Our History

FERN CREEK/HIGHVIEW UNITED MINISTRIES - A BRIEF HISTORY

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Fern Creek Highview United Ministries is a not-for-profit social service agency founded in 1988 by 10 local congregations who worked together to meet the needs of the community.

Today, Fern Creek Highview United Ministries is supported in part by 20 member churches representing 12 different denominations also working together to make a difference in the community.

Programs including the Individual & Family Assistance Center, Adult Day Health Center, Health Equipment Loan Program, and Families in Transition enable these congregations, through Fern Creek Highview United Ministries, to improve the quality of life for residents not only of the Fern Creek Highview communities, but in many cases throughout Metro Louisville.

Extended History

In the early 1980’s several individuals and churches saw a need for some degree of cooperative effort for providing emergency assistance to people in the community. The Neighborhood Assistance Program, operating out of an individual’s home (Ruth Brugh) attempted to facilitate the collection and distribution of food and clothing. This program was not closely coordinated and was not effective in helping people meet the needs and was discontinued.

Fern Creek/Highview United Ministries –congregations united in serving the Fern Creek and Highview communities- officially began June 13, 1988. Area pastors who were members of the Fern Creek/Highview Ministerial Association noticing an increasing number of coming to their churches for help looked for a way to assist such individuals in a responsible systematic way, while being good stewards of limited resources, chose a community ministry model that was already well developed in many other communities throughout Louisville and Jefferson County. A group of representatives from 10 different churches met in the basement of Fern Creek United Methodist Church and committed to move beyond their denominational ties to work together to meet the needs of their community. As they closed their meeting, they joined hands and sang "We are One in Spirit". Thus Fern Creek/Highview United Ministries was born.

FC/HUM’s first Executive Director was hired. In the beginning, FC/HUM’s primary service was emergency assistance; this included food, clothing, financial assistance, and health aide equipment loan. Before long monthly blood pressure checks and help with voter registration were also available. Fund raisers such as Bowl-a-thons and Softball tournaments enabled the hiring of a part-time Emergency Assistance Coordinator.

In 1989, an Adult Day Care pilot project was launched, by a student from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, to assess the need for services for the frail elderly and their families. In 1990, through a grant from the Area Agency on Aging the Adult Day Center was opened as a social model center on the property of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church that undertook extensive remodeling to make their convent suitable for this service. The first ADC Director was hired along with other needed staff. FC/HUM also began participating in the Homeless Families Prevention Project and a Thanksgiving Club was initiated to allow individuals to contribute to FC/HUM during 1990.

In 1991 a Life Skills Program was implemented through a special grant from Louisville United Against Hunger (LUAH). In 1992 G.E.D. classes started in conjunction with the Fern Creek Rotary Club. FC/HUM held a Golf Scramble as a fund-raiser. In 1993, FC/HUM began a relationship with the Jeffersontown community to assist them in starting their own community ministry that continued through 1995 when the Jeffersontown Area Ministries separated and began functioning on its own. In 1995 FC/HUM held its first Cake Auction and began selling FC/HUM shirts as fund-raisers.

In 1996, the Adult Day Center was licensed to operate as a Health model Adult Day Center providing nursing services as well as its social program, FC/HUM started selling grocery certificates, and the first Progressive Dinner fund-raiser was held. St. Stephen Charismatic Episcopal Church and Good Shepherd Church both joined FC/HUM in 1996.

1997 was a very significant year in the life of the Emergency Assistance Program. The name of the program was changed to the Individual & family Assistance Program (IFAC) and moved from a three-day operation to five days a week. A full-time Masters level social worker was hired as the Director of this expanded program. Also, in 1997, FC/HUM began Friends in Action, a mentoring program to assist chronically struggling families. In 1997, FC/HUM published its own cookbook, began quarterly youth events, and participated in several church and community festivals, as well as the National Interfaith Community Ministries Conference held in Louisville that year.

