Memphis, TN
The church in Memphis (Download Report as PDF)
The church had its beginnings in the early 1970’s when a number of saints migrated to Memphis. It was recognized by brother Lee and his coworkers that Memphis, with its central location and its large population, needed a lampstand. In the mid-1980’s once again something began to sprout in Memphis after a period of “consolidations” and saints having moved away.
Then in the late 1990’s the Lord initiated migration once again. Households from 18 separate localities migrated to Memphis. Today the church numbers around 80 active members, of which 50, on average, regularly attend meetings on the Lord’s Day.
The 2020’s migration will be the third migration to Memphis in 50 years. Once again the church in Memphis shall willingly and wonderfully experience migration, again with open arms, full of expectation to see what the Lord will do.
Email: churchinmemphis@gmail.com
Website: www.churchinmemphis.org
Location, Climate, and Health
Memphis is a racially diverse, older city on the Mississippi River in southwest Tennessee. (There are 65 very old and beautiful buildings in Memphis on the National Historic Registry.)
Memphis averages 218 sunny days per year. The US average is 205 sunny days. Memphis gets 54.1 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38.1 inches of rain per year. Memphis averages 3 inches of snow per year. The US average is 27.8 inches of snow per year. Summer high is in the month of July, averaging 90.9 degrees F; the winter lows are in the month of January, with temps averaging 30.3 degrees F. April, May, and October are the most pleasant months in Memphis, while July and August are the least comfortable months. March is the rainiest month in Memphis with 10.7 days of rain, and August is the driest month with only 6.4 rainy days. There are 108.4 rainy days annually in Memphis, which is less rainy than most places in Tennessee. The rainiest season is summer when it rains 28% of the time and the driest is Autumn with only a 22% chance of a rainy day.
Memphis is a healthcare city, with a history that dates back to 1911 when the University of Tennessee medical college was founded here. Now the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is the epicenter for medical education across the state and region, offering degrees in medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, graduate health sciences, and health professions. Memphis is also the home of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, which is leading the way in how the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. US News and World Report ranks St. Jude’s Cancer Research Hospital #1 in treating children with cancer. Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, Regional One Health Center (home to the only Level 1 trauma center within a 150- mile radius), the Veteran’s Administration system, as well as many other institutions are recognized for their excellence.
Demographics
The Memphis metro area is a good place to live. The core city offers almost everything you would find in Birmingham, Nashville, or Austin. The people are known to be kind, down to earth, and respectful. There are the exceptions, but Southern hospitality has roots in Memphis, Tennessee. The city-scape is both historical and somewhat modern. The cost of living is better than average compared to other top 50 metro areas. The quality of life, especially in the suburbs, and the positive direction of the area, make Memphis metro area a good place to live for those looking for a good mixture of urban and rural living. Memphis has a diverse population (black=63.4%, white=29.2%, other=7.4%). The political class in Memphis supports a “progressive” approach. Some backwards thinking exists from a racial standpoint.
Economy/Employment
Memphis is home to the headquarters of some of the world’s best-known companies (FedEx, Autozone, International Paper). We are home to three Fortune 500 companies and more than 100 Fortune 500 companies with operations in Memphis. And these companies are making headlines. Memphis tops the list of places where Millennials are putting down roots. In fact, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is the number one dream job for Gen Z. Millions of people come to Memphis for its food, music, and history. The savviest ones discover a great place to do business. Low tax rates, an attractive cost of living, and affordable real estate create an ideal business climate. Success is practically guaranteed with tax incentives, infrastructure support, and a skilled workforce. Forbes Magazine ranked Memphis fourth on its list of “The Happiest Cities to Work in Right Now,” and a study by WalletHub ranked our city seventh in the nation for entrepreneurs. Companies that rely on logistics, distribution, manufacturing, and research and development thrive in Memphis. Increasingly, corporate headquarters on the hunt for better locations are discovering that Memphis is great place to land. From corporate headquarters to exciting start-up opportunities, Memphis offers career opportunities for a diverse, metropolitan workforce, supported by a host of world-class higher education institutions, including the largest community college in Tennessee, a number of vocational and technical training facilities and nationally ranked public and private school systems — not to mention low commute times and a high quality of life outside of the office.
Transportation
MATA (Memphis Area Transit Authority) buses are a common mode of transportation throughout the city. These buses transport more than 7.2 million people around the Memphis area every year, and they’re a solid option for getting around town. At only $1.75 per ride (less for students, seniors, and individuals with disabilities), they are quite cost effective.
The logistics industry provides air travel (Memphis International Airport is home to the FedEx Express global hub). Non-stop FedEx destinations from Memphis include cities across the continental United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and South America. From 1993 to 2009, Memphis had the largest cargo operations of any airport worldwide. MEM dropped to the second position in 2010, just behind Hong Kong; however, it remains the busiest cargo airport in the United States and in the Western Hemisphere.
