Easter Comes Early

The photo chosen for this week's 3-6-5 was of Tiffany (director of women and children's ministries) and Sherri (women and children's shelter manager) receiving a donation of Easter baskets for the children at our women and children's shelter. This same church also provided Christmas gifts for our guests. We are so grateful to the many in our community who think of others and look for ways not only to meet needs but also to show compassion.

What a great time of year to express compassion! Although we called this photo "Easter Comes Early," the truth is that the Mission has the opportunity to express the message of Easter all year long. This is possible because of your gifts. Thank you for being a rescuer and for helping us help others!

Time Goes By...

So much has happened since I last entered anything (it's almost shaming if the reason weren't because we were so busy :) The Maplewood Center is fully renovated and almost fully operational. I say almost because we're still in the development stages of our women's Life Transformation Program, which will be similar to our current men's program at Michigan Avenue.

At Michigan Avenue, the kitchen has undergone a complete rebuilding of the floor, a necessary renovation which couldn't wait for (hopefully) the full renovations coming in the next few years. As our meals have increased, the need has outgrown our current kitchen. Also, the need for shelter for men has outgrown our men's dorm. We hope to expand both.

This is only to say that, while much has been accomplished in the past few months, there is so much more coming, so much more that needs to be done, so many more opportunities to reach a hand of rescue to those in need in our community.

But as we remain busy and looking forward to these changes, we also recognize that the foundation for our plans rest firmly in the Lord and in the faithful compassion of our supporters. As we celebrate 100 years of service, we look back with humility and gratitude at the legacy of generosity that has allowed the Mission to grow from a rented portion of a building to a ministry able to provide support and shelter to hundreds of men, women, and children every day. Because of you. Thank you for being a rescuer. Thank you for helping us help others.

Yum and Yummier

If I had the time, I would create a blog dedicated to making the entire capital city area aware of the fact that our public dining room provides more than just food...it provides good food. Our cooks work very hard to use the variety of donations that come in the door, and sometimes that requires some creativity.

Tuesday, Abby made mention of an overabundance of jello that had been donated. "I think I'll make up some jello." Wednesday dessert was jello, with angel food cake, whipped topping, and maraschino cherries. Tuesday afternoon, a young man came to the door hefting grocery bags fulls of apples and bananas left over from an event. The gift was thoughtful but the bananas were past their prime. The answer: banana pudding topped with real bananas.

There are meatball dishes, chicken dishes, rice or pasta cooked one million and one ways... I could go on but nothing I could ever write could fully describe the effort, creativity, and compassion that goes into a meal at the Mission. From the base ingredients (donations all), to the hard work of our cooks, to the hands of volunteers who serve the meal (cafeteria style) to our guests, love truly is in every bite.

Even after the meal is finished, labor goes into keeping the facility one of the cleanest restaurants in Lansing (as we are required to meet the same health codes as a restaurant). All of this is because of the generosity of our supporters. It is their efforts that helped put over 95,000 meals on the table for men, women, and children in need in Michigan's capital area.

Tell me, what does God look like?

At our women and children's shelter, while the women are in Bible study, the children get to hear a Bible story of their own. Sometimes, they have the opportunity to do a craft or draw a picture that correlates with what they've just heard. Reviewing these pictures, I began to notice that Jesus is almost always drawn by the children, no matter their age, with a beard. Not surprising considering this was not only most likely, considering what we know of the time period in which He lived on earth, but also the way we usually see Jesus or God "personified" in art or on film. Amazing that children, from pictures and stories, have already begun to "form" an image of who God is.

At the City Rescue Mission our goal has always been to meet physical needs to bring those with spiritual needs to Jesus Christ. Introducing people to their Creator has been our number one goal since the Mission was founded nearly 100 years ago by Thomas and Emily Dolton. The motivation for their entire lives was to take Christ's love to the unloved and, perhaps, unlovable. To show that God remembers those whom society has forgotten. To reach a hand of help to those who may feel they have fallen beyond even the reach of God's love.

