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Creative Arts
Transitional Housing
My Brother’s Keeper Homeless Shelter
Friday Morning Breakfast
Mpowerment Job Training
Health Clinic
Legal Services
SAMPLE PAGE
UPCOMING EVENTS

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Creative Arts
Mission Waco Mission World understands the need for humans of all ages to express themselves creatively. That is why we’ve created four different creative arts programs for the whole family. These programs help promote creative empowerment among children, youth and adults through the arts. We hope to help those entering our programs understand themselves as creative beings who have the power to recognize overlooked opportunities for inspiration. Our goal is to help emerging artists nurture a creative mindset while teaching them the skills to put their creative thoughts into artistic action. Our aim is to focus on the process, not the product.
Urban Acts: empowering people through theater.
Urban Movements: empowering people through dance.
Urban Melodies: empowering people through music.
Urban Expressions: empowering people through art.
Urban Expressions Summer Art Camps:
Three, 2-week sessions. Tuesday-Thursday 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Cost is $30 per child with scholarships available!
Session 1: June 14-16, 21-23 (age 8-12)
Session 2: July 5-7, 12-14 (age 8-12)
Session 3: August 9-11, 16-18 (age 12-14)
1:30-3:30 p.m. at our Urban Expressions building, 1313 N. 15th. Please contact our office at 254-753-4900 for an application!
How you can help:
Want to volunteer with us? Please contact [email protected]
Transitional Housing
The journey out of both homelessness and addiction is difficult, but you don’t have to go at it alone.
The Gorman House offers Christian-based housing for men and women coming out of the Extended Stay Program at My Brother’s Keeper. Applicants must be referred by Meyer Center staff.
Lighthouse 512 Recovery House offers Christian-based living for men that have completed treatment and are trying to re-integrate into mainstream society.
Contact Carlton Willis, Associate Executive Director at [email protected] or 254-753-4900, EXT. 202.

