Agency Details:

Nabhi Christian Ministries

Mission:
NCM is a faith-based, nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization dedicated to enhancing impoverished communities by reducing havoc and creating healthy environments through a provision of services that mentor, train and develop quality citizens of all ages.

Vision:
To serve as a faith-based, leadership development core that will improve economic potential and overall quality of life by producing a more educated and competent workforce.

Description:
For almost 12 years, Nabhi Christian Ministries serves more than 2000 inner-city residents in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. Over 95% of our clients are youth. More than 87% of them live in single parent homes. Our targeted youth live in poor conditions flooded with rapid and deadly epidemics of gun violence that negatively impacts their communities and continues to threaten the safety of our youth, schools and communities. Therefore there are escalating problems of violence, school discipline, drug and alcohol abuse and teen pregnancy. The youth of these communities mostly black, mostly poor - are often forced to adapt to the negative impact of gun violence, creating harsh learning environments as defense mechanisms that minimizes and jeopardizes academic achievement. Most delinquent students suffer incessant stress, internally from illusions of persecution and externally from denied services. They are very often unable to find effective coping strategies. As a result, academic defeat is standing at their door. According to the latest Pennsylvania System of School Assessment these youth scored very poorly on enrollment and attendance, have a high drop-out rate, failing rate in reading and math, grade retention rate, discipline rate, truancy rate, college entrance examination low score rate and post-secondary degree pursuit rate. With the many critical issues facing the youth in our community today, it is essential that we all assist in the positive guidance, development and safety of our youth.

NCM’s outreach programs give deprived youth the opportunity to transform their lives and dare to dream beyond their present circumstances. NCM’s outreach provides life skill’s training, recreation and cultural activities coupled with academic advocacy that includes college/career development through the Educational Mentoring Program (EMP), a conflict resolution program that targets and enrolls 50 high-risk students, ages 12-19, and their families in a case-managed program that inspires them to realize their full potential as productive, accountable and educated concerned citizens.

The outcomes of the EMP reduce violence, promotes self-esteem, raise an academic standard and mobilize communities. (See the EMP program description and components (1-8) list below.

NCM service areas of Pittsburgh and surrounding areas of Allegheny County include: East Liberty, Larimer, Lincoln, East Hills, Homewood, Garfield,Hill District, Pointbreeze and Wilkinsburg.

All services are provided to low-income residents free of charge or for a small processing fee.

NCM staff consists of Bachelor and Master Degree Graduates, and volunteers.

EMP Program/Components:

1. EMP (Educational Mentoring Program): At risk youth (In terms of academic failure) ages 12-19 are engaged in conflict resolution projects that link students with support systems that removes or minimize educational focus barriers and buffers negative risk factors to raise an academic standard and keeps them positively connected to their schools, families and communities.
2. EXHALE: Support group that helps women Break Silence and give Voice to Pain of Rejection. Inspires productive Transformation by Removing Hidden Barriers that obstructs emotional healing and spiritual maturity. Includes career planning and job readiness resources,
3. BOB (Brothers Overcoming Barriers): Men's Work Program Includes Conflict Resolution counseling, career and job readiness, employment leads for males with no life debilitating issues who have fallen into hardship and have lost or can't find jobs,
4. SMART TEENS PROGRAM: The program uses a holistic approach that promotes self-esteem and empowers females and males, ages 12-19, to develop productive futures by helping them to improve their sexual literacy and perception of consequences of sexual activity,
5. ON-SITE LIBRARY: Makes its resources available and useful to high-risk residents of all ages to promote literacy development and lifelong learning skills.
6. Christian Counseling, including GRIP (Grief Release Intervention Program)Helps at risk youth cope with loss by providing short-term counseling through the grieving process.
7. CPR (Crisis Prevention Rehabilitation) Provides community mediation services, teaches conflict resolution and anger management skills, promotes education through reading groups, mobilizes community mediators and educates public for the purpose of reducing violence and improving communication in Allegheny County. On-Site Library added July 2008,
8. VIP (Violence Intervention Production) VIP promotes public campaigns through the performing arts, that reduces gun violence and increases community outreach and public awareness of the dangers and consequences of illegally possessing and using guns.
9. Dollar Energy Program: By appointments only. Helps low-income residents with applying for utility grants,
10. NCM Community Service: Partnership with Juvenile Court Providers to present hourly life-skills training for community service court orders,
11. C-DAP (Children with Drug-Addicted Parents: designed to reduce the possibility of high-risk children,ages 0-13 from starting or continuing addictive behaviors,
12. NCM Distribution: Provides hundreds of brand new goods to low income/impoverished children, youth, individuals and families and those who are starting up businesses to help them become self-sufficient. (Clothes, household, bed, bath & body, paper products, appliances, outdoor, home décor, toys, etc. NCM provides delivery service for disabled and other special cases.

