1) How long have you been affiliated with Jubilee Ministries, and in what capacity?
We are new to Jubilee Ministries in 2017, but have been serving our community for nearly 30 years. St. Michael’s Clinic is the only provider for the uninsured in West Anniston, the largest population of the uninsured in Calhoun County.
2) What is/are your role(s) in your diocese? In your parish? In a ministry or ministries?
The role of St. Michael’s Community Services, Inc. is to minister the love of Jesus through the provision of healthcare to those who otherwise have little or no access to services. The ministry is an outreach of The Church of St. Michael and All Angels. The focus of the work is to offer medical services to those without access, connect patients to needed resources, provide social services such as patient education, and to provide an organization to which concerned citizens can confidently invest in meeting the needs of those living with health disparities. Thousands of patients have been served in West Anniston and the surrounding communities of Calhoun County.
To see more of the Diocese of Alabama’s important work, check out their page on the Episcopal Asset Map. While you’re there, search for innovative ministries, connect with leaders across the Church and tell us about the ways the Spirit is at work in your neighborhood through a short survey.
3) What’s one way you’ve been changed by your work alongside the economically disadvantaged?
Working alongside those struggling with poverty and health disparities has opened my eyes to the value of community resources. Working together with others in our community, we can alleviate the burden of poverty. I think poverty is an issue that can seem so overwhelming that we feel powerless to face it. But if those who seek to love and serve Jesus would turn their hearts toward the poor, collectively we can truly help our neighbors. Disparity in privilege should not dictate the allocation of resources.
4) What does advocacy mean to you?
Advocacy is a fighting word to me. I do not mean to stir thoughts of violence, but rather of strongly held convictions that I feel compelled to address. One of the primary roles of St. Michael’s Community Services, Inc. is to advocate for the needs of our patients. They need someone who understands the healthcare system and can navigate it in such a way as to meet their basic healthcare needs. Advocacy in our ministry often meets a persistent pursuit of locating resources to meet the needs of our patients.
5) Where in your diocese (or parish, or ministry) have you seen Jesus?
We see Jesus in the faces of every patient. In the notable passage of Jesus in Matthew 25, when we serve the least of these, we have served Jesus. These faces are housecleaners, waitresses, those struggling with addiction, the undocumented worker, the ex-convict, the homeless, the mental health patient, and others who have been marginalized, who have fallen through the healthcare gaps in our community.
What a privilege it is to serve them. I am so grateful for the opportunity. Jesus can also be seen in the application of His commandments to us. In the performing of the acts that Christ has called us to perform, Christ then is portrayed to those we encounter. It is Outreach/Evangelism in its truest sense. Jesus is seen in our work.
Nanette Mudiam is the director of St. Michael’s Medical Clinic in Anniston, Diocese of Alabama.
If you are interested in having your church or ministry designated a Jubilee Ministry, please contact Mr. Christopher Sikkema at 212-716-6055 or Christopher Sikkema. The application to be designated a Jubilee Ministry can be found HERE.