this blog shares the origins of chai, explains its make up, and discusses how to best enjoy the ancient beverage. 

We struck rang in a New Year with the post We are the Resolute. This piece describes the journey of the ship The Resolute from warship to White House desk and the parallels to those who work at My Cup of Tea.

Learning about how the My Cup of Tea ladies were coping with the loss of fresh water following a major winter storm caught the interest of our readers. Water Water Everywhere comes in at number 4 in popularity.

Blogs with a "how to" them take the next three spots. The Ultimate Guide to Switching from Daily Coffee to Tea, 5 Teas That Help with Relaxation, and How to Make the Perfect Iced Tea garnered more than 1000 reads each.

Just in time for Halloween, our Spooky Mocktails post featuring links to a She Steeps video with Cheryl and Danyelle demonstrating the recipes delighted readers. Hopefully, it lead to some spooky fun too.

In the ninth and tenth places are two blogs offering insight to the struggles of My Cup of Tea women. In Poverty about More than Money, we explore why just having a job and a paycheck is not enough to lead someone out of poverty. And in Kintsugi: Embracing the Damage, we describe how we used an ancient Japanese artform to help the ladies process their trauma.

We are so grateful for all of you who read our blog and newsletters. For those of you who subscribed recently, we hope you enjoy these "new reads." For those who have been with us for a while, we hope these posts serve as a reminder of facts, recipes, and stories you may have forgotten.

We’re just 5 days away from the deadline for professional, Black artists to submit portfolios for a chance to be chosen to design our next limited-edition tea box. We thought this might be a good time to remind you why we care so much about the arts and especially Black artists. So we’re republishing a revised version of this blog from a couple of years ago.

If you read our blog or follow us on social media, you have likely seen various references to artistic endeavors we have, or are currently, pursuing. The tea box design contest, Kintsugi, sewing, refurbishing furniture, embroidery and the art-covered walls of The House are all examples of how we include exposure to and support of art in our daily tasks. But why? How does support for the arts help My Cup of Tea achieve its mission?

Here are 5 reasons we are intentional about incorporating art into strategy to improve the lives of Orange Mound women:

1. Arts are critical for community revitalization

As we told you in a blog post in June of 2021, there is broad agreement in the community development arena that art is essential to revitalizing a community. As a Princeton University working paper put it,

“The arts revitalize neighborhoods and promote economic prosperity. Participation in the arts improves physical and psychological well-being. The arts provide a catalyst for the creation of social capital and the attainment of important community goals.”

Bill Strickland, an activist and founder of the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild in inner-city Pittsburg argued in an NPR TED Radio Talk that exposure to beauty is critical to community change. He says whether music, painting, sculpting or dance, engaging with beauty on a consistent basis changes vocabularies, behaviors, and raises expectations for what is possible for the community to a new level.

Doing our part to help revitalize the once thriving Orange Mound neighborhood has always been a part of our mission, and therefore so is supporting the arts.

2. Creativity is important to health and healing

Referencing the trauma My Cup of Tea women have experienced is something we do often. We want you to better understand how remarkable it is they have survived and are making progress toward thriving. Overcoming that trauma is a process that can take many years. We pray together, recommend professional help, and incorporate art in our activities, like our  Kintsugi classes about which we’ve written.

"Creativity in and of itself is important for remaining healthy, remaining connected to yourself and connected to the world." Christianne Strang, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Alabama Birmingham and the former president of the American Art Therapy Association told NPR in a 2020 interview.

The benefits are not limited to a single type of art, but extend to drawing, painting, knitting, cake decorating and a nearly unlimited list of possibilities. Participating in art can be healing for those coping with trauma but can also enhance well-being of those generally mentally and emotionally healthy.

3. Black artists are historically underrepresented

In 2019, a study was conducted by a group of mathematicians, statisticians, and art historians at Williams College together with Kevin M. Murphy, senior curator of American and European Art at Williams College Museum of Art, and Steven Nelson, professor of African and African American Art at UCLA, as reported by the digital news source, Hyperallergic. The study found that in 18 of the nation’s major museums, 85% of the artists represented are white and 87% are men.

