Meet Rosemary Anderson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rosemary Anderson.

Rosemary, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In 2003 I was instrumental in kicking off a street ministry out of the church I was in ministry with. It consisted of lay people joining me on Saturday mornings, driving a 14′ moving truck to the Boys and Girls Club. The truck had been modified to have one side let down as a stage, with the other side filled with cabinets and drawers to contain a full sound system and items needed for ministry. After setting up, children and families would fill the yard for an outdoor, fully interactive hour of Bible stories, songs, and fellowship. Lunch was served after. This was so much fun and I felt God working through me in a way I had never experienced before. I realized that God was calling me to more ministries of this type more nontraditional. In 2006, I left that church and ventured downtown Phoenix where I worked with children and families in the barrios of South Central Phoenix.

Eventually, I was called to a small Hispanic church called Primera Iglesia Metodista Unida. I served there for eight years, working with migrants and the homeless. Leaving there in 2014, I found myself called to Tempe First United Methodist Church to oversee their homeless ministry. They open their doors to the homeless community on Mondays and Fridays, from 6-10 a.m. for showers, clean clothing, and a hot meal. This is a challenging and fulfilling ministry as we seek ways to increase feelings of dignity and self-confidence through providing opportunities for good hygiene and full stomachs. All agencies who work with the homeless community are invited to come and share space with us to connect with clients and find new ones. Currently, we share partnerships with Circle the City Healthcare for the Homeless, Native Health, Community Bridges, Tempe’s Homeless Outreach Team (HOPE), and other groups who come in randomly. We are fully donation driven and receive the food we serve from Harvest.org, through Starbucks, Pizza Hut, and Waste Not, Want Not/United Way Food Bank. Church members cook for us and also volunteer, as well as people from Tempe. Clothing and Hygiene donations are received from as far away as Gold Canyon, AZ.

Great, 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?
Directing Urban Outreach is a constant challenge between having adequate volunteer coverage, having enough food to serve 100-150 people each time we open, to monitoring behavior among all who gather in a small space to receive and give services. We have one basic rule that all who gather must show respect for each other and themselves. That is for our volunteers as well as our guests.

Every month, we are happy to add new partnerships with agencies or with different schools on the ASU campus. This serves to provide our homeless community with more options and variety to the ways they resolve their situations. It would be wonderful to develop our church campus to have the showers open more often during the week, and, also to provide more permanent shelter. We look at ways to prevent homelessness for the college students who find themselves in a financial bind.

We’d love to hear more about your organization.
Many agencies serve the homeless community. We are the only church in Tempe that opens it’s doors regularly for showers, food, and clothing. Even on holidays! We do not receive grant money, it is a true ministry of the church, funded by members of the church as well as those who live in the City who agree and like what we do. Volunteers are from the church but also from every walk of life in the City. We have ASU student volunteers, High School volunteers, with our oldest volunteer being 89 years old. We are an Interfaith community of volunteers. Currently, we have UMOM Tumbleweed serving young adults under the age of 24, using the church every afternoon from 12-3:30 p.m. They provide specific resources and case management for this age group.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
It has been a rollercoaster ride following God’s calling. Serving those on the fringes of society, working with justice issues, has been a huge challenge. There is so much work to be done and yet, when a person moves forward toward a life goal with confidence and a smile, it is a huge blessing and reward.

Contact Info:

• Address: 215 E. University Rd. Tempe, AZ 85281
• Website: tempefirstunitedmethodistchurch.org
• Phone: 4809673376
• Email: pastorrosemary@tempefirstumc.org

Suggest a story: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.