About Us

Love thy neighbor. That’s the sentiment at the UrbanMinistry Centerwhere we see 500-600 of our homeless neighbors each day on our campus. They come to relieve their hunger in our Soup Kitchen, enjoy art or other community programs, to get treatment, to connect with our housing programs—to eventually take steps out of homelessness. Our 2012 Impact Summary shows the need, the progress, and the outcomes we realize every day. An army of 10,000 regular, seasonal and one-time volunteers made it all happen. They are the heart and hands behind everything we do.

Urban Ministry Center
945 N. College St
Charlotte, NC 28206

Phone: 704-347-0278

Fax: 704-347-3570

Also see direct dial extensions on Staff page

HousingWorks

Located at Moore Place

2435 Lucena St.

Charlotte, NC 28206

Main: 980-224-9260

Hours:

Monday through Friday

8:30 until 4:30 p.m.

Soup Kitchen Hours:

Lunch every day

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

History

The Urban Ministry Center opened its doors in December 1994 as a partnership of uptown congregations and businesses to address the needs of the poor and homeless with compassion and tangible help.

Founding partners include: Bank of America, First Union, Duke Power, Bell South, TransAmerica, Knight Foundation, Mecklenburg County and Uptown Development Corporation, St. Peter’s Episcopal, St. Peter’s Catholic, First United Methodist and First Presbyterian. Our original home was in the old train station building on North Tryon St. The Soup Kitchen founded by St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in 1979 relocated to this building. In 2006, we expanded services and moved into our new building, located directly across from the old train station.

The Urban Ministry Center serves as a point of entry to services offered by a network of agencies that work closely to provide necessary opportunities for the homeless population. We are an interfaith agency drawing support and volunteers from more than 130 congregations.

The Urban Ministry Center is a registered 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit and is funded by donations from private individuals, congregations, corporations and foundations. We receive no United Way funding. All contributions are fully tax-deductible.

Our Mission

The Urban Ministry Center is an interfaith organization dedicated to bringing the community together to end homelessness, one life at a time.

Our Values

Respect: We believe each life has dignity. We are all God’s children.
Compassion: We show our compassion in our ministries of presence.
Personal attention: We treat people as individuals with unique concerns.
Empowerment: We assist our neighbors so they can move toward self-sufficiency.
Hope: We believe that God doesn’t give up on us and we don’t give up on one another.
Community: Our programs are designed to engage people and build trusting relationships.
We understand that rich and poor have much to share with each other.