We didn’t know about this study when we launched the tea box design contest last year, but anecdotally, we knew that there were Black artists doing amazing work who are virtually unknown. It is also true that Orange Mound is arguably the oldest African American neighborhood in the United States. We believed then, and now, that a Black artist was best positioned to represent the story of Orange Mound in the art for the tea box.

After a successful 2021 contest where we chose Andre’ Miller to create the art for our new tea box, we made the contest an annual event. The rules and rewards are the same, and the deadline is September 15^th for artists to submit a portfolio. If you know of someone who might be interested, please share this link: Tea Box Design Contest Entry.

4. Art helps imagine a more hopeful future

Overcoming trauma and poverty requires hard work and perseverance, but it also necessary to believe that a better future is possible. This is true of any of us facing a daunting task or a discouraging season in life. Art is one of the ways we can manage those feelings of despair and doubt and look to better days.

Dr. Girija Kaimal at Drexel University is an art therapy researcher who works with patients suffering with PTSD. Dr. Kaimal told NPR that she believes the brain is a predictive “machine” that uses information to decide what we will do next and what we need to do to survive and thrive in the future.

"This act of imagination is actually an act of survival," she says. "It is preparing us to imagine possibilities and hopefully survive those possibilities."

5. Art is a gift from God

How many photos on social media do we see from all over the world of magnificent sunsets, sunrises, or rainbows? How often have the world’s most renowned artists depicted the stars, planets, and the moon? Creation alone is the ultimate artwork by the ultimate Artist.

Throughout the Bible, the harp, lyre, flute, tambourine, singers – the art of music- are called for worshipping God.

In I Kings 6, King Solomon builds the temple according to God’s commands. It included intricate artwork such as carvings “with gourds and open flowers,” entire areas overlaid with pure gold, a pair of cherubim approximately 15 feet tall each made from olive wood and overlaid with gold, and carvings of palm trees and cherubim in the doors to the temple. These are a few of the detailed works that were included in the temple design.

Clearly, we have been blessed with the gift of art, so we desire to incorporate it in our daily lives.

Conclusion

As we said before, “beyond this single project, we envision future opportunities to empower and promote Black artists annually. Emphasizing the beauty and talent that exists in this historic community is essential to support its rebirth,” and the rebirth of the women we serve.

Retired Shelby County Commissioner Reginald Milton, commenting in the Commercial Appeal on the opening of the Orange Mound Gallery may have said it best.

“Art is a way to express our fears, our passions, our concerns, our anger. Art is unique, it is a gift from God to humans.”

  My Cup of Tea Mission:

Our mission is to walk with women beyond the boundaries of poverty and
neglect and assist them in building stable lives. We transform lives by providing
meaningful employment packaging and selling tea, nurturing cross-cultural,
trusting relationships, fostering respect and understanding, and prioritizing and
demonstrating authentic community with the women we serve and our
neighbors in Orange Mound.

Succinct mission statements are understandably necessary for a nonprofit mission such as ours, but required brevity belies the breadth and depth of our work.

When our son was in the first grade, he was asked to share with his classmates what his dad does for a living. He confidently reported,

“My Daddy cuts roses at work and brings them home to Mom."

His dad’s other job was owning and directing a paving company that built and maintained interstate highways.   

I recently realized that many who are connected to My Cup of Tea aren’t fully aware of our daily activities and how we fulfill our mission. We do more than sell excellent tea. I have compiled a short list here, so that you may be more conversant about our daily ebb and flow and more alert to the fundamental dependence we have on the several hundred generous people who give time talent and treasure to us.

 Our Philosophy

The House is a laboratory in which we are intentionally loving Orange Mound women through invested word and deed. Daily for about 12 years, two disparate cultures have been conscientiously connecting. We have galvanized an authentic sisterhood of support, friendship, and trust.

Single parenting in poverty for a Black woman in a crime-ridden zip code is unfamiliar to us who are living North, East, and West beyond the crime tape and ubiquitous sirens that assault our senses when we are here.

