Statements
Mission
Our Mission: Equipping a globally conscious community to serve the poor and marginalized through education, advocacy, and empowerment, without discrimination, demonstrating unconditional love.
G.O.D. International is a community service organization for the greater Nashville area, an educational institution, and a third-world development agency.
As a community service organization, we provide:
• Community service programs and skill-building activities for children (Camp Skillz).
• Service opportunities (Students Living a Mission - SLAM), after school programs (CASE), and job training for youth (WorkWell).
• Visits and general household assistance to the elderly.
• English language learning, driver training, childbirth education, and Bible studies to refugee and immigrant communities.
• Educational opportunities in sustainable agriculture and organic food deliveries (Hopewell Farms).
As an educational institution, we run two schools:
• The Institute for G.O.D. (est. 2004) - a Bible and missions college offering undergraduate and graduate degrees. The Institute has 190 students.
• The Academy for G.O.D. (est. 2013) - a K-12 school offering an innovative biblical education with an enrollment of 230 students.
As a third-world development agency, we carry out education, advocacy and empowerment programs in Latin America, East Africa, South East Asia and India.
Background
Global Outreach Developments Int'l began in California in 1996. The nonprofit relocated to Tennessee in 2000, where our staff facilitated community service opportunities for youth in Nashville, Daytona, and Appalachia through G.O.D. 's first program, Students Living A Mission (SLAM).
In 2008, G.O.D. staff and Institute students made a concentrated push to transform the abandoned old Andrew Jackson annex, a formerly segregated school, into its college and organizational headquarters. This formerly segregated school now contains a dedicated entrance wall that tells the story of the historically oppressed neighborhood, told in cooperation with Hopewell residents.
The G.O.D. Int'l campus is home to the Institute for G.O.D. (est. 2004), offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in biblical studies and community development, and the k-12 school, the Academy for G.O.D. (est. 2013). The nonprofit headquarters hosts public events and programs including youth soccer with Mid State Youth Sports, the Camp Skillz summer program, dance classes with the Center Street Dance Academy, theater performances by the Arts at Center Street, as well as neighborhood sports leagues, tournaments, seasonal festivals, and community meals.
One of our organizational mottos is "A Strong Local Presence for a Lasting Global Impact." We believe that the services we offer our community and neighbors in Nashville reverberate around the world. Graduates of our programs have entered the fields of education, agriculture, health care, midwifery, business, finance, construction, video, and music production. They work alongside our staff and volunteers to carry out our mission in middle Tennessee and around the globe.
Impact
Some accomplishments of our work in Middle TN in 2020:
Education:
Despite a global pandemic, our school and college enrollment still increased, thanks to school administrators providing more online offerings and homeschool curriculums. The Academy for G.O.D. provided online and homeschool curriculums in addition to returning full-time on campus in the Fall of 2020. Their enrollment increased from 200 to 230 students. Likewise, the Institute for G.O.D. had a 30% increase in full-time enrollment.
Youth Programming:
Our youth programs welcomed 407 children at summer camps and after-school programs and provided 71 teenagers with summer jobs through WorkWell., During COVID, CASE successfully pivoted online and added a summer programming option. Camp Skillz and WorkWell operated within COVID guidelines without interruption. As a result of these programs, 27,630 free meals were served to children.
Immigrant and Refugee Care:
We provided over 3,000 hours of English Language Learning (ELL), Drivers Education and Health Care education for immigrants and refugees in Nashville. Due to COVID, several of our ELL sites transitioned to online instruction and lost no students in the process. Over 70 families relocated from Latin America, Burma, the Congo, and Burundi received food, clothing, baby supplies, shoes, musical instruments, and children's Bible programming.
Sustainable Development:
At Hopewell Farms, we facilitate regular agriculture classes and opportunities for children and adults. Together, we harvested over 27,000 pounds of produce, much of which was included in a farm-to-table school lunch program. Through this community farm and its partnerships worldwide, we've provided jobs to 15 farmers and education to 155 agriculture enthusiasts.
