Today we’d like to introduce you to Amie Martin
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
80-Twenty United Methodist Church began with a dream to spend church funds differently. Instead of the majority of tithes and offerings used for facilities, staffing, and overhead expenses, our dream was that by 2033, as much as 80% of the tithes and offerings would be used for restoring the community and only 20% on overhead. We began meeting and praying in 2022 about a highly participatory, socio-economically diverse faith community that could gather around a community meal each week. There are activities for all ages, informal meal, a “Jesus story,” live music, and table discussions. We also offer direct one-on-one encouragement, prayers, support, and assistance to the most vulnerable families in our community through the Unstuck and Gentle Lending Ministries. We have served residents meals in three local motels and offer a monthly laundry party at a local laundromat. In addition, we served an inpatient chemical dependency unit with a weekly “higher power hour” for growth, healing, and transformation. The church plans to celebrate her second birthday party this Easter!
80-Twenty UMC also partnered with 80-Twenty Studios, a brand new co-working business that had caught the vision and wanted to support the church. During the work week, the space is filled with co-workers and office tenants, and on evenings and weekends there is event space rental. The revenue generated by the 80-Twenty Studios helps to cover the facilities rental cost and makes the church more financially sustainable.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Volunteerism has had its ups and downs. This has directly impacted the amount of service we’ve been able to do in the community at any given time since the church runs on the wheels of volunteers. At times, many people are looking for places to serve in the community. At other times, it seems as though people are trying to stay afloat themselves and unable to serve as regularly.
Leaders have come and gone. Sometimes due to health problems or people moving away, but other times due to personality differences. Dinner Church is very relational. Because our gatherings are community-focused and our leadership decisions are collaborative, everything depends on healthy communication and sharpening relational skills. Growing in these areas helps us to live and love more like Jesus, but sometimes it stretches people a little too much and it wasn’t a good fit.
Advertisement – getting the word out! Since we choose not to spend much at all on overhead expenses, including marketing and advertising, it is often difficult to spread the word about the new and amazing thing God is doing here at 80-Twenty UMC.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
80-Twenty UMC is known for its community impact. We are committed to restoring the community, working toward socioeconomic and racial justice, and alleviating poverty, so much that we have chosen budget priorities to reflect this commitment: 80% toward this restoration work and only 20% on overhead expenses. This ratio is directly opposite of the traditional building-based church. We also gather around a weekly community meal instead of a presentation on a stage.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
We define success by the amount of positive impact we are able to have on the lives of people. Every week we tell a story of how God has used our funds or our volunteers to restore a life, pay a utility bill, redeem an otherwise impossible situation, or encourage someone who has lost hope. People first.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.80twentychurch.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083276495390
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@80-twentychurch87