Only God has brought us to this genuine reflection of His Kingdom we call The House in Orange Mound where what we have in common in heart has replaced our shallow differences.

 Our Daily Activity

• We work exclusively with women who live in poverty in Orange Mound. Almost all are single parenting children and/or grandchildren.
• We do not recruit as women in need find us or hear through word of mouth that our door is open and the welcome mat is out.
• We daily intend to model and guide each woman to a deeper understanding of the Gospel. All are currently unchurched and inexperienced in the riches of the Bible.
• Most of our employees receive government assistance. We are committed to reduce that percentage.
• Cooking, gardening, cleaning, and other domestic activity is demonstrated, shared, and assigned.
• Respectful social communication and problem solving is constantly practiced.
• There is an emphasis on gaining a Christian world view, as most are underexposed to life beyond their primary and immediate priority of survival.
• All of the women have chosen mentors who are leveraging their broader network for solutions to problems and providing prayer, advice, and loyal friendship.
• We have hired over 100 women in the ten years we have been a business. Currently we have 11 employees.
• Over 50 volunteers work among us, bring lunch, and assist us in entrepreneurship training for the ladies who are growing in skills beyond their My Cup of Tea employment.
• We advocate for all of our women who are challenged significantly with sub-standard rentals, domestic violence, chronic poor health, legal and financial problems, and unreliable transportation.
• We have partnered to build 4 houses on our city block and provided financial and legal pathways for the ladies to qualify to purchase them.

Our Tea

• Our tea is top shelf, imported from the Far East and blended before it comes to us. 
• Our director is a tea master, and expert on all variables of the teas we import.
• Our marketing and development is in the capable hands of a genius.
• The ladies have simple but dignified jobs with minimal skill requirements to package and label it for sale.
• We sell our tea in all 50 states.
• Our tea is sold in 24 retail businesses locally and at The House.
• The Christmas Season is our busiest. Original and creative tea gifts are extremely popular and our top sellers.
• We were chosen as Google’s Tennessee Small Business of the Year.
• We operate our mission for the ladies on tea sales (40%) and the remaining 60% is based on grants and donations.

 We also grow roses and bring them home for ourselves.

Christmas in August?

That’s how we feel. The anticipation of receiving that special gift – the one we knew we would receive eventually, but the waiting caused us to doubt – is behind us. Today, we break ground on the four single-family, rent-to-own homes we’ve been telling you about for more than two years.

When we say, “we” what we mean is all the partners who made this possible celebrating together at an official groundbreaking at 824 Semmes at noon. My Cup of Tea didn’t bring these houses to fruition alone. In fact, there is no guarantee that any of the ladies at The House will be moving into the new homes, though a few will be eligible and plan to apply. What is certain is that in a few months four families will be living in quality, affordable housing that they will have the opportunity to own. That’s a big deal for those families and for the Orange Mound community.

The process began with a simple donation. Carey and Rick Moore donated the empty lot at 824 Semmes. The lot had been purchased when they launched My Cup of Tea across the street at 823 Semmes as a potential site for expansion. The lot was donated to United Housing, a local nonprofit with an exemplary record of building affordable housing for the purpose of ownership throughout Memphis and Shelby County. United Housing has effectively and persistently led the project to this exciting stage of development.

In August of 2022, the Gannett Foundation awarded us $25,000 to fund “soft costs” – those expenses that are not part of the actual construction. We also raised an additional $17,000 from individual donors to cover these expenses.

While we were fundraising for soft costs, the team at United Housing was executing the long and tedious process of receiving various government approvals and applying for a federal grant through the city’s Department of Housing and Community Development and securing financing through Bank 3. The grant was eventually awarded to United Housing and the financing secured.

Last February, we hosted a public meeting at The House with United Housing and Bank 3 to seek neighborhood feedback. There were no objections to the project, only excitement about new housing options.

While we waited for approvals, plans, and funding, we revisited our financial literacy training in which every My Cup of Tea employee participates and focused on the fundamentals of homeownership and what it takes to secure a mortgage. Our partners at Regions and United Housing worked with ladies to shore up any issues with budgeting and credit.