On the passenger side, MEM averages over 80 passenger flights per day. Top destinations include Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Denver, and Orlando.
Interests
While country music fans visit Nashville, Memphis is known as the home of the blues and birthplace of rock-n-roll. Beyond the music, Tennessee’s largest city also offers much more. It has more sunny days each year than Miami, and combines southern tradition and hospitality with modern amenities. You’ll enjoy the great dining (be sure to get the barbecued ribs). Memphis has BBQ, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Hispanic, German, and soul food restaurants. “You name it!” And don’t forget Gus’s Fried Chicken! And game-day hot dogs at Autozone Park!
Shelby Farms, located in Shelby County right outside Memphis proper – 7 square miles of outdoor adventure – is a wonderful outdoor park for children, young people, and adults. There aren’t many “urban parks” in America that provide the variety of outdoor activities that are found at Shelby Farms – paddle boat rentals, row boat rentals, zip lines, walking/hiking trails (paved and unpaved), cycling trails, horseback riding, paintball, disc golf, a large welcome center with great bathrooms, a cafe, a long river walk (2 1⁄2 miles), swings, benches, and fabulous Adirondack rocking chairs overlooking the 80-acre Hyde Lake, stocked with bass, catfish, bream, bluegill and buffalo fish for the local fishermen, plus a very nicely-kept children’s park and a large dog park for pooch!
Museums are found throughout Memphis: the National Civil Rights Museum, the Pink Palace and Planetarium, Graceland, Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Slave Haven Museum, Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Blues Hall of Fame Museum, Children’s Museum of Memphis, the Metal Museum, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, and the Mississippi River Museum at Mud Island.
You may be interested in our major league, minor league, and university sports teams. Professionally, Memphis is home to the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association, which plays at the FedEx Forum. The Memphis Redbirds are a triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals and play baseball at Autozone Park. The University of Memphis has a winning football program and plays its games in the Liberty Bowl, as well as a highly ranked men’s college basketball team. Beyond this, there are other sports enjoyed by the locals, including rugby, soccer, golf, and tennis, to name a few. According to a 2019 USA Today poll, the Memphis Zoo ranks in the top 10 zoos in the nation.
We would be remiss to not mention the Memphis-in-May International Festival in which people from all over the United States come to “pit” their BBQ skills one against another, which also sponsors a music festival and half marathon run.
Campuses
The University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is a 112-acre campus in the center of the city. The first of its college buildings, which today comprise the main campus of the University of Memphis, were erected in the early 20th century. The majority of the buildings of the arts and humanities departments, as well as those of the Physics and Astronomy departments of the College of Arts and Sciences, are located in the original areas of campus. There are 21,000 students.
The northwestern area of the main campus includes The Fogelman College of Business and Economics, The Fogelman Executive Center (a major conference center for regional executives visiting The University of Memphis), and The FedEx Institute of Technology, a major research contributor in the areas of Supply Chain Management, Nanotechnology, Robotics and Intelligent Systems.
The School of Law at the University of Memphis is housed in a 5-story former federal building, located in downtown. The building is on the National Historic Registry, one of a total of 65 Memphis buildings on the Registry. It was formerly, at different times, a customs house, a post office, and a courthouse. The building’s location on a natural bluff overlooking the Mississippi River affords it magnificent westerly views of the river, Mud Island, and Arkansas.
Rhodes College
Rhodes College is a private liberal arts college in Memphis, Tennessee. Rhodes enrolls approximately 2,000 students, and its beautiful campus sits on a 123-acre wooded site in Memphis’ historic midtown neighborhood. Often cited for its beauty, the campus design is notable for its stone Collegiate Gothic buildings, thirteen of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2017, The Princeton Review named Rhodes the #1 Most Beautiful College Campus in America in its edition of The Best 381 Colleges.
LeMoyne-Owen College
LeMoyne–Owen College (LOC or simply “LeMoyne”) is a private historically black college affiliated with the United Church of Christ and located in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1862, LOC has a current enrollment of 945 students and offers bachelor degrees in 22 different areas of study. Among the key majors are Business Management, Computer Science, Education, Special Education, Biology, Sociology and Social Work
School Grades K-12
Memphis City Schools, now Shelby County Schools through consolidation, suffers in educational rankings nationally, state-wide, and county-wide. Generally speaking, the further east from downtown a child attends school, the better. Many parents home-school their children, even through the high school years. There are many renowned private schools in Memphis, though, and these are available, many with scholarships.
Some programs in the elementary and higher grades offer in-school advanced placement classes during regular school hours, such as the CLUE program (Creative Learning in a Unique Environment) and the honors program. Grades must meet the criterion for these kinds of program.
The top 20 elementary schools in the whole of the county, according to Niche.com, are not in Memphis proper but are in the county. This includes all 20 of the top-performing schools, except the last three out of 20, which are in Memphis proper.
Shelby County middle schools do quite a lot better, as do the high schools, in Memphis proper.