In 1998 two more churches, Bethany Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Highview Baptist, joined FC/HUM. FC/HUM also celebrated its Tenth Anniversary, capped with the creation of a ministry quilt featuring seventeen member churches. In 1999, the health aide program was re-energized and formally started as the Health Equipment Loan Program (HELP) under the administration of the Adult Day Director and through the generosity of Fern Creek Mini Storage (now Fern Creek Space Center) that provides storage space for the equipment. This year also marked the first annual FCHUM James O. Leach Hunger Awareness Dinner as a joint fund-raising and awareness event for the IFAC and the Community Hunger Walk. 1999 also saw the renewal of LIGHT UP FERN CREEK Christmas festivities in cooperation with area civic/community groups. FC/HUM offered the first LOVELIGHT TREE as an opportunity for memorial and in honor gifts.

In 2000, the Progressive Dinner was changed to an Annual Dinner and Auction all in one location. Solid Rock Church of God joined becoming FC/HUM’s eighteenth church, now including thirteen denominations. The IFAC office moved to the Fern Creek Community Center and FC/HUM took over management of the Community Center in exchange for space. In 2001, Louisville Trinity Church joined FC/HUM. In 2002, Seaton Park Baptist joined FC/HUM bringing the total member churches to nineteen.

2003 proved to be a pivotal year in the life of FC/HUM. Two smaller churches dissolved lessening the list of member churches to seventeen. In May, upon the resignation of the Executive Director, Rev. Ron Loughry, the Adult Day Center’s Director since 1996 was selected to serve as FCHUM’s new Executive Director. Rev. Loughry, in consideration of budget concerns proposed that he continue to serve as the Adult Day Director as well (for one salary), but with the help of hiring a full-time Administrative Assistant. This proposal was accepted and implemented in June 2003. Due to changes at the Community center, the IFAC ceased to manage the Center and began paying rent for its space.

In 2004, the Administrative Assistant and the part-time Bookkeeper positions were combined into one full-time position. The ADC Nurse position was also expanded into the ADC Health Services & Activities Coordinator position as the nurse qualified to perform case-management and activities duties.

The summer of 2005 brought both challenge and promise to FCHUM. During the Spring of 2005, new churches, New Vision Ministry Center and the Louisville Chinese Christian Church, joined FCHUM, bringing our membership to nineteen representing 12 denominations, in addition to the Fern Creek/Highview Ministerial Association. Also in 2005, due to changes at the Fern Creek Community Center regarding the conditions of our IFAC lease, the ministries was faced with the reality of needing to relocate. Faced with the challenge to find new and adequate space for the IFAC, Beulah Presbyterian Church offered to lease property to FCHUM for $1.00 a year and challenged the community to support a building campaign. Two task forces were formed (Construction & Financial), construction professionals from various churches stepped forward volunteering their services as did several people with financial background and the FCHUM “Building To Serve” campaign took off. It was decided that while building FCHUM should plan on consolidating all of its services under one roof, so plans to relocate the ADC as a second phase were also implemented. In the spring of 2006 a ceremonial ground-breaking took place at the site of FCHUM’s future home. Pastors, Board members, FCHUM Staff and Volunteers, Metro Council people, and other civic & community leaders put shovels to ground to celebrate the beginning of “Building To Serve” campaign. With the beginning of the new fiscal year in July 2006, the part-time IFAC assistant position was expanded into a full-time IFAC Assistant & Development Coordinator position.

FCHUM Central Office staff now includes the Executive Director (combining ADC Director), a full-time Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper, and the Development Coordinator (combining IFAC Assistant). The Adult Day Center staff includes the Director (combining Executive Director), the Health Services (Nurse) & Activities Coordinator, three Activity Assistants, and numerous volunteers. Renee Bryant, MSW, has served as the Individual & Family Assistance Center Director since 1997. The Individual & Family Assistance Center staff includes an Emergency Assistance Worker(combining Development Coordinator) and numerous volunteers. FC/HUM is blessed with the assistance of over 100 volunteers.

In addition to its own vital ministry programs, FC/HUM works with the community-at-large through such cooperative efforts as: Winterhelp, LIHEAP, Leveraging, FEMA, Families In Transition, Friends In Action, Red Cross, Neighborhood Place, Meals On Wheels, TRIAD, Alzheimer’s Association, Professional Schools of Nursing, Social Work, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Association of Community Ministries, Light Up Fern Creek, Rotary, Women’s Club, Lion’s Club, Goodwill Industries, St. Vincent de Paul Societies, Fern Creek Community Association & Chamber and various other foundations, agencies and organizations.

Updated February 2007