At the beginning of this year, the bid package was prepared and advertised and a general contractors was chosen. A few more i's were dotted and t's crossed to bring us to this moment.

When the ribbon is cut at approximately noon, we will hear from Mayor Paul Young and the crowd will be comprised of representatives from United Housing, the City of Memphis, Congressman Cohen’s office, Bank 3, the architects, engineers, general contractor, donors, volunteers, and the My Cup of Tea ladies. We are not breaking ground on FedEx Forum or Tom Lee Park, but we will be smiling ear to ear just the same.

It’s been slow and at times hard work and included many partners, but making a real difference isn’t easy and rarely does anyone do it alone. So, if you happen to read this blog before noon, join us for this much anticipated celebration and wish us a “Merry Christmas.”

To be seen, soothed, safe, and secure are the fundamental needs that must be met to develop healthy and strong relationships. Healthy relationships fortify upward mobility. Each of the ladies who work at My Cup of Tea is offered a healthy dose of access to social capital daily.

When we moved into Orange Mound in 2012, I mistakenly believed that my sincerity in investment of my time, talent, and treasure would be endorsed by the matriarchs living in the community and embraced by the women I hoped to serve. I was clearly an outlier from another socioeconomic part of town, but after a short while I just knew my motives in coming to Orange Mound would not be suspect.   

Many like-minded women from East Memphis joined me – not to “save” Orange Mound or the women living there but to use our resources, including social capital, to remove some of the obstacles preventing the community from thriving again. We opened the doors of The House in Orange Mound saying, “Come on in”!  We were convinced we could unify as sisters and illumine the injustices that have warped our city.

It took a minute or two to convince the ladies who knocked on the door of The House to see that we were offering more than financial assistance. And the well-heeled and well-meaning among us needed to realize that our cash was not the adhesive for authentic friendship or the solution for mutual respect.

Today, we are beyond a decade of serving alongside the ladies. In my rear view mirror, I can see that the significance of economic advancement among those living at or below the poverty line varies from person to person. For many, the status quo is preferred because the fear of change is paralyzing.

Classes in budgeting have been taught regularly, and experts on savings and loans have offered advice, perks, and bank account access.  We have boosted enthusiasm about home ownership, and we have challenged landlords to clean up their rentals.  We have partnered to bring rent-to-own homes to our city block. A few are prepared to participate, but the majority are more comfortable bypassing the opportunity. Financially, most are still dependent on the government, which limits the wages they can earn, but it is more certain and reliable than the risks often necessary to advance economically.  Who can blame them? The women have been disrespected and abused by people and institutions for most, if not all, of their lives. The thought of risking stability, as meager as it might be, for the unknown is a bridge too far for most.

However, I am refusing to be discouraged.

We continue to demonstrate how to stretch a dime at the grocery store, share recipes for the produce we grow on our property, and teach simple techniques in the kitchen since only two of the ladies know how to cook. We take or send anyone in physical or mental distress to physicians and psychologists and offer financial support for the sessions. When requested we guide the ladies through local, state, and federal government mazes depending on the issue. We still reinforce financial literacy, workforce skills, and keep a sharp eye out for entrepreneurial prospects that might appeal to one of the ladies. It’s estimated it took nearly 30 years to build the Great Pyramid of Giza, so we will keep laying the blocks.

But there is more to why I’m encouraged.             

In one of my recent laments in prayer I was reminded by the apostle Paul, in Colossians 1:28:

 

 We proclaim Jesus, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present every person fully mature in Christ

This has always been the priority, but sometimes we lose sight of it. Among those who share the mission for My Cup of Tea are 12 mature and faith-filled friends who each mentor one of the ladies.  We have provided a comfortable place for each of our employees at My Cup of Tea to flourish.    There is no lack for anyone to feel seen, soothed and safe. However, the security each needs and the most valued benefit is to gain the security of a relationship to our Savior – the social capital that matter most. Without the knowledge and possession of His indescribable gift, there is no true security. 

