"The name of the church is St. Joseph's, after the Joseph who was married to Mary. He wasn't the biological father, but he assumed the responsibility of raising baby Jesus. That's what we're trying to do here. A lot of these kids have been with us since they were five years old and they're in high school now; they've grown up coming here. This is their place to be. They know there are adults here who care about them. When we first started in the Vance-Lauderdale area, there were maybe 1500 households and fewer than 50 were headed by married couples, so for a lot of the children, there was no biological father in the house. It was also a time when crack cocaine had come to Memphis in a big way. It was said that you could smoke it once and be hooked. That's what happened to a lot of people. I don't know if there's been a cure found yet for that kind of addiction, but I've seen people over the years get down on their knees, commit their lives to Christ, and give it up for good. God delivered them. It happens. We know there are a lot of negative influences around, but we want the children in our community to have somewhere positive to go and something positive to do. That's our biggest mission at St. Joseph's and at the Emmanuel Center: to tend to these children. My job description for the past 27 years, the only one I've ever had, is this prayer: 'Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace. So clothe us in your spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your name. Amen.'"
Fr. Colenzo Hubbard with Fr. Sandy Webb (Church of the Holy Communion) on a recent work day at the Emmanuel Center. Teams from both churches (assisted by many children and adults in the community) cleaned, painted, gardened, built planters and benches, and constructed a Little Free Library to benefit the children of the Emmanuel Center.
Fr. Colenzo Hubbard, Executive Director of the Emmanuel Center and Vicar at St. Joseph's Episcopal Church, 604 St. Paul Avenue
Bio: The Rev. Colenzo Hubbard and History of Emmanuel Center
Fun fact from the bio page: Father Hubbard is a graduate of the University of Alabama, where he received a degree in Social Work and was a member of the 1973 National Championship (and three SEC championships) Crimson Tide football team under Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.
Website: Emmanuel Center
"LIKE" on FB: Colenzo
Bio: The Rev. Colenzo Hubbard and History of Emmanuel Center
Fun fact from the bio page: Father Hubbard is a graduate of the University of Alabama, where he received a degree in Social Work and was a member of the 1973 National Championship (and three SEC championships) Crimson Tide football team under Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.
Website: Emmanuel Center
"LIKE" on FB: Colenzo