Inside Out Inc. is a non-profit organization based in the Columbia area of South Carolina. The basic mission of Inside Out is to take God's love into the surrounding community to see lives changed from the "inside out." This is what founder Christy Gunnell began doing back in 2000. Since then, she and her volunteers have reached out into the local communities to begin ministering to kids and their families. Her predominate community have been trailer park communities in the Percival Road area of Columbia.
Her days are anything but ordinary. From referring people to doctors and other offices, to help families receive government assistance; to helping deliver babies Gunnell has done it all. However, her ministry also does so much more for the community. She says, “We give out turkey’s at Thanksgiving as well as tracts with the turkeys. At Christmas we give out two toys for every child, wrap the toys, and share the true meaning of Christmas with families.”
In order for this to ministry to be successful there are many more people that help Gunnell in her efforts to reach the trailer park communities. Many of her volunteers are students from the University of South Carolina. Thomas Gruel is one of her helpers that leads a group every Tuesday and Thursday from the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, or BCM, on campus. He says, “A lot of these kids they have a lot less than we ever thought possible and it’s just a matter of giving back to the community. It’s a good way to get these kids on the right track and give them a get away from their normal lives that are usually pretty tough.” However, she does have other students that are not involved at BCM. Emily McCollum, a freshman at USC, has been working with Gunnell for a little over three years. McCollum still makes time for this ministry in her busy schedule at school. “Now that I’m at college I still drive from downtown to see the kids all the time because it’s a nice way for me to get away from the craziness of being in college and being apart of these kids lives and seeing them grow up.”
During the hour or so that Gunnell and her volunteers are in the neighborhood many of the kids come out for the candy that is involved, and a few of the parents come out and watch. However, at the gathering there were only a couple of parents. One parent was Lesley Arline. “It’s awesome that these kids give of their time to come out and expose these kids in the community to college and other races.” Arline continues on raving about the work the Inside Out does in the community. “They really help out around the holidays.” Arline says. “At Christmas time they help make sure all the kids get gifts. They also help make sure every family gets a turkey or a ham. Then when it is time for the kids to go back to school they help make sure the kids get school supplies. Those little things help, and as a parent when you know that assistance is coming it helps a lot more.” While these events that help assist the parents are Arline’s favorite, they are also a favorite of the students from USC that help. “My favorite thing in the trailer park is at Christmas when we help the parents shop for presents for the kids. It’s a really moving experience to see the parents overwhelmed with the fact they get to bring Christmas home for their kids for free. To see their faces and help them put Christmas together for their families is my favorite thing we do throughout the year,” said McCollum.
While the ministry of Inside Out is to focus on the community, one of the most crucial parts of their ministry is the relationship they have with the kids. A typical day for the Backyard Bible Clubs is to do a Bible story and maybe a song with everybody together. The boys would then break and go play football or soccer for a little bit, and then the girls would do a craft of some sort that would follow the Bible story. “When these guys come out we play around, study the Bible a little, and do some fun activities,” says neighborhood kid José Lopez. “My favorite thing to do every week is play football because I like catching the ball.” Miguel Hernandez, another neighborhood kid, said he also had a different reason why. He said, “You get more experience and get to beat up on them some.” No matter what situation kids are in, kids will be kids, boys will be boys, and girls will be girls.
While playing with the USC students seems to be the highlight of the day for the kids in the neighborhood, the neighborhood kids are also getting to minister to those volunteering even though they do not know it. Gunnell says, “These are my kids, I’m not married and I don’t have kids. Now some of my children,” referring to the neighborhood kids, “ are turning into teenagers and I want them to grow up and be missionaries in this community.” For others like Emily McCollum it’s looking at life differently. “It’s really put things in perspective for me. It’s not about us it’s about the kids and making these kids smile and these families happy. A lot of these families are going through some rough things and to just step back and make my life not about me for an hour or two once a week has changed my life.” This ministry does change perspective for many student volunteers as well as those in the community. For more information about the ministry of Inside Out visit their website at www.insideoutsc.org.