The work to encourage greater self-sufficiency will not be in vain, if indeed we lead and disciple each to a saving and secure grasp of how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. (Ephesians 3:18-19)

Social capital, though temporary, is of value and worth every effort.  We will continue to strive in all facets to open opportunity to our beloved friends in Orange Mound.  We are convinced, however, that our calling is to help each to become the person she is designed to be, and to find her security in Him.

Our sincere dedication to see them soothe their wounds and provide a safe environment is a shallow endeavor if they are without the free and eternal security He offers. He has asked us to partner with Him in loving them where they choose to be.

It’s here…finally.

When the FedEx Freight truck arrived last Wednesday, we embarked on a unique unloading experience that should have required a forklift, but instead we engaged a small construction crew, a few volunteers, and the My Cup of Tea ladies to lug the pieces and parts of an 8’x16’ prefab structure across the parking lot to the back fence line.

Our greenhouse, an essential piece of our vision for the neighborhood, has arrived.

From an earlier post, you may remember that our plan is to refurbish, resize, and reconfigure our raised garden boxes. We intend to equip them with an irrigation system, too. Soon, we will add sinks for washing produce next to the greenhouse and a large tent for weekends when we share our bounty at our own farmer’s market.

You may also recall that the lack of fresh, healthy produce is a critical need for Orange Mound residents. The community is no longer home to a major grocery store and hasn’t been for quite a few years. Many in the area rely on unreliable public transportation or car rides from friends when they have the means to shop at a grocery miles away. When we maximize the produce from the gardens and the greenhouse and launch the market, My Cup of Tea will play an important part in mitigating food insecurity for our neighbors, but that’s not the most significant issue we will address.

The dearth of authentic community is the primary object of this initiative.

Whether downtown, Orange Mound, or Germantown, it is an unfortunate fact of today’s culture that we no longer know our neighbors well. We may only know their names because their mail ended up in our box. We rarely, if ever, socialize with those on our right, left, and across the street. Those of us who are able would rather drive ten or fifteen minutes to the grocery store to avoid knocking on a neighbor’s door and asking to borrow a cup of sugar. Our children don’t play with other neighborhood kids because the frenetic schedules associated with school and after-school activities leave little time for social interaction. And, let’s face it, we’re afraid and not sure who we can trust.

This “bunker mentality” may be sustainable for a while in affluent neighborhoods where money buys solutions and comfortable self-isolation. But for communities like Orange Mound where finances range from “tight” to “non-existent,” neighbors need each other – and not later, but now. Like many areas in our city, Orange Mound residents contend with serious crime and the sound of gunshots almost daily. Police frequent the area and cameras record the evil deeds of hooded and masked figures who often go unidentified. It is no wonder that few sit on their porches or venture outside the relative safety of their homes to interact with other human beings. And yet, one of the most effective strategies for reducing crime is neighbors looking out for each other.

A few months ago, we received our formal designation from the Memphis Police Department to lead a Neighborhood Watch on our block. We’ve met twice with a dozen or so neighbors who are enthusiastic and hopeful about what we can do together to make the neighborhood safer. It’s a start, but there is much more we can do.

A vibrant farmer’s market will draw neighbors from surrounding blocks to stock up on vegetables and see demonstrations. We will tell them about what we do at My Cup of Tea and how they can be a part of Neighborhood Watch. Maybe they will tell us or others there something about themselves – what they plan to cook with the vegetables, how many grandkids they have, or if they’ve always lived in Orange Mound. Maybe they will remember our faces or even our names, and we’ll try hard to remember theirs, too. And maybe, just maybe we will, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal. 6:2)

We began our tea experiment at Carnes and Semmes 10 years ago

One moves into a neighborhood to be absorbed or inaugurate change. I was too much of an outsider to this historic neighborhood steeped in tradition, so offering change was my singular option of choice. Several of the original families welcomed me and inspired me to anticipate the renaissance of Orange Mound. I willingly joined and devoted my time, talent, and treasure to the adventure.  We built a simple enterprise offering imported tea for sale.  The women who came to work were imported as well. Only one had Orange Mound history.  Reclaiming this neighborhood was ironically dependent on citizens without interest, affection, or knowledge of the notability of the task. 

