FaithWorks of Abilene
Summer class begins Tuesday, May 28. The program is free to students. 
To learn more, go to https://faithworksofabilene.org/
1229 N. Mockingbird Lane
Abilene, TX 79603
325-437-2272
Joyce Dalzell, executive director
Email: joyced@faithworksofabilene.org

By Loretta Fulton

For Joyce Dalzell, it wasn’t so much an idea as an inspiration.

She was volunteering at Christian Ministries of Abilene, sponsored by her home church, Highland Church of Christ. That was when the inspiration hit in the form of a question. 

“What can we do? How can we help those who want to go to work?” she asked herself. 

The inspiration-fueled question wouldn’t go away and eventually Joyce started researching answers. The final answer came when she opened FaithWorks of Abilene in a donated space at Highland in January 2003. Twenty-one years later, FaithWorks, now located at 1229 N. Mockingbird Lane, is still going strong and will begin its 55th class on Tuesday, May 28. 

FaithWorks is more than an employment training program, although gainful employment is the goal for students who go through the 13-week program. FaithWorks also is a lifeskills program that focuses on personal and spiritual development. Its mission statement says:

“Our mission is to help the underemployed, through personal, career, academic and spiritual development, acquire the confidence and skills for gainful and long-term employment.”

FaithWorks offers three classes a year in spring, summer, and fall. The program is free to students and is funded by grants and donations. 

Joyce Dalzell at FaithWorks

Rolando Diaz paints a mural at FaithWorks of Abilene. Photo by Loretta Fulton

Following is a Q&A with Joyce, the founder and executive director of FaithWorks:

Q What motivated you to start FaithWorks?
A I was volunteering at a food pantry one morning a week and meeting families–moms–who wanted to be working and supporting their families. Because they were not currently employed in jobs that would pay the bills, they “shopped” at food pantries like Christian Ministries to be able to feed their family. They really did not like having to ask for that help–for free food–but needed that to feed their children. I began to wonder–“What can we do? How can we help those who WANT to go to work?”  

Not long after that, a friend spoke in my Sunday School class after returning from a mission trip and sharing the training program they started–this one was technology related –but his closing comment was “We could do THIS in Abilene.” That seemed to light a fire . . .I could not stop thinking about that. What COULD we do??

A community minister shared with me the start-up documents of a ministry in Memphis called HopeWorks and we pulled together a team in Abilene that represented all of the services of that career development training program. For a little over a year, a friend who is a counselor, a friend who is a business owner, a friend who teaches professional writing courses and myself, who was a Human Resource professional at that time, met for breakfast at Towne Crier on Monday mornings and planned. Was there a need in Abilene for a career development training program and was someone else already providing that training?

Q What motivates you to keep going?
A The adults who attend FaithWorks–who make the full-time 13 week commitment–are amazing folks. Having the opportunity to be a part of their story is amazing. To see graduates of FaithWorks manage Christian Bookstores and restaurants in town . . . to see moms get their families back together . . . Our mission statement ends with “the confidence and skills for gainful employment.” A healthy self-esteem is very much central to who we are and how we serve. We are intentional about the physical health, mental health, emotional health and spiritual health of our students. And for our selves as well. 

Q What pleases you most when you see the results of your program—personal growth? spiritual growth? professional growth?
A I expected the increase in employment and am certainly glad to see that. THAT is why we do what we do. What I didn’t expect and love even more is the way families are stronger.  FaithWorks is an incredible investment in the person. The whole person. And the result of that is also healthier families. 

Q The program is free. Where does your funding come from?
A You are right, the program is free. We do not charge the student for any of the services or resources provided. Local foundations such as Community Foundation and United Way provide incredible support.  

We subscribe to an amazing foundation database and have a couple of volunteers who run queries and write letters and submit applications to foundations and funders whose missions match ours. We are currently looking to fill a position in our office for some of these responsibilities. We ask foundations and funders who support our missions and have shared values, who honor the same things we honor for financial assistance to pay basic operating costs. To partner with us to help us help our students with some of the basics needs of life such as housing, transportation  .  . . sometimes fines and fees they have accumulated and not been able to pay. These gifts help students with some of the basic needs of life.  

Our best gifts–and the largest parts of our budget–are gifts that come from individuals in Abilene. Gifts from our neighbors.  

Q How have you tweaked the program over the years? For example, have you added to the curriculum in order to keep up with technology? Have you eliminated anything? Has the format changed?
A While the basics of the FaithWorks semester stay the same, the detail of HOW we do that–how we offer that information–changes. Technology is often what we think of first and this past year we began partnering with the library across the street (Mockingbird branch) as well and work with a new technology volunteer. They have learned to not only create documents such as resumes and cover letters but also apply for jobs online and create a PowerPoint presentation. Those students who have little or no computer knowledge are taught to become “comfortable” with technology.  

Another thing we are focusing more on the last year or so–since the pandemic for sure–is whole person health. If an employee is not healthy–physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually– the employer is not getting a whole person. We ask about that at staff meetings as well. How are WE doing as far as making healthy choices in our own lives? 

Q Do you track how your graduates are doing after they leave? For example, are they employed a few years after graduating?
A Many of our former students come back for lunch or call with updates. With limited staffing we have not had the ability as of late to track every graduate; however, this is definitely something we will return to. We have a new database we are creating for this purpose.