Accomplishments of Metropolitan AME Zion Church
Metropolitan AME Zion Church works to empower community members, especially the people who are traditionally underserved. In Beaufort County, North Carolina, wide gaps divide cultural and economic groups. Metropolitan has worked to narrow these gaps by lifting up the impoverished and encouraging the disheartened.
Education is important to this community. Volunteers run an after-school tutorial program to improve the educational well being of many children in the Church and surrounding area. The Matthew Dorsey Scholarship Fund was established to encourage more students to seek and attain higher education. Tutors help ensure the success of people trying to attain their General Equivalency Diploma (GED).
Metropolitan has always been supportive of young people. Future church musicians are encouraged and trained by mentors through the Young Musicians Club. The Church also runs Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, giving young people an opportunity to have fun and learn important life skills.
People who need help can turn to Metropolitan. From the basement of the church, James Bell runs the Metropolitan Soup Kitchen and Homeless Shelter for the hungry and homeless. The Teenaged Parenting Program helps young people set their sights on higher education and completing their schooling while raising children.
Twelve years ago, community members identified a strong need for decent homes. To this end, the Metropolitan Housing and CDC was incorporated to build affordable and needs-appropriate housing and economically empower the community. More than 500 homes have since been built or rehabilitated. A few of our past projects:
- 38 new single-family homes constructed and sold to low- and moderate-income, first-time buyers.
- 29 existing single-family homes rehabilitated.
- Metro Arms Senior Citizen Complex (1996) provides 12 apartments to low-income elderly, and includes comprehensive supportive services.
- Metro House complex (1997) offers nine units of affordable housing for residents with special needs.
- Hope Village (1997) complex offers independent living for emotionally challenged persons in four units. Tideland Mental Health provides case management and supportive services to residents.
- New Horizons (1999) offers 24 units for low- to moderate-income tenants.
- Wactor Gardens, Inc. (1999) provides 11 apartment units for senior citizens in Ahoskie, N.C. Metropolitan Housing & CDC partnered with Ahoskie AME Zion Church for this project.
- Shalom House (2002) is a 24-unit complex that allows independent living for people who are physically handicapped.
- Brooke’s Place Apartments (2002) provides 37 units of housing to senior citizens in Reidsville, NC.
- Noel Villa (2002) provides 49 apartments for senior citizens in Conway, South Carolina.
- Brooke’s Place (2002) in Reidsville, NC offers 37 apartments for senior citizens.
Metropolitan has plans to develop more housing in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Oregon, and Florida.
Metropolitan Business Development Center, a subsidiary of MHCDC, has also greatly contributed to the community. Since its inception in 1999 more than 30 local businesses, mostly minority-owned, and over 100 jobs have been created. Entrepreneurs are taught the business skills they need and are assisted financially and technically. Through weekly classes, professional relationships are built that further the success of small businesses.
Beaufort County has been designated as a medically underserved community, underscored by the high rate of infant mortality. Metropolitan’s efforts to lower these rates culminated in the incorporation of Metropolitan Community Health Services (MCHS). The Agape Health Clinic provides family-centered comprehensive primary healthcare and education to low- and moderate-income people, many of who do not have health coverage. Ryan White Titles III and IV provide case management and primary healthcare to individuals with HIV/AIDS and their families.
Through an alliance with community organizations and agencies, the Access Health Program of Beaufort County links people in need with the services (medical attention, housing, clothing, food) that they would otherwise go without. Recently, MCHS was named a federally qualified community health program funded under section 330 of the Public Health Service Act. Each year, MCHS provides culturally sensitive, accessible healthcare to more than 3,000 people. This number is steadily increasing as resources and opportunities become available.
People with low and moderate incomes have traditionally had difficulty securing loans and credit at banks. In 1999, Metropolitan recognized the need for a community credit union. Thus, the Metropolitan Community Credit Union was chartered to provide financial services to the low-income community. MCCU helps people attain their financial goals and seek empowerment through financial freedom. The Credit Union now has $2 million in assets and over 1300 accounts.
Metropolitan continues to work for the underserved. Under the leadership of Rev. David L. Moore, these efforts have been rewarded. The people who have new homes, who have successfully started their own businesses, who have received high-quality healthcare, and whose lives have been significantly improved are the reasons this work continues. Empowerment must be done through a comprehensive approach and that is how Metropolitan works.