Rev. Edward Simmons - Mountain T.O.P. Ministries
This article is part of a series offering a snapshot of extension ministries of the
Rev. Edward Simmons first became involved with his current extension ministry appointment as a charter member of Holy Covenant in Katy Texas. An active lay person at the church from the beginning, it was there that he says he first felt the stirrings of ministry. “It hit home during a Disciple Bible Study… as it has with many others,” he said.
Simmons used his training as an accountant and helped out his church as the building committee chair. He began working in full-time church administration and spent 8 years at First UMC Houston, and later served Cypress UMC and Memorial Drive UMC.
After becoming a Diaconal Minister in the late ‘90s, he transitioned to Deacon when the discipline changed in 1997. As an extension minister to the Texas Annual Conference, Simmons is now appointed as Executive Director at Mountain T.O.P. Ministries in
Simmons says his relationship with Mountain T.O.P. goes back to Holy Covenant. He took a group one year that had such a good experience, he continued taking groups every summer for several years. “Whether it was during my lay career, or after in ministry I always had a strong connection with youth.” He added that he enjoyed “watching the light go on and seeing how their lives were changed… and them seeing there was more to life.”
When the organization’s founder retired in the fall of 2005, the board asked Simmons if he would be interested in being executive director. He began the appointment in 2006.
Mountain T.O.P. calls itself an “Interdenominational Christian Mission, affiliated with the Tennessee Conference of the
They work with about 700 families in their service area. Simmons said “there is one family our adult ministry has been working with for 10 months: a husband, his wife and three small kids living in an old miner’s shack. We’ve literally been rebuilding it from the ground up. To watch the relationships grow has been fun. Two of the girls were involved in our summer camps.”
Simmons noted that they host youth groups and camps year-round and added that they are “primarily a service project ministry. We involve young people in poverty relief. Youth groups are put in work teams and work in low income or no income houses. Before they come, we ask each church to do a series of prep exercises and to talk about cultural background and do safety training.”
There are churches from the Texas Annual Conference who regularly participate in the ministry. Simmons described the work they do as being “very similar to what U.M. ARMY does in
Churches come from around the country and work on home repairs in the area. Simmons said they also have special needs camps for kids in the community and different church groups or youth groups host them.
He added that they look at the physical and spiritual needs of those who come as well as meeting the needs of those they serve. “During the night, we have programs for campers that come in. We try to take them on a spiritual journey to connect their service to their faith through devotionals and worship they participate in each day. Everything has a spiritual faith-based focus.”
“We look at ourselves as a ministry as more than just meeting the needs of the people. We are also developing leadership roles in individual work teams. Our staff goes through training on how to lead groups, facilitate Bible studies and get construction experience. We are focused on building new Christian leaders through our staff.”
Mountain T.O.P has used a fish hook as its symbol for 34 years. At the end of camp on Friday night, during the last worship as a community, each camper is given a little fish hook as a symbol of their commitment.” It also serves a reminder of Matthew 4:18-20.
18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20At once they left their nets and followed him. (NIV)
If you are interested in their ministry or would like to get in touch with Rev. Simmons, he can be reached at:
931-692-3999
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