What We Do

Services Provided to surrounding communities.

construction1

Construction


Our vision is to build a community center so we can serve those in need more effectively. The community center will house an Orphanage, Vocational Training Center, Community Kitchen, Warehouse, Medical Clinic, Place of Worship, Gymnasium, and Playground. Since we received the land at our current location, we have been building according to our vision, slowly but surely, with the help of many volunteers and donations across the US.

If you are interested in helping us finish our community center, please visit Volunteer page and Goods and Material page for details. 

We will periodically update the section below to let you know the progress of construction.
Construction Update
January 2013

Community Kitchen and Dining Hall
In the last 12 months, we:

1. Finished tiling dining area.
2. Reinforced structure of dining hall.
3. Replaced wood doors with metal security doors.
4. Textured and painted dining hall.
5. Installed baseboards on wall.

We still need to:

1. Put in sheetrock, tape, texture, paint, tile, and install baseboards in kitchen and pantry.
2. Install kitchen cabinets.
3. Finish plumbing and connect sinks.
4. Finish building stalls and putting in sinks in bathroom.

Orphanage

In the last 12 months, we:

1. Almost completed insulation and sheetrock.
2. Taped all the rooms.
3. Put in commercial tiles on all but one room and one bathroom.
4. Did electrical work.

We still need to:

1. Install five windows, one security door, and light fixtures.
2. Finish plumbing, electrical work, and tiling.
3. Build stalls and install toilets and sinks in the bathroom.

Training Center
In the last 12 months, we:

1. Reorganized and set up computers for computer training class.
2. Repainted the room.

We still need to:

1. Acquire newer computers compatible for internet use.

Sanctuary

In the last 12 months, we:

1. Raised and put in new roof to prevent further water damage in Sanctuary.

We still need to:

1. Work on interior walls and ceiling to accomodate newly raised roof.
2. Rewire electricity circuit.

Medical Clinic
In the last 12 months, we:

1. Covered the wall connected to the sanctuary.

We still need to:

1. Put in electricity and plumbing.
2. Frame interior walls and bathroom.
3. Work on insulation, sheetrock, texturing, and painting.
4. Install window, sinks and toilet.
5. Tile the floor.
6. Furnish clinic with medical equipment and supplies.

Office

We still need to:

1. Lay concrete slab and put on a roof in order to start working on the interior.
Grounds Keeper's Residence
In the last 12 months, we:

1. Painted walls and put in baseboards.
2. Provided new furniture for grounds keepers.
3. Finished tiling the bathroom and shower.

We still need to:
1. Install ceiling fans and kitchen cabinets.

Grounds
In the last 12 months, we:

1. Started building railings that lead to second floor and sliding metal gate to the property.
2. Completed footings for the sidewalk. 

Pan De Vida

“Pan de Vida” is our feeding program, which translates into “Bread of Life” in English. We currently open our community kitchen every Saturday morning to serve free breakfasts to around 350 people in the neighborhood, many of whom are children and elderly.

Though some return week after week, we continue to see new participants come in and the need is growing. Currently the cost of breakfast material is paid for by the ministries' general budget. If you would like to specifically donate monetarily to this program, please notify us with your check or on-line payment.

We also welcome in-kind donation of breakfast items in bulk. If you are a retailer or wholesaler, please consider supporting us this way. You may find a list of commonly used items here . Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have other items for donation that are not currently on the list.

Toy Drive

Since the beginning of the ministry, we have conducted a Toy Drive every year during Christmas time to bring joy to the underprivileged children who rarely receive gifts. It has become a signature event of the ministry that requires a full year of preparation and help from many volunteers and donors. It happens rain or shine, with or without donation, and God always provides. It is a celebration in the community. Families camp out to get in line the night before.

Each year, we distribute brand new toys to over 1,200 children who have been anticipating maybe their only gift of the year. They are able to choose from a room full of toys; and along with it, a wish comes true.

We welcome in-kind donation of toys throughout the year. This will give us to enough time to transport them across the border before Christmas without causing issues at the customs. We only request that the toys be brand-new, in packaging, and cost roughly five to ten US Dollars. You may deliver or post the toys to:

JEM Ministries
P.O. Box 17447, El Paso, TX 79917

Community Outreach

Cinema JEM
Starting April 2012, we turn our community dining hall into a movie theater once a month, serving free popcorn and welcoming those who normally do not have the means to enjoy entertainment.
Distribute Necessities
We distribute food, clothing, household goods, and school supplies to families in need whenever possible throughout the year. We both purchase these items and receive donated ones. If you are interested in giving toward providing these necessities, please see the list of items we are looking for, and contact us to discuss how to drop off these items.
Holiday Celebrations
Through out the year, we invite people to celebrate various holidays and occasions with us at the community center with food and activities. We hope that through these gatherings we can bring people together to share God's love with each other.

Here are some of the holidays we celebrate: Children's Day (April), Mother's Day (May), JEM Ministries Anniversary (July), Mexico Independence Day (September), Thanksgiving (November), etc. Although each year we celebrate different holidays in different styles, we strive to bring extra joy and love in these occasions.

Becas

Since 2009, we take a step of faith every school year to fund scholarships for 30-40 children from the ministries' general budget. These scholarhips allow students to pay for essentials for attending school, such as registration fees, uniforms, shoes, supplies, books, lunch and bus fees.

The scholarships range from 100 to 1,500 US Dollars per year, and are distributed monthly. The scholarship recipients range from Kindergarden, Elementary, Secondary (middle school), Prepatory (high school), College, University and GED exams.

We continue to seek support to fully fund the scholarships. If you are interested in becoming our partner in education, please so indicate with your donation.

Training

Computer Classes
In October 2012, we introduced a weekly basic computer training to the community, including three classes: one for children, one for teenagers, and one for adults. Each class has around ten participants. The training lasted for eight weeks. Classes met for an hour each Saturday.

Participants learned basics including:
- Parts of computer
- How to use USB flash drive
- How to navigate operating system
- How to surf internet
- How to use Microsoft Word for creating documents
- How to print documents
The student with the best performance and full attendance was awarded a used computer at the end of training.
We plan to run new training courses quarterly, or as needs arise.

Food Handler Course

We conduct a regular training class in proper food handling. The class takes place in two half-days. The size of the class is about fifteen people.

The curriculum includes:
- How to prevent contamination
- How to transport food from place to place
- How to maintain personal hygiene
- How to sanitize kitchen
- Different types of contamination
- Food preservation
- Pesticide control

Past Trainings

Other trainings that we have given include:
- Financial Management
- Hygiene
- Personal Health Care
- Exercising
- Wood working
- Construction skills

Church

We meet every Sunday at the Sanctuary in the community center for worship service and bible studies. Rev. Jesus Ruiz is the pastor of the church.

As a church, we also strive to live the life of giving as taught by Jesus in Matthew 10:8 - "...freely you have received, freely give."

To learn more about our beliefs, visit What We Believe .






J.E.M. Ministries

"I am the bread of life ..."
John 6:3