About Golden Cross Senior Ministries

Mission, History & Leadership

In the late 1960s, Jerry Corlew saw a growing need: elderly Memphians with nowhere safe and affordable to call home. He gathered a group of concerned United Methodists, and in 1969 the effort was chartered as Wesley Housing Corporation of Memphis, Inc.

In 1973, Wesley Housing purchased its first community, providing low-income housing for seniors. The ministry grew across West Tennessee and Western Kentucky, and in 1979, Methodist Healthcare gave the ministry the Golden Cross name. In July 1989, the organization was formally established under Tennessee state law.

In 1997, the Wesley Senior Ministries Foundation of Memphis, Inc. was created to support residents across our growing network of communities. In 2018, the organization’s name was officially changed on state records to Golden Cross Senior Ministries — the name we proudly carry today. Golden Cross Senior Ministries now serves more than 2,000 seniors across 29 Wesley Living communities in West Tennessee, Western Kentucky, and Eastern Arkansas.

Our mission is rooted in Matthew 25: “Whenever you have done these things to the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you have done it unto me.” It begins with the words “In response to the love of God” — the foundation of everything we do.

Golden Cross Senior Ministries is led today by Executive Director Laurie Garrison, supported by a dedicated Board of Trustees.