The people of Northeastern Tennessee have little to live on, few opportunities for employment and struggle to survive. Due to various factors most like large timber companies moved on as land owners sold off the land to the federal government's Cherokee National Forest and iron ore mines that were once a major contributor to the local economy are no longer in operation. These industries were drastically and negatively impacted many years ago but in more recent years many manufacturing operations have moved to third world countries for cheaper labor or closer to customer base. Because Johnson County only has twisting and winding roads and no real easy access to Interstate-81 or Interstate-26, it makes it difficult for heavy truck transportation. With no rail system within the county it makes this area less attractive to industry when factoring in the demand for meeting the needs of their customers at a competitive price and timely deliveries, companies are just not moving to the area. This action has caused extreme poverty, economic distress to the area, high unemployment or forced to work menial jobs at low wages or forced to commute out of the area which is not feasible for many and this has gone on for years, generation after generation. This condition is called generation poverty but we call it a generational curse.

We see children and the elderly go to bed hungry and without medication. Governmental housing and social programs exist but they cannot fill the need. These programs are designed as stopgaps, not a solution to the problem. Just in Johnson County, TN alone the average annual income is below $18K per household with a poverty level of over 27% per capita (2008 U.S. census and U.S. Labor of Statistics). If we remove the income from people who relocate to the area for retirement and to take advantage of lower taxes, the average household income would be much less. To see the impact to the community even further, 75% of our school children are on a state funded reduced lunch program with 48% on the state free lunch program. School lunches are the only hot meal some of these children get. For the average person living in this area, we are talking about many people who heat their homes with wood because they cannot afford a furnace or if they have one, they cannot afford the oil or added expense to operate it and in some cases people cook with wood and have poor or no indoor plumbing. We see children who don't own a coat or hat to wear in the winter. They wear hand-me-down clothes and shoes. These people see no hope, they live in darkness and they live under the curse. Sure most believe there is a God, many profess Christianity yet their situations remain the same. Our focus is to be a light by serving and ministering not only to their physical needs but also to their spiritual needs.

They physically need our help but just as important they need to be set free and to experience the love of God and receive all the gifts our Savior has for us.

Won't you help us break this generational curse of poverty? Fight the spirit of depression, condemnation and addiction? Click on the "Donate to Old Mill Ministries" tab on the left side of this page.