THE COMMERCE OF CHRISTIAN COMPASSION: How a Coalition of Fort Worth Churches and Community Partners Cultivated a Circle of Care After a Crisis. Ecclesiastes 11:1

THE COMMERCE OF CHRISTIAN COMPASSION: How a Coalition of Fort Worth Churches and Community Partners Cultivated a Circle of Care After a Crisis. Ecclesiastes 11:1 | Photos by American Red Cross: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dfwredcross/albums/72177720336075278/

One pastor’s introduction to the American Red Cross grew into a cross-cultural partnership—answering a fire emergency and building a broader vision for care, health and opportunity in 76104. 

“Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.”
— Ecclesiastes 11:1 (KJV)

When a fire displaced families at the Spanish Hacienda Apartments, help came from across the community. Churches, clergy, the American Red Cross and local organizations rallied around residents facing the uncertainty and work of recovery. Link: https://youtube.com/shorts/Im1l-RNv_Zg?is=iTTVh18IAUhB0Xw3

In Morningside, compassion crossed lines of culture, language and race. For Pastor Kyev Tatum of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church, the response reflected a conviction he often shares: “Love Has No Color, Just Christian Character.” It also embodied what he calls a Circle of Compassion—one church, one pastor and a network of partners joining together to serve neighbors in crisis.

The circle began to form on April 1, 2026, when Tatum met Steve Abbott, DFW Senior Disaster Program Manager for the American Red Cross, at a Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) meeting at the Red Cross warehouse in Arlington. They exchanged contact information and began building a relationship around their shared commitment to helping people through difficult times.

On April 23, Tatum invited Abbott to meet with members of the Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas. Abbott spoke with local clergy and community leaders about the Red Cross and its disaster-response work. Weeks later, that introduction became a practical source of support.

On May 24, a fire displaced families at the Spanish Hacienda Apartments. The Red Cross assisted residents and invited Tatum to support families as they began recovering. On June 6, New Mount Rose, Harvest Family Church, the Abigayle Initiative, LULAC 22308 and other partners gathered at the apartment complex for an After the Fire BBQ & Fellowship. They brought food, clothing, furniture and other household supplies.

The gathering welcomed families and neighbors with roots in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Congo, Tanzania and other countries across Africa and Latin America. People who spoke different languages and came from different cultures shared food, resources and fellowship. The message was clear: neighbors would not face recovery alone.

Within 66 days of their first meeting, Abbott and Tatum had turned an introduction into a community response. In less than 90 days, New Mount Rose had met with Red Cross leaders, helped respond to the fire and joined partners supporting affected families. On October 8, the American Red Cross recognized Tatum and representatives of New Mount Rose, God’s Army, LULAC 22308, the Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas and other organizations for their recovery work.

From emergency response to lasting community care

The fire response is one part of a wider effort to strengthen the community. Fort Worth’s 76104 ZIP code faces longstanding disparities in health and economic opportunity. A 2019 UT Southwestern study found that 76104 had the lowest life expectancy of any Texas ZIP code, at 66.7 years. (utsouthwestern.edu⁠)

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, New Mount Rose has worked to meet immediate health needs through its Clinic Without Walls while building longer-term efforts to improve the conditions that shape health, safety and opportunity. The church connects neighbors to support in moments of crisis and to resources that can help families build stability over time.

Food access is one focus. New Mount Rose continues its monthly Community Food Bowl in partnership with Midwest Food Bank. The Funkytown Food Forest gives residents a place to garden and take part in therapeutic recovery. Through Faith in the Farm, the church is developing an urban farm with chickens, goats and lambs in partnership with small farmers and ranchers, including Horns of Hope.

The church also envisions The Big Purple Fridge, a drive-through farmers market intended to make fresh food more accessible to local families. Alongside that vision is Morningside 100, a goal to create 100 agricultural jobs in the 76104 community.

These efforts are part of New Mount Rose’s “Farm to Family to the Fridge to the Fork” work, developed with P. Wade Ross, Ken Ross and the Small Farmers and Ranchers Community-Based Organization. The partnership aims to create educational, health and economic opportunities for the church and inner-city residents. Its vision connects farming with learning, fresh food and ways for residents to participate in local economic life.

Education and youth development are also part of the strategy. New Mount Rose offers English classes in partnership with UNT Dallas and a 4-H after-school program with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Prairie View A&M University. These programs help families and young people build language, academic, agricultural and leadership skills.

The church is also working to reduce gun trauma and support residents’ physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Its Chancellor Erma Johnson Hadley CommuniVersity Computer Center, part of the “Blessed with Access” initiative, expands access to technology. With partners including Cook Children’s Health Plan and the Economic Justice Initiative at Texas A&M School of Law, the center connects residents with tools and information that can help them pursue education, services and opportunity.

Putting compassion to work

Together, these efforts reflect an evolving role for the church in a post-COVID era and during an affordability crisis that weighs heavily on vulnerable households. Fort Worth is a prosperous city, yet many families in 76104 continue to face barriers to health, housing, food and opportunity. Community-led partnerships can connect residents with resources while building skills, relationships and access close to home.

In that sense, the “commerce” of compassion is an exchange of commitment, resources and action. A church opens its doors and connects people. A community organization brings expertise. A farmer shares knowledge and food. A partner steps in during an emergency. Residents contribute their skills, culture and leadership. Together, those contributions can strengthen the neighborhood.

This is the Circle of Compassion in action: a relationship formed before the emergency, partners mobilized when families needed help, and a continuing commitment to the well-being of the neighborhood. Changing the trajectory of health and life expectancy will take sustained collaboration among residents, churches, educators, health organizations, farmers, legal and economic justice partners, businesses and public agencies.

New Mount Rose invites the Fort Worth community to join this work—to address the effects of decades of neglect, honor lives lost and expand opportunities for residents to grow in 76104. One church can help open the circle. Together, a community can make it larger.

Join the Circle of Compassion

On Saturday, October 31, 2026, New Mount Rose will host its first International Fall Festival. The entire community is invited to celebrate cultures from across the continents and continue cultivating a circle of compassion in Fort Worth.

To learn more, support New Mount Rose’s work or sow a seed into the ministry, contact Pastor Tatum at 817-966-7625.

Email or Zelle: newmtrosembc@gmail.com
Website: www.newmountrose.com⁠

About Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr.

Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr. has devoted more than three decades to Christian ministry and community service, working with communities across the nation and bringing people together around service, justice, education and opportunity. He has served as Senior Pastor of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Worth since 2018 and as President of the Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas since 2019. He is also Chaplain of the Texas Buffalo Soldiers Association, North Texas.

Tatum’s community leadership spans food access, youth development, health, emergency response, civic engagement and historical preservation. He is curator of the Digging for Dignity Legacy Project, focused on preserving People’s Memorial Legacy Park in Haltom City. His other historical projects include Before Little Rock: The Crisis at Mansfield High School in 1956; Hung Before Dawn: The Hanging of 19 Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Sam Houston Army Base in San Antonio; The Trilogy of Her Story: Black Women Trailblazers of Fort Worth, opening at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History; and Legend of the Locker Room: The History of the PVIL from 1920 to 1970.

As PVIL Legacy Coordinator, Tatum helps preserve the history of the Prairie View Interscholastic League. His work is grounded in a belief that ministry extends beyond the church sanctuary and that compassion can bring people of different backgrounds together to serve their neighbors.