Getting situated, safe, secure, and solvent were the priorities of each woman who came to join us.  Originally, casting the vision was impractical.  Relationships worth having take time, and so does a proper cup of tea.

Trust and credibility have come slowly. Progress plods at a slow pace. The residents have been patient, and the leaders such as Dwayne Jones, Mary Mitchell, and Howard Eddings have been unwavering.

Now, as never before in my tenure, renewal is on the horizon, and the community I now call my own is primed for recovery. Vacant property on our street has been refreshed and restored. People are moving in. “Boarded up go away” has been replaced with “hurry up come on in.” Much graffiti has been washed away, so to speak, with iced sweet tea. Single mothers are improbably shouldering the task. The saying goes, “A woman is like a tea bag. You can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.”

The ladies who work among us are hospitable and asking how to meet their neighbors’ needs. They are pruning and lowering the hedges that prevent good neighborliness.  Seeds planted in the spring have magically produced a harvest of vegetables they are sharing with neighbors.

The Orange Mound soil is fortified with the pride of the community’s founders. Ironically, only one of the granddaughters of the first families works for us. She proudly emboldens all of us daily to stay the course. Single mothers and grandmothers represent the largest demographic of Orange Mound. The many I have met are sturdy, self-appointed and insistent on Orange Mound’s revival from the ground up. Their children and grandchildren are in the balance. 

“When the righteous prosper, there is dancing in the streets and the city rejoices.”- Proverbs 11:10

Most of the original families have moved to safer neighborhoods beyond our boundaries.  The ladies who have come to our corner and work with us can’t afford to move out of Orange Mound.  We now realize we wouldn’t be at the point of our exciting renewal if they had.

“God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the strong.”- I Corinthians 1:27

A nonprofit organization’s mission is truly only as powerful as its ability to finance the strategies and tactics necessary to achieve it.

This is not a fundraising appeal, so please keep reading.

For My Cup of Tea, a substantial amount of revenue comes from the sale of our high-quality tea and related products, but for now the majority comes from grants and donations. Like virtually all nonprofits in town, we compete for the charitable donations of private foundations, government programs, and our community’s top private employers. We have been blessed to receive the support of many of these organizations.

One of the challenges faced by My Cup of Tea is communicating a narrative which demonstrates a broad impact on hundreds or thousands of individuals and their communities. Understandably, even the largest philanthropic groups have finite resources to support enormous, complex needs and want to know the masses are being reached with viable solutions. In this data-driven age, funders want to know about our KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and our quantitative and qualitative analyses that prove their money will make a difference.

This is not an unreasonable request. So, recently we tried to quantify our impact over the last decade with meaningful data. We learned that My Cup of Tea has:

• Paid approximately $2 Million in wages;
• Provided 125,000 hours or so of dignified work; and
• Served 25,000 meals through the generosity of volunteers.

We were even a little surprised at how sizeable the numbers are, and we are thankful. But our mission is about much more than width. It is also about depth.

As the Apostle Paul notes in his prayer for the Ephesians in verses 17-18, God’s love for us is more than just wide.

“…And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”

Christ’s love is deep too, so our love and service toward Orange Mound and the My Cup of Tea ladies must also be deep.

“Going deep” at My Cup of Tea means striving to acknowledge each woman as an image bearer of God with a past that doesn’t define her and a future with a purpose. It means leaving judgement at the door and putting on our desire to both teach and learn from others with disparate life experiences from own.

In the most practical way, loving deep erases the time limit one can stay at My Cup of Tea. Women are encouraged to seek other opportunities to help them become self-sufficient, but there is plenty to do at The House until they are ready for what’s next. It means paying at least $15 per hour, so they can fulfill their basic needs.

Going deep means actively seeking the opinions of the women served. It is empowering them to lead as members of our Board of Directors or as supervisors of daily operations. It is a vision that one day a Black woman from the neighborhood will lead our grand experiment.

Depth includes knowing their children, who lives in their homes, and their health concerns, not because they are required to tell us, but because they have trusted us enough to share. It is standing shoulder to shoulder with them in the best times and in the worst.