My Brother’s Keeper Homeless Shelter
Centered around the biblical mandate to care for our fellow man, My Brother’s Keeper is a chronic emergency homeless shelter available to those with an urgent housing need on an application basis.
- Located at 1217 Mary St. behind Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore.
- Applications for the shelter are taken at the Meyer Center ([email protected]).
- Once an application is on file applicants must request a bed on a daily basis at the Meyer Center.
- This is meant to be a temporary place to stay while you locate affordable housing.
- Chapel services are Monday through Friday from 7:00-7:45 p.m.
- If you’d like to help lead a Chapel service visit our Volunteers page to register with CERVIS.
Friday Morning Breakfast
At Mission Waco Mission World, we want to feed mouths, but also souls. Friday Morning Breakfast (FMB) provides Waco’s impoverished and homeless population with an opportunity to enjoy a meal, a message and fellowship with others. This happens every Friday at 6:30 a.m. at the Meyer Center.
Different civic groups and churches provide the meal each week. Interested in helping out? Volunteers and groups can commit to a semester, provide a one-time meal or be put on a monthly rotation. Contact Paul Fields to volunteer or to schedule your group to provide a meal.
Learn more about what else takes place at the Meyer Center here.
1226 Washington Avenue
Waco, TX 76701
Mpowerment Job Training
Our goal at Mission Waco Mission World is always to empower for the sake of sustainable improvement.
We offer pre-employment services such as job readiness training, job search skills, computer skills and assistance in setting life goals and budgeting. Our job training class is a six-week program that provides guidance in resume building, interviews and other job-related skills, as well as transitional work experience. This class is funded by an outside source that has certain criteria for acceptance. However, those that don’t qualify are eligible through other funding sources. Interested individuals should attend an orientation at the Meyer Center held Mondays at 1:30 p.m. We also offer Youth Job Training for ages 16-24.
Email Mpowerment at [email protected] or call 254-296-9866, EXT. 308, 311 for more information.
Mpowerment is located at the Meyer Center. Learn more about the Meyer Center’s other programs here.
1226 Washington Avenue
Waco, TX 76701
Health Clinic
Lack of healthcare is a major hindrance for those living in poverty. Since 2005, the Mission Waco Health Clinic has treated the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of low-income patients without health insurance while serving as a bridge for getting our patients long-term help.
We offer the following services:
Acute Care Medical Services
- Every Tuesday and Thursday from 5-7 p.m. Must sign in before 6 p.m. to be seen.
- First come, first served.
- These services are only for patients without Medicare, Medicaid, or any other form of insurance and who are NOT established with Family Health Clinic.
- We do NOT provide immunizations, STD testing, labs, x-rays, disability forms, sports physicals or narcotic prescriptions.
Dental Services
- Two Tuesdays per month—call for dates.
- Extractions only.
- Two different programs, depending on whether or not the patient has Medicare.
Orthopedic
- Once a month. Appointment required.
- Available to any patient who does not have access to specialty care.
- Patient must be referred by a doctor’s office (your own or one of ours).
Rehabilitation Services
- Twice a month. Appointment required.
- Available to any patient who does not have access to specialty care.
- Patient must be referred by a doctor’s office (your own or one of ours).
Vision Screenings
- Twice a month. Call for dates.
- First come, first served, 5-6 p.m.
Tuberculosis Testing
- Administered every Tuesday 5-7 p.m; read every Thursday 5-7 p.m.
- First come, first served.
Psychiatric Services
- Once a month. Appointment required.
- Available to patients who do not have access to specialty care.
- Patient must be referred by a doctor’s office (your own or one of ours).
Pulmonary Services
- Once a month. Appointment required.
- Available to any patient who does not have access to specialty care.
- Patient must be referred by a doctor’s office (your own or one of ours).
Dermatology Services
- Once a month. Appointment required.
- Available to any patient who does not have access to specialty care.
- Patient must be referred by a doctor’s office (your own or one of ours).
Allergy and Asthma Services
- Once a month. Appointment required.
- Available to any patient who does not have access to specialty care.
- Patient must be referred by a doctor’s office (your own or one of ours).
Please note: We start signing in patients at 4:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday evening. Must sign in before 6 p.m. for Medical Services.
Contact Co-directors Sarah Lockett and Vivian Chukwuedozie for more information or to get involved.
Our health clinic is located at the Meyer Center. Learn more about the Meyer Center’s other programs here.
1226 Washington Avenue
Waco, TX 76701
Legal Services
In the wise words of Martin Luther King Jr., “Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”
The Mission Waco Legal Assistance Program (MWLAP) was founded in 2012 to help remove legal barriers by providing access to affordable legal services for those who are unable to afford a private attorney. MWLAP has since served over 1,000 individuals and families through direct legal advocacy and free monthly legal advice clinics. Client advocates help connect applicants to other necessary social services and support the community in the creation of lasting solutions to systemic problems.
MWLAP exists to provide affordable, compassionate, holistic and community-driven legal services to low-income, moderate-income and marginalized individuals, families and communities in order to promote an increased quality of life for all people.
We offer the following services:
- Direct Legal Advice: We specialize in, but are not limited to, these areas:
- Immigration: family and victim-based petitions, DACA, Citizenship/Naturalization, and other areas are available as needed
- Barriers to Employment: Criminal record history issues, driver’s license or ID issues, and other employment issues as available
- Housing: Landlord-Tenant relationship and other housing-related issues
- Wills and Estates: Assistance with basic Wills and Powers of Attorney
- Immigration: family and victim-based petitions, DACA, Citizenship/Naturalization, and other areas are available as needed
- Third Thursday Legal Clinic: Our free legal advice clinic for low-income individuals where applicants meet with volunteer attorneys for 30-minute consultations. This typically takes place on the third Thursday evening of each month and appointments are strongly encouraged.
- Holistic Advocacy: Social workers and community advocates are available to help with applicants’ other needs as they come.
Please note: Making and keeping an appointment does not guarantee legal representation or acceptance of your case. We charge minimal fees for most of our services. However, no one will be denied services based on an inability to pay. Please DO NOT let lack of finances keep you from contacting our office with questions about our services.
Compelled by the teachings and love of Jesus Christ, Mission Waco Legal Assistance Program serves, advocates for, and empowers people in need regardless of race, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation or national origin.
Please call Spencer Smith, Lead Volunteer at (254) 753-4900 extension 321 to discuss our legal services.
MWLAP is located at the Meyer Center. Learn more about the Meyer Center’s other programs here.
1226 Washington Avenue
Waco, Texas 76707



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Jimmy Dorrell
Co-Founder & President Emeritus


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John Calaway
President and Executive Director


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Janet Dorrell
Co-Founder & Director Emeritus of Mission World


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Kathy Wise
Associate Executive Director of Operations and Equipping


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Carlton Willis
Associate Executive Director of Programs


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Taylor Bradley
Finance Director


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Carlos Hinojosa
Associate Executive Director of Advancement