History:
Nabhi Christian Ministries (NCM) is a nonprofit faith-based organization founded in 1996, by Rev. Jacque Fielder and incorporated on November 5, 1998. Out of a desire to voluntarily unify indoctrinated Christians of the poorest ward in Allegheny County during a time of senseless death due to gang violence, Rev. Fielder started a faith-based, nondenominational community meeting place for worship and leadership development in order to effectively focus on serving the needs of the community. Rev. Fielder saw the word, “Nabhi” in a dream and named the ministry after it. She later found out that the word “Nabhi” was a Hebrew word that means, one whom God secretly communicates with. She interpreted the definition to mean that God would give divine direction to the church on how to resolve the many disturbing conflicts that plagued her community. At that time, the church only provided leadership development for ministers and community leaders. The church later enrolled over 100 community members who were trained to love and serve the community regardless of their religious beliefs and/or backgrounds.
In late 1996, NCM created Concerned Citizens of Greater Pittsburgh (CCOGP), an outreach that consisted of head leaders of various organizations and courts, united with a mission to reduce violence and the possibility of high-risk youth starting or continuing delinquent behavior. CCOGP was very effective at resolving conflicts through the mediation of over 200 members of five rival gangs who called a seize fire, peace truce during CCOGP’s first successful gang peace rally in Pittsburgh,PA funded by Best Health Care and received national attention.
In response to a growing need to advocate for former gang members to return to school or get their GED, CCOGP designed the Educational Mentoring Program (EMP) that would increase community awareness about academic failure due to negative risk factors and would assist underprivileged students, families and communities in reducing violence and raising an academic standard.
CCOGP received the 1996 Allegheny County Commissioners Proclamation for improving Pittsburgh neighborhoods and reducing gang violence and The 1997 Pennsylvania State Auditor General Proclamation for improving Pittsburgh neighborhoods and reducing gang violence; The 2000 Sisters Helping Sister’s Recognition Award for reducing high-school dropout; The 2003 Slippery Rock University Sisters2Sisters Best Mentors Award; A 2003 Commendation from Pittsburgh’s City Council for youth advocacy and reducing substance abuse; A 2004 City of Pittsburgh Proclamation for tireless work and effective leadership towards the goals of making Pittsburgh a more peaceful and loving place (December 17, 2004 was declared Nabhi Christian Ministries Day by the City of Pittsburgh), and the 2006 YWCA Youth Recognition Award.
The past success of our programs has depended tremendously on our collaborative relationships with local community partners, and we continually depend on these partners and their expertise to help us deliver an effective, well-managed program. Specific partners listed below are contributing time, expertise and resources to NCM: City of Pittsburgh, East Liberty Family Health Care Center, CAP (Community Action for Peace), Abraxas, District Court, Agape Christian Ministries, Federal Surplus Program, World Vision Gifts-In-kind, mentoring.org, Tickets for Kids, Visionary Performing Arts Academy, LBS Ministries, Inc., United Way.
NCM has a major impact on citizens of high-risk communities of Greater Pittsburgh and is primarily supported through small grants, private donations. A board of directors, consisting of 9 members, governs NCM.

Contact person: Tracee Kirkland, CEO, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (412) 661-6679

Address:

1551 Lincoln Avenue (PO Box 24027) PA, PA 15206 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.nabhiministries.org

Directions:

Penn Circle South East Liberty to Broad Street to Lincoln Ave.   Nearest Bus Stop: 81 Lincoln, 2 minute walk

Last updated on January 28, 2010