Going deep is studying God’s word together, teaching what we know, but acknowledging that none of us could ever know it all. It’s praying for their specific needs as they share them and being vulnerable enough with them to seek their prayers.

In the world of deep diving, enthusiasts plunge into ocean depths greater than sixty feet and experience an underwater realm never seen by most people. These dives can be draining and perilous. One of the primary safety rules is to never dive alone. Going deep at My Cup of Tea is not something we can do alone. Orange Mound women, volunteers, and leaders must partner for the good of each other.

The divers who see indescribable beauty under the sea often try to capture its essence with underwater cameras and various technologies, but the pictures, videos, and recorded sounds never adequately replicate the diver’s experience. In the same way, we share photos, videos, newsletters, and more to try to communicate to you and our potential funders what is happening in the depths of Orange Mound. Like the divers, our efforts cannot do justice to the beauty we see.

Unless you have been “off the grid” for the last decade, you are likely aware of the growing mental health crisis in America. Today, nearly 58 million adults or 1 in 5 have a diagnosed mental illness. The fastest growing segment is women. Thirty-six point seven percent report having been diagnosed with depression – a 10.6% increase since 2017. The number of African Americans who report being diagnosed with depression is now 34.4%. This outpaces the growth of whites who report a depression diagnosis by more than 8%. Finally, according to the Centers for Disease Control, people living at or below the poverty level report feelings of nervousness, anxiety, or worry at a significantly higher rate (19.4% vs. 12.7%) than adults who live above the poverty level.

• Female
• Black
• Poor

These are the primary demographics of those served at My Cup of Tea. It is also notable that prolonged exposure of children to trauma involving abuse, neglect, and dysfunctional home lives contributes to serious mental health issues. More than a majority of women served by My Cup of Tea over the last decade had childhoods that included these adverse experiences. Working side by side with Orange Mound women for approximately 2,500 days, we know that what the data reports about the mental health of poor, Black women in true.

More than the mental, emotional, and physical damage caused by a mental illness, an article by Drs. Michaela Beder and Kevin Simon in Psychiatric Times points to another challenge unique to the poor in our country.

The evidence is strong for a causal relationship between poverty and mental health. However, findings suggest that poverty leads to mental health and developmental problems that in turn prevent individuals and families from leaving poverty, creating a vicious, intergenerational cycle of poverty and poor health.

In other words, if we strive to address poverty by providing a good paying, reliable job but fail to grapple with the issue of mental health, the odds of breaking the cycle of poverty become slimmer.

As the mental illness plague has become more pervasive, it seems everyone is seeking the causes. Some point to the obsession with social media. Others suggest materialism in our culture. Broken homes are a favorite excuse along with “helicopter parents” or a lack of physical activity. And while the medical and academic communities mine the data to discover the cause or causes, some in the Christian community suggest that a lack of prayer, reading of Scripture, and time spent with God is the basis for our nation’s challenges with mental health.

Honestly, we don’t know the “why.”

What we know is that many of the women we serve are suffering, and if they are suffering, then so are their families. What we also know is that treatment is now available in our communities.

The Memphis Resilience Project is a long-term commitment by the mental health experts at Christian Psychological Center to partner with nonprofits and city organizations to provide mental health services to the underserved. Under the program, individuals at 175% of the poverty level or below can receive counseling for $10, $30, or $50 per session depending on their income level. This alone would be an enormous benefit to the community, but there is more. CPC will provide schools support for early intervention for childhood trauma. They are offering community trauma workshops, training for nonprofit staff on how to build emotional resilience, and scholarships for clinical trainees to help grow the number of available practitioners to serve the underserved.

Last week, we introduced this program to the My Cup of Tea ladies and already some are moving forward to take advantage of the services offered. Whatever the causes of mental illness, we are resolved to support the ladies in the same way we would support them if the diagnosis were cancer and not depression, anxiety, or PTSD. We will recognize it’s real and serious. We will pray together and share encouraging passages of Scripture. We will ask how else we can help. We will encourage them to take full advantage of proven treatments.

