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The Rev. Dr. Martha Alexander’s enthusiasm is contagious. Taking on the deputy director position at Shoestring in July, the Jackson native has quickly become a passionate advocate for our programs and already has dreams of expanding them. Prior to coming to the organization, Alexander served as a pastor for The United Methodist Church in Jackson and Louisville, Mississippi. However, she felt called to step down from the pulpit and into the world in order to live out the Gospel. “This is where God called me to be,” she says. “Through this appointment I can more fully live out God’s gifts and graces in my life.”
Alexander’s passion for Shoestring’s work is apparent when she discusses her vision for the organization. She believes that advocacy for children and families works best when the advocates listen carefully to the community they are trying to help. Alexander credits the fruitful discussion at the recent “Roots and Wings” dinner for re-emphasizing that service organizations need to “develop initiatives that people in the community say they need, not what we think they need,” she asserts.
While Alexander is still an elder in The United Methodist Church, she feels the best way for her to serve is working in the community at the ground level. “My passion is for people on the margins,” she relates. “I am on the margins too, and I have to be an advocate for what I believe.”
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