Thursday, August 19, 2010

99 years and counting!

Yesterday, Betty Kellogg and two of her daughters came to the Maplewood Center for a video interview. We're trying to capture memories in preparation for the 100 year anniversary of the Mission. It was a very informative interview and also a blessing. Betty's husband, Leon, who has passed away, was a grandson of Mission founders Thomas and Emily Dolton. His paternal grandparents, Oren and Huldah Kellogg, had actually been in charge of a previous faith Mission. Thomas Dolton, before he was saved, used to listen to the music from this Mission's gospel wagon. By the time he was saved, the faith Mission had closed. So he and his wife Emily started the City Rescue Mission. Oren Kellogg gave them the former Mission's benches, organ, and hymnals.

It was interesting to hear, not just about this, but also similar stories, because it helps show the continuing "thread" of the ministry down through the years. In those early years, Thomas and Emily sometimes went without food themselves, so they could provide a meal for someone in need and present them with the gospel. Today, their determination to "meet physical needs to bring those with spiritual needs to Jesus Christ" continues as the main purpose of the City Rescue Mission, and we are only another link in a chain forged long before any of us were born.

What a blessing to be able to serve, for even a small time, as a part of this legacy of service to Michigan's capital area. To be able to make a difference in the lives of men, women, and children, today and into the future.

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