Hattiesburg CJC program celebrates 25 years of community impact

By Lindsey Carraway
Writing Specialist

CLINTON, Miss. — RISE, a Christian Job Corp (CJC) program in Hattiesburg, is celebrating 25 years of ministry this year. 

Recently, a group of RISE volunteers attended the State Literacy Missions and Christian Job Corps Conference at Garaywa Camp & Conference Center July 31-August 1. A variety of practical and informative workshops and trainings paved the way for CJC ministries like RISE to further build toward transformative results in the lives of their participants. Several participants earned Adult Reading and Writing Teacher Training certificates.

From impossible to empowered

When Linda Donnell, a retired university professor and active member of the Women’s Missionary Union, heard about the Christian Women’s Job Corps program a decade before RISE began, the ministry “grabbed (her) heart.” 

“I knew a lot of people had poured into my life and made me who I am,” said Donnell. “When I heard this, I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do. I want to pour into other lives as people have poured into mine.’”

At the time, Donnell and her husband attended a large church. Her desire to bring this ministry into the church seemed highly possible, yet as she sought people out, the idea never gained traction. 

Unexpectedly, the Donnells sensed and followed the Lord’s direction to a much smaller church. Donnell had almost given up on the ministry she had prayed to help plant when, a month into their new membership, the church held a mission night. The pastor’s wife, who had heard about CJC, laid out a table for anyone interested in the program. Donnell instantly understood why God had moved them to this church. 

A group of six, including Donnell, sat at the table and began praying about the ministry logistics. They prayed for several weeks before it was clear that a first step had to be taken. Donnell offered to take the necessary training but declined becoming director, feeling unfit for the role. All the details of the training only opened Donnell’s eyes to the full extent of the task, which she then believed was too sizeable, too expensive, and required too many people for the small church. 

Donnell recalled how one of the men in the group assured her that they would pray in a director, if she would only take the first steps to assessing and finding what they needed. Donnell said with a laugh, “They prayed me in for 13 years.”

“Through the years,” said Donnell, “it’s been amazing how many times we’ve prayed for something and then, out of the blue, He provided. We didn’t have anything to start the ministry. When we were assessing what we would need, one of the people I interviewed was with PACE Head Start. When she heard about the ministry, she said that if we would do the mentoring and the Bible study, they would provide everything: computers, a place, the participants, lunch, and supplies!

“At that point, all I had been thinking is, ‘We can’t do this.’ And we couldn’t! I know that’s the reason He moved me from that big church, to show me that it isn’t me. It’s all God.”

‘Great Kingdom purpose’

Moving to Mississippi from Missouri, Nicole Hauff has recently accepted the role as director of RISE. With a business degree and a background in foster teen ministry, she feels that the Lord has been preparing her for this role all along. 

“We do things out of obedience and then the Lord lets us see the transformation in people’s lives,” said Hauff. “That part just draws you in deeper, just to know that you’re having an impact and that your life has a purpose.”

A graduate of Southwest Baptist University in Oregon, Hauff noted that her biblical and Gospel-centered business classes proved that serving the Lord could be in every aspect of life.

“I realized I didn’t want to do anything that didn’t have great Kingdom purpose,” said Hauff. “No matter where you are, even if you’re working in a secular atmosphere, you can still have that. In our ministry, we have the blessing of being able to be open and sharing with people and praying with and for them.”

Although deeply rewarding, as every director and volunteer can say, CJC is also a hard ministry. Hauff commented, “If it was simple and easy and smooth all the time, we would think that we’ve got it covered. But the Lord shows us that our dependency needs to be on Him. When we do that, we show our students, our participants, and our volunteers, the source. We’re not the source. God is.”

Your gifts to the Margaret Lackey State Offering help support literacy missions ministries across the state, including training at the annual State Literacy Missions and Christian Job Corps Conference. For more information about the offering and to order free promotional resources, visit www.margaretlackey.com.