And we will trust in the goodness and mercy of our God.

In 2013, the doors opened at the House in Orange Mound welcoming women in the neighborhood in pursuing connection and mutual appreciation. Countless workshops, experts and volunteers have enlightened us and enhanced our quest for self-improvement and a capacity to work in community while promoting our lovely products.

A diagnostic, often required in business settings, was offered only recently to our ladies at My Cup of Tea. Personality tests are fascinating and though readily available in Memphis, the ladies had never been exposed to a personal diagnostic to explore core motivations, desires, and fears. Our ladies’ mentors agreed to examine material and provide this opportunity to enlighten them and acknowledge the singularity and value of each of the MCOT employees.

One of our volunteers has had years of coaching the nine profiles of the acclaimed Enneagram system and graciously led us through three workshops.  Each of the ladies recognized her own number type connected to a broad personality standard and the “wings” or ancillary personality types that are associated with it. With confidence each explained herself to our group. In a short while, we became amused by our differences in problem solving, communication, and social interaction. Our coach emphasized that we are providentially interacting as a body with essential, valuable, and irreplaceable members with problem solving skills.   All of us felt seen and respected. I loved the laughter and the nods of agreement. We concluded that we are free to embrace our personalities and characteristics identified by the test. They are vital to the furthering of God’s work for us in Orange Mound.

One is a Reformer and Idealist.

Two are Helpers and Caregivers.

One is an Achiever and Pragmatic.

Two are Individualists.

Two are Enthusiasts.

One is a Challenger and powerful.

One is a Peacemaker and always agreeable.

We are interlaced daily in a simple task of formatting and shipping our excellent tea to customers locally and in all fifty states. This safety, security, and peacefulness is our Dr. Jekyll from the Robert Louis Stevenson classic.

But there is more than tea on our minds. Every afternoon, upon walking out of the front door at The House in Orange Mound and stepping off the front porch, our collective consciousness shifts from comfort to caution. The ladies live daily among lawbreakers with guns and vendettas. Poor and heads of their households, they cannot be passive or ignore the dangers. All they hold closely is in jeopardy and their loved ones are vulnerable. They are stepping out to face our Mr. Hyde. 

Our neighborhood has an inordinate amount of crime unchecked. Last week our plight was tagged nationally when gun violence terrorized a block party a mile from our House in Orange Mound and death and injury ensued. The ladies knew more than the social media reports, because information is passed along the streets faster than the Internet. The personality types we had discovered and identified only a week earlier showed up and out.  A never-before and robust discussion in the kitchen with refreshing confidence in their positions held us all for 20 minutes and lunch waited.

The exchange began with scripture from Luke 10:29-37 and asking, “What does loving our neighbor look like in Orange Mound”?

Our Peacemaker led the discussion saying we must be agreeable and not call the police for small mess-ups. Our Loyalist said build a trusting and friendly relationship with neighbors who have children and help when able. The Challenger agreed and suggested we need to be proactive and intentionally cultivate safe neighbors. Our Helper said she had tried bridging often by sharing her resources. Our Reformer said it is possible, but a strategy must be informed and intentional.

The vision for a shalom community is being repeated in our prayers and in our conversations more often around the kitchen table. Passivity is no longer recommended.  Each of us should be a participant in reclamation and repair of our community but slowly and courageously. What was improbable now looks possible with the Lord and collaboration. We know He wills His Kingdom into full glory in Orange Mound.

While many people are fleeing our neighborhood, we remain to restore the peace and security once known here. In1878, many left Memphis, fearing the ubiquitous Yellow Fever. Those who remained cared for the sick, made house calls, and personified good neighborliness. Our city recovered and ten years later, Orange Mound was founded by many of those who prevailed through the epidemic.

Our crime statistics rival an epidemic now. Fear and resignation are no longer on the kitchen table at The House. We aren’t seeking a secret potion like Dr. Jekyll attempting to control Mr. Hyde. We are committed to the hard work long-term. We are growing in resolve to be the change agents and the harbingers of a new and better version of Orange Mound by thoroughly loving our neighbors.