Emmaus: the Ministry Center

Sill Davis, Director of Ministry Center

I spent a lot of time working at the Ministry Center. This was a special place. It was in the basement and it felt like you were at a friend’s home. It had sofas, a dinning room area, a kitchen and an area to do laundry. Additionally there was the pantry and my favorite, the chapel.

Often times the place erupted in song, the guys singing hymns. It was beautiful. Sometimes the guys’ issues came with them and the issues would have to be dealt with. There was the aroma of home cooking. This included the guys making fried chicken, from scratch, peach cobbler, great salads, and spicy veggies.

There was always the sound of guys interacting with staff. This included everything from looking for mail, to doing chores to working on daily goals. The goals were often important: following up with doctors or the court, finding out about housing, preparing for the GED or calling family.

The center was staffed by the interns from Kiao Community and volunteers. It was directed by two very capable folks, Sill Davis the director and Lennette Reynolds the assistant director. Sill saw the guys one-to-one. He worked with other agencies and with the staff. He was a steady guide in the place that often found itself responding the chaos of our guys’ lives. Lennete often redirected the guys and supported them and at times mothered them. She was also directly responsible for the prison outreach program.

These two folks were always busy. They always knew what other workers were up to and how to support them. Together they modeled the head of a family. They modeled their faith and they modeled unconditional love. They were great to work with and I appreciate their guidance and support.


Lennette Reynolds, Assistant Director of the Ministry Center