Today we’d like to introduce you to Marc Nettleton.
Hi Marc, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
2nd Mile Ministries started in 2003 with an intentional choice by a small group of individuals to center their lives on the Brentwood neighborhood-living, working, and playing alongside neighbors in community together. One member of the team started coaching football at the high school, another began teaching down the road, and others got involved in civic volunteer work within the City. From these relationships, eyes were always open for opportunities and ears to listen to the voices of our neighbors.
Those ties led to launching a youth Bible study and mentoring program and into later formalizing a youth leadership development pathway that still runs today from ages 5 to 18. As students, grew in leadership more opportunities within the neighborhood arose that have multiplied over the recent years seeing the launch of a neighborhood garden, senior citizen programming, and a neighborhood association.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No journey worth taking is an easy path.
2nd Mile has chosen to see struggle as an opportunity to take us to the next step. Two examples come to mind.
In early 2020, we wanted to use our space during school hours and began exploring ideas around opening up for senior citizens who make up nearly 1 in 3 Brentwood residents. However, with the rise of Covid-19, gathering seniors together in a common locale became untenable, so we pivoted to a virtual approach where seniors could gather together online to fellowship, learn about health, and more. If they weren’t techie, one of our (masked) staff would come and provide a one-on-one training to get them set up and even set them up with a loaner laptop. This was the birth of As We Gather. We soon discovered seniors in our community found themselves at the nexus of two digital divides: generational and economic. Many of them had never been given the chance to learn to use technology and this was a golden opportunity. In the words of one participant, “You brought me out of the stone age, I’m a different person today!” Because of this unexpected lesson, to this day As We Gather continues on as a virtual based program.
In another example in 2024, a series of unexpected and shorter than hoped for staff stints left us without a clear leader for our upcoming summer day camp. Rather than panic, we chose to invest in and entrust the program to an 18 year old who had just graduated from the high school across the street and had been growing with 2nd Mile over the past several years. She led camp that summer and now will be returning for her third year this summer! We believe that the best leaders for Brentwood are already here and were thrilled to get the chance to put that into practice.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We specialize in an approach to work in neglected communities known as Christian community development. One distinctive of this is that all our full time staff members live locally in Brentwood. This means we are not just tied together in our work by vocation, but because the issues facing the community are the same facing us and our families.
Speaking of my personal experience, Pearl Street, Brentwood’s major road, is visible from my front porch. During the morning rush, it is quite a dangerous road with unexpected brake lights and unpredictable traffic. My kids have to cross this road frequently. Thankfully, last year our neighborhood association was able to work with the City to get a traffic slowing re-design done on the road and to add two crosswalks where there were previously none. This is just one example of how living alongside the work deepens the impact and effort.
What does success mean to you?
Success for us can be on a community-wide or an individual level, but either was we view it wholistically. People and communities are made up of many aspects: social, physical, spiritual, economic, and more. We want to see our community and each individual thrive in every area of life so they can be exactly who they were created to be.
If someone gets a great job, but their home life is full of strife, we don’t call that success. Similarly, however, we believe that every step in the right direction is worth celebrating as we move together towards our full potential.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://2ndmilejax.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/2ndmileministries
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/2ndmileministries
