Our Full History

Our Beginning

In 1975, the Chattanooga Rescue Mission was founded by a group of men who had a burden to reach a segment of the population that no other ministry could reach—the homeless of Chattanooga. After several temporary locations, the old YMCA at 924 E. 8th Street was acquired and converted into a shelter. For over fifty years, the mission has been open every night, caring for the homeless and downtrodden. During that time, we have provided an estimated 400,000 meals and 350,000 beds for the homeless.

Our Name

Originally, the Mission was named Jubilee Ministries. That name was changed to the Maranatha Rescue Mission, and again in 1999 to the Chattanooga Rescue Mission, to reflect the broader outreach the Lord has enabled the Mission to have over the years. A number of fine men have served in leadership capacities over the years. Dwight Deal was instrumental in founding the mission; Dr. Walter Wendelken was the Executive Director for a number of years.

Our Expansion

The acquisition of the adjacent property at 922 E. 8th Street enabled the Mission to expand its ministry to include a shelter for women and children in 2002. This was followed by the addition of a Women’s Christian Life Program in 2005.

Our Current Location

One of our visions became a reality when we were able to purchase the former Senter School located in the South Holtzclaw/East Main Street area. With over 33,000 sq/ft in our main building, we have been able to expand our shelter and programs by 10-20%. Our new 2.2-acre campus has a 3-story main building, a full gymnasium, and a separate 1,900 sq/ft building.