About The Yard
Staff
Meg Mueller is The Yard’s administrative assistant. She is a concierge services and professional organizing expert who knows how to help others get it together. Meg oversees the ministry’s finances, including grant writing and reporting, and runs our social media.
Diane Austin has developed The Hope Exchange division of The Yard using her own practical knowledge and expertise to support this initiative. She is a part-time Peer Counselor at Greenhouse Ministries but spends most of her time as a Peer Recovery Specialist, meeting with individuals-in-need to provide resources and encouragement to help them move beyond the difficulties of addiction, poverty, and homelessness.
Ryan-Leigh Wilson assists in leading the Outreach initiative at The Yard. She is also the Women’s Program Director at Bethesda House Ministries, a key partner of The Yard ministry. She holds many certifications in Peer Recovery, Moral Reconation Therapy, and Wicklander-Zulawski Integrity Interviews. Ryan has a passion for helping others realize the love and healing that God provides, and that there is freedom from the chains of trauma, addiction, and other obstacles.
Purpose
The Yard is a ministry of the Stones River Church of Christ (SRC) dedicated to serving neighbors experiencing transition from incarceration, homelessness, joblessness, and addiction.
We believe that Jesus’s ministry expresses the kingdom of God. Jesus’s table is open to the least and last. Jesus’s healing and liberation is for all who suffer. Jesus’s forgiveness is for every person, regardless of their past and their present. The Yard is our effort bear witness to these truths among our neighbors.
Our Work
Transitional Ministry
The Hope Exchange (Beginning January 2026): This initiative, led by Diane Austin, exists to empower the marginalized and individuals-in-need by providing practical resources, life-skills classes, and peer counseling with the goal of fostering dignity, confidence, and independence. Through training in job readiness, social skills, financial management, technology basics, and personal presentation – along with assistance in navigating essential services such as food stamp, Social Security, and government phone benefits – we equip individuals with the tools and support needed to rebuild their lives and create sustainable futures. Please make an appointment by calling 615-896-1821 (Option 2).
Prison/Workhouse Ministry: We serve many neighbors who struggle with substance abuse and social displacement. Among these are persons transitioning out of incarceration. We lead a men’s Bible study and recovery curriculum in the Rutherford County Correctional Work Center every week. Often, these friends participate in our transitional ministry after their release.
Neighborhood Ministry
More broadly still, we serve the displaced population in Murfreesboro by hosting a meal every week on The Yard premises. Most of the folks who join us suffer homelessness. Each week, The Yard at Stones River Church prepares food and provides transportation for dozens of neighbors who need a hot meal. SRC, Bethesda House, and other volunteers have the privilege of serving and sharing these meals with our displaced friends.
Support the Yard
We need your help!
There is so much work to do. We’re grateful to God for the grant funding and donations of church members, as well as the sacrifices of our staff and volunteers, which make the ministry possible. But there is no doubt that we could do more with additional support. Please join us in bearing witness to the kingdom of God!
You can made donations in two ways:
1. Visit our PayPal donation form and select Support Transitional Ministry (Work Fund). Be sure to specify One-Time, Weekly, or Monthly donation with the buttons at the top of the page.
2. Or send a check payable to Stones River Church to:
Stones River Church
1607 Hamilton Dr
Murfreesboro, TN 37129
Memo line: The Yard Work Fund