What I have, I give. What we have as an organization, we give. What we don’t have, others may have. We try to connect people that way. And if they’re willing to go to the next place, then our prayer is that they will do that. — Ephie Johnson, president and CEO of Neighborhood Christian Centers
A Giving Environment
Good intentions paired with actionable steps emanating from an initial stone tossed into the water in 1968 by Dr. JoeAnn Ballard continue to effect positive, local growth and change through the work of JoeAnn’s daughter Ephie Ballard-Johnson. Reacting to a need within her community, JoeAnn and her husband Monroe offered a full-time ministry providing housing and care as well as a foster home to 75 children. This was the giving environment of Ephie’s childhood. Her parents’ vision was to help families achieve upward mobility by creating pathways to higher education and to begin breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
In 1978, JoeAnn formally established Neighborhood Christian Centers, Inc. (NCC). Today, under Ephie’s leadership, NCC serves the River City community through 12 neighborhood-based sites with a satellite organization in Decatur, Alabama. Ephie is the president and CEO of NCC. Two of her three siblings also work at NCC to continue the work their parents started.
Ephie and her mother were featured on NBC as part of the TODAY Show’s “Season of Giving” series in November of 2020, which shed light on NCC’s heart for Memphis and the families they serve.
Neighborhood Christian Centers
Not a day goes by without significant work underway at NCC. It’s not uncommon to see upwards of 400 seasonal event volunteers at work fulfilling the NCC mission, with 50 staff members and a core group of 60 community partners who routinely line up to help.
For Spring Jam 2023, NCC built Switzerland! They converted the 785 Jackson Avenue site into an abroad experience for an audience of children who don’t get many chances to travel more than three miles from their homes. The project requires about three months of preparation from January until it is time for the actual three-day event, Ephie explains. This year, 800 children visited Switzerland after school.
NCC holistically serves families through Compassionate Services (emergency and stability food, clothing, financial, furniture support), Youth Engagement Services (YES) (children and youth out-of-school literacy support, homework help, violence prevention and intervention, social and emotional support, college and career preparation) and Adult Empowerment and Family Enrichment Ministries (Case Management, Wellness Courses, Workforce Development/Social Enterprise, social and emotional support).
“There are a lot of people in our city who are great people but have just fallen on hard times or were born into challenging situations, but they’re good people. They are wanting better for their lives, better for themselves,” Ephie adds, “and our part is to be a surrogacy to their process.”
NCC annually provides multiple programs and assistance to more than 50,000 people and reaches 3,000-plus children alone in their neighborhood sites. In addition to special events like the Spring Jam, Ephie says they always need volunteers for their Bible studies, afterschool children’s clubs, reading volunteers and more. Ephie confirms, “We’re going to need a lot of people to help with reading this summer!”
Ephie Ballard-Johnson
In addition to her role at NCC, Ephie is a business owner, motivational speaker and professional singer and songwriter. She worked as an educator in the Memphis City Schools system before joining NCC. Her husband of 29 years is Rodney Johnson, and they have two sons, Andre and Jonathan.
Ephie is the owner of two gourmet popcorn shops named Pop-A-Roos. She also founded Bluff City Handling, a general services and third-party commercial logistics company and created the Hustlenomics entrepreneur and business development network and platform. She is an inspirational speaker who you may have heard on TedxTalk Memphis, as the host of FOX 13 WHBQ’s “Faith Forum” from 2008 to 2015 and as host of TBN WBUY-TV’s “Joy in Our Town” from 2016 to 2018.
Ephie, like her parents, continues to toss stones into the water, creating reassuring, positive ripples throughout the city. Next on Ephie’s list is a themed performance concept. Stay tuned because it’s going to be an exciting addition to our music scene. She recently produced a Faith and Family Night concert at a Memphis Grizzlies game in February, which was a glimpse of things to come. We can’t say too much, but think “Branson, Missouri,” for a hint of just what Ephie has on her mind!