Jimmy Dorrell is Co-founder and President Emeritus of Mission Waco Mission World. He grew up in Conroe, Texas and attended Baylor University, where he received a BA in religion in 1972. He earned his M. Div. in 1978 from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He later received an MA in Environmental Studies from Baylor in 1993 and in 2001, a Doctor of Ministry from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.
After graduating from seminary in 1978, he and his wife Janet traveled the world to work among the poor. They then planted roots in North Waco, where they began their call to incarnational ministry: to live among the poor and help bring “good news” through relationships and empowerment opportunities. Dorrell’s passion for the poor and mobilizing the middle-class to become involved in the lives of the poor became the strategy for Mission Waco Mission World that continues today.
Dorrell has served as pastor of Church Under the Bridge since 1992 while also teaching classes at Baylor University and Truett Seminary in Waco. He has served on several boards, including Texas Christian Community Development Network and helped found three other non-profit organizations. Dorrell has been honored through awards such as the Family of the Year Award from the Waco Conference of Christians & Jews, Whataburger Hometown Hero, Citizen of the Year from the National Association of Social Workers (Waco Unit), Baylor University Alumni’s Abner V. McCall Humanitarian Award, both the Wacoan Magazine and Waco Tribune-Herald “Person of the Year” and the Baylor Distinguished Alumni Award (2017).

John Calaway is our President and Executive Director. He graduated from Hardin-Simmons University in 2006 and promptly moved to Nepal to live and work among the Sherpa people and start a business, plant churches, train pastors and host medical clinics in remote villages. It was in Nepal that God began to develop his heart for the local church and those living in poverty.
Upon his return to the U.S., John attended Baylor University’s Truett Seminary where he received his M. Div. with a concentration in Missions and World Christianity in 2011. While in graduate school he became actively engaged with Church Under the Bridge and Mission Waco. It was here that he learned about Christian community development and how to consider addressing systemic issues surrounding poverty. After graduating, he moved to Austin and was a Missions Pastor for six years before returning to Waco to join our staff in early 2017.
John has led multiple workshops for the No Need Among You Conference, served as a speaker for the Texas Christian Community Development Network and is active in the Christian Community Development Association. He has sat on different boards for nonprofit organizations and traveled all over the world leading hundreds of people to serve the poor.
He loves to go mountain biking in Cameron Park, competing in triathlons, mountain climbing and backpacking all over the U.S. and traveling around the world. His wife, Sarah, is a pediatric physical therapist and is passionate about advocating for children with special needs. They both love having fun with their two young kids, Cohen and Cora.

Janet Dorrell is co-founder of Mission Waco with her husband Jimmy Dorrell. She is Director Emeritus of Mission World programs. Though recently retired from Mission Waco Mission World, she continues serving with global partners through Church Under the Bridge. At 20 years old she started living among the poor in Ft. Worth, Detroit, Waco, Mexico City, Haiti and India. She received her Bachelors and Masters of Science Baylor University.
“My heart has yearned and ached for those who live without the knowledge of the Kingdom of God in all its wonder. Poverty is life without hope where injustice is daily eaten for breakfast because you are poor. Poverty of Spirit is living without the knowledge that you are loved. To advocate and stand up for others without a voice is building the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Spend yourself on behalf of the poor so they may taste and see the Lord is good as you build the Kingdom in their midst.
Choosing to see and live among “invisible” people is a gift from God. Half of the world’s population live without justice, mercy, hope, peace or love. Mission World exists to “stand up and bring others to hear freedom calling and feel it in their bones – who the son sets free will be free indeed! Advocacy is using the gifts we are given to shine into the darkness of others .

Kathy Wise is Associate Executive Director of Mission Waco Mission World. She grew up in Gatesville, Texas, graduated from Baylor with a BBA degree and moved to Alexandria, Virginia where she worked in business for 10 years followed by five years on staff at First Baptist Alexandria (community ministries, single adult ministry). She returned to Waco to attend Baylor’s Truett Seminary where she earned her M. Div. in Theology, including a mentorship semester in Clinical Pastoral Education/chaplaincy at Hillcrest Hospital.
Kathy began volunteering with Mission Waco in 1998 to learn more about cross-cultural relationships, completed Mission Waco’s Urban Ministry Institute in 2000 (including a 2-month “urban placement” with the Jesus People in Chicago that opened her eyes to community living), and then joined Mission Waco staff in May 2000. She oversees much of the operational side of Mission Waco as well as the Equipping/Mobilizing team.
Kathy enjoys being part of Church Under the Bridge, hiking, biking, participating in entrepreneurship and redevelopment in Waco and introducing people to Waco.

