We Believe

God drives our work in West Montgomery

The Washington Park Community has been a community of great contribution to our country- The literal birthplace of icons of the Civil Rights Movement. The New Walk of Life Church Building was used as one of the planning and transportation operation locations for the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This community has been a catalyst for change. The memories of those changes, the impact that this community has had on our city, state, and nation, have been all but erased by its now extremely high rates in the following areas: poverty, high school dropouts, teenage pregnancies, single women-headed households, homelessness, and concentration in violence and crimes.

We don’t believe in shifting  poverty or the problems to another part of Montgomery, we believe through God’s power we can eliminate it all together. We believe in and work to build bridges to help those trying to redirect their lives. We believe Montgomery is only as strong as its weakest communities. We are an incubator, a safe place for those desiring to serve and a safe place for those in need of services. We believe the Holy Spirit is moving in this community, empowering and equipping the people living here once again. We rejoice in being a part and working with so many throughout the City of Montgomery to unite and make positive changes. 

In every person who comes to New Walk of Life or its outreach ministries, MAP or the Mercy House, whether to serve or to be served,  we see one of God’s children, and we see the opportunity of an eternal impact through a simple meal, a book from Uncle John’s Library, an enrichment class from the Pathway House or a spot in our GED classes. We walk with those who want to walk out of poverty, helping them to remove the obstacles hindering them and helping them to identify the path that God has for them. We labor and pray with each person to break the bonds of generational poverty. We work hard to create healthy options and opportunities to keep our kids from the destructive influences of the streets that lead to violence, anguish, and the continuation of poverty. We aim to see God fearing families restored. We hope to honor God in the ways we care for the least of our brethren. Most importantly, we pray that everyone who comes to us for help or to help us help others sees not us, but Christ in our actions, and in turn, seeks to know God for themselves.  We believe hope is one of the vital missing pieces in this community. Through the love of God and demonstration of the gospel we try and restore hope within this community. We hope our life on life tools will lead to a New Walk of Life  in this community.

We see a day where two-parent families own and fill homes in this community. We see a day where faith in God and education will be tools used to bridge the opportunity gap. We see a day where this food desert is replaced by locally owned and operated grocery stores and where locally owned businesses will return to a thriving community. We see a day in this community where people will come together to worship, live, work, play and serve each other. We are believing to see a community where children don’t have to second guess safety. We see that day and we hope you see it with us.

Under the guidance of New Walk of Life Church, MAP was established in 2004 to help serve those in need in Washington Park and West Montgomery. In October 2018, Mercy House was established as the initial 501(c)3 nonprofit outreach of MAP. The Mercy House is a day shelter at 2412 Council Street providing access to food, clothing, shower facilities, and laundry washing.

And because those in need often have various needs in differing stages, we launched the MAP Center of Excellence. Located at 12 E. Delano Avenue, the MAP Center helps provide stability through comprehensive support resources, including youth development, career guidance, and family services. We have transformed the former WSFA News building to accommodate youth enrichment after school and summer programs, and other family services, including the Youth Hub as a safe place for our youth and young adults.

The MAP Youth Navigation Program (and its Summer Enrichment Program) were started with help from Common Ground Montgomery in 2023 as they entrusted their after school and summer programs to us. We currently use their building at 1516 Mobile Road. To help create change, we must be involved with our community’s youth, and that’s what we do through the MAP Youth Navigation Program.