To view our annual report online, visit: https://www.godintl.org/annual-reports
Needs
1. Campus improvement for our K-12 and college campus that will pave 2 parking lots and increase safety, handicap access and traversability on stairs and pathways. Cost: $66k
2. A scholarship fund for our Academy and Institute programs that would provide education opportunities to disadvantaged students in the Nashville area. Cost: $320k
Scholarships for Academy for G.O.D.: $220k
Scholarships for Institute for G.O.D.: $100k
3. The construction and finishing of a rooftop urban garden at Hopewell Farms, to increase production and serve as a venue for education and empowerment in the field of sustainable agriculture. Cost: $15k
4. Fund for immigrant and refugee care services to provide English language learning classes, driver's education opportunities, and more to immigrant and refugee communities in the Nashville area. Total cost: $40k
Cost Breakdown:
Three ESL classes per week with ESL certified teachers for one year: $8,000
Four 6-week Driver Education courses to pass written test: $1,500
Four 10-hour driving classes to pass road test: $6,000
Four health and safety seminars: $600
Pre-owned 15 passenger van for transportation to and from programs: $20,000
ESL books and supplies for 70 to 100 students: $2,500
Backyard gardening supplies for immigrant families: $2,000
CEO Statement
G.O.D. Int'l concentrates on the development of the human being. While providing material resources is good and something we are happy to do, the capacity building of peoples and communities through education, advocacy, and empowerment is the ultimate aim of our organization.
Providing capacity development for the poor and marginalized to be successful in their families and, in turn, communities, can bring about sustainable change for the wellbeing of everyone. We recognize that the most effective service is one that considers the world through the eyes of a child. In that, our efforts are aimed to create an environment hospitable to children, so the next generation can grow up to fulfill every possibility inherent to their humanity. This humanizing approach develops future-oriented leaders who are innovative problem solvers, ready to meet the challenges of a new generation, ethically, and responsibly.
Our services are rendered to all, without discrimination. We hope to live at peace with every neighbor--regardless of their religious preference, national origin, or any other factor that would lead to unhealthy partiality. Our faith recognizes the necessary respect associated with the beauty of diversity within the human experience. It implements the rule that we should do to others as we would want to be done to ourselves.
As an organization, we value innovative, resourceful, entrepreneurial, ethical, and educational programs that meet real needs and empower the 'needy' to 'do for themselves' and 'drink from their own wells.'
Finally, our organization would not be what it is without selfless employees and volunteers. We have a solid base of committed employees who are experts in what they do. Our team is very passionate about seeing people receive empowerment through our programs that take recipients from a sense of powerlessness and gives them mission, purpose, and identity amidst significant challenges. We hope to continue to create duplicable models for community development that can be shared in any world region. We pray this would lead to a greater experience of freedom and purpose in this life for all involved. All we do is to glorify God and we do not believe this requires proselytization, but can be done with the demonstration of unconditional love as modeled by our Lord Jesus.
Board Chair Statement
Global Outreach Developments International is making a difference in our community. We demonstrate our commitment through the many programs that carry out our mission. We are privileged to serve Nashville's elderly, at risk youth, immigrants and refugees and families in need through education, advocacy and empowerment.
We've also recently demonstrated our ability to adapt to rapid change while continuing to serve others in relevant and meaningful ways. None of this can happen without staff and volunteers who are uncompromisingly committed to a mission -- to their faith -- to serve others with excellence.
In times of uncertainty where many of those we serve are fearful of contracting an illness or under great financial hardship, we have adapted each of our programs to respond to the present moment. We are here for the people we serve, not matter what the changes we need to make.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Education - Higher Education |
| Secondary Category: | Youth Development - Youth Development Programs |
| Tertiary Category: | Public & Societal Benefit - Leadership Development |
Areas Served
We are based in the Hopewell neighborhood, a historically African-American and low-income community. Our service takes place in communities of need in Old Hickory-Hermitage, Madison, Antioch, Mt. Juliet and Metro Nashville. Our international work takes place in El Salvador, Uganda, Kenya, India, and the Philippines.
| TN - Davidson |
| International |