Carlton Willis is our Associate Executive Director of Programs, overseeing Children, Youth and Adult Programs. Carlton is a native of Abbeville, SC and attended Anderson College where he received a BA Degree in music with a concentration in business. After graduation, Carlton became Evening Director of Student Activities and worked in Admissions and Residence Life. After a year, he joined Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee where he was Assistant Director of Admissions and Coordinator of Minority Recruitment for seven and a half years. He also served as Director of Music at Oak Valley Baptist Church in Oak Ridge, TN for two years. Carlton joined Mission Waco as Director of the MPowerment Program in December of 2000.
Carlton enjoys singing, traveling, meeting people and hanging out with family and friends. He attends Greater New Light Missionary Baptist Church where he serves as Co-Choir Director, Praise Team Leader and Trustee.

Taylor Bradley is the Finance Director of Mission Waco Mission World. She grew up throughout Texas but considers Lometa her hometown. She attended the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor where she received a BBA degree in Accounting and Management. After graduation, Taylor moved to Waco to work as an Auditor with Pattillo, Brown & Hill accounting firm and later with the Accounting Services department of Baylor Scott & White Health. During this time, Taylor began studying for the CPA exam and received her CPA license in 2016.
Thanks to her involvement with her church and the local chapter of Texas Society of CPAs, Taylor was introduced to Mission Waco in 2013 through service opportunities with Mission Waco’s Toy and School Supply Stores and began serving regularly. She joined Mission Waco staff in 2020.
Taylor attends Harris Creek Baptist Church where she serves as a volunteer teacher in the preschool ministry. She enjoys hiking in the great outdoors, traveling to new places, trying new foods and live music.

Carlos Hinojosa serves as our Associate Executive Director of Advancement. Carlos is a native Texan who was born and raised in Harlingen, TX. After high school, he attended the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and earned his Bachelors Degree in Biology and then a Master’s degree in Information Systems. After graduation, he spent some time working as a software developer, and then transitioned into the nonprofit sector with a role at Habitat for Humanity International. After his time with HFHI, he spent time trying several different types of work like teaching high school, running the technology department for a small school district, and even worked in the legal field. He then returned to the nonprofit sector at Waco Habitat for Humanity and fell in to fundraising. Carlos has been working in fundraising ever since.
After working with Waco Habitat, he served at Waco Family Medicine as Development Director. During his time there he helped usher in a new brand identity for the organization and was instrumental in launching a capital campaign for their new building on Colcord. Carlos comes to Mission Waco eager to help raise funds and awareness for all the great work that has been going on for decades.
In his spare time, Carlos enjoys spending time with his wife Emily, and their three young boys, who are currently 6, 4, and 2. You may spot him on Saturday mornings at Brazos Park East, or the Waco Downtown Farmers Market where he spends most Saturdays with his boys.

Shannon Williams
Director of Fair Trade, World Cup Administrator, Webmaster

Jerrod Clark
Director of Meyer Center & Social Services

Mckenzie Lacy
Director of Children and Youth Programs

Vince Hartsfield
Director of Manna House

Sam Doyle
Director of My Brother’s Keeper & MPowerment Staff

Emily Hills
Director of Urban REAP (Renewable Energy & Agriculture Project)

Shay Evans
Youth Program Director

Shelley Martinez
Clothesline & Voucher Center Manager

Ruthie Duncan
Finance Administrative Assistant

Mayme Williams
Finance Administrative Assistant

Ryan Harrington
Street Sweep Director

Gala Gerber
Maintenance Director

Ben Randall
Meyer Center Program Administrator

David Daniels
Jubilee Food Market Store Lead

Shelley Bryant
Finance Administrative Assistant

Bailie Rouse
Director of Volunteers

Libby Barnhill
Director of Groups

Bradyn Braziel
Jubilee Theater Director

Marisela Cruz Arredondo
Urban REAP Program Coordinator

Nicole Moreno
Jubilee Food Market General Manager

Chef Michael Charette
World Cup Cafe General Manager

Nazry Mustakim
Maintenance Staff

Dusty Kirk
Chief Village Officer – Creekside Community Village

Kessa Payne
Events and Fundraising Coordinator

Megan Yingst-Coats
Social Media Coordinator

Andrew Christie
Clinic Co-Director

Natalie West
Poverty Sim Director and Ark Advisor
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