Along the way, they will discover that not only does God love them but our supporters do too. In fact, most often their first "glimpse" of who God truly is will come in the form and face of a staff member or a volunteer. Our love is only a dim reflection of God's love. And our prayer is that they will see God's love in us. In spite of our faults and flaws. That we will continue to love those who may seem unlovable and have the wisdom to be both merciful and just, compassionate and consistent.

We can continue to meet needs and to reach a hand of "rescue," because of our supporters. Because of you.

What a Privilege

At a recent staff meeting in the chapel at the Maplewood Center, our executive director covered a passage from Paul's letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 6:3-16). Timothy, a protege of the Apostle Paul, was getting encouragement from his mentor on the importance of contentment in his daily life, especially as he served as a minister to the needs, physical and spiritual, of those around him. These words give us wisdom as we daily strive to follow the example left by men like Paul and Timothy.

From time to time, someone will ask if we "work" for the Mission or are we volunteers. While we do utilize several volunteers (and are extremely grateful for their faithfulness and support), the Mission does need a core group of dedicated staff members. The privilege is the opportunity to "work" for the Mission. Because we do not "work" for the "Mission" so much as work for God's glory and for the help, health, and transformation of our guests. It's a strange and wonderful feeling to "open your envelope" and see that you are getting paid to help people.

It is an awesome responsibility, as well, because while we "work" for our guests, we also "work" for our supporters. As a faith ministry, every dollar that comes to cover operational expenses (utility bills, building maintenance, staffing needs) comes from the compassionate gifts of people desiring to help us help others. Last year, we provided over 90,000 meals and 30,700 nights of shelter to men, women, and children in Michigan's capital area. Yet every meal and every bed was available solely because of a feeling of compassion and an act of generosity by you.

Thank you so much for the privilege of allowing us to serve as your hands, meeting needs, telling the good news, and reaching out to the lost. Thank you for helping us help others!

Good Samaritans?

Some of you may have heard the recent story of the homeless "good Samaritan," who was stabbed to death in New York last week. It's difficult sometimes, to determine just what to comment on and to share with our supporters. The main goal of the Mission is always to glorify God, but included in this mission is our desire to affect a change in view regarding those we serve.

The greatest irony (if I can use that word) seems to be the title given to the man who died. While it was true that he did step in to save a woman who was having a vicious altercation with some man on the street, the correlation with the parable of Christ is strangely skewed.

In the parable found in Luke 10:25-37, the man lying on the road, left to die, ignored by everyone who passed by, he was the one helped by the "Good" Samaritan. The point was to emphasize that we are to love our neighbors. Neighbors referring to everyone in need. Regardless of race, religion, or creed.

In the story related by the associated press, there were no good Samaritans. At least 7 people passed by during the course of an hour. One even stopped to take a photo with his phone. Not one of them stopped to help, called the police, or stayed with the man bleeding on the sidewalk.

Some speculate that these people "didn't want to get involved." Perhaps they thought he was simply passed out drunk or were concerned about being taken advantage of. Fear. The Bible also tells us that "perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). Very active words, to describe what is required to make a difference in this world: actions. Do something: volunteer, write a check... Don't just "feel bad" about it. Sometimes, as in the case of the homeless man in New York, all it takes is a phone call.

We are so grateful for the many compassionate people who support our ministry among the "forgotten" men and women in Michigan's capital area. You are taking action and making a difference. Thank you for your desire and determination to help us help others.

Needs a little vanilla...

The City Rescue Mission of Lansing is a faith ministry. What that means is that we do not have any "steady" sources of revenue, i.e. grants, federal/state funds, etc. All our services are provided solely by donations. Bottom line: people choose to give.

What this also means is that sometimes we come pretty close to scraping the bottom of the barrel, but we never have. As our executive director likes to say, "We make people aware of our needs, and if they feel God desires them to give, they do."

A few weeks ago, Roger, our director of operations needed to go make a run to one of our supporting churches. This church keeps one of our yellow "Mission barrels" in their lobby. There are a few churches and organizations in the area who host these food collection barrels for us. Volunteer drivers or our director of operations will make a run out to empty them as the need arises (see our website homepage, www.lcrm.org, for video).

This day, Roger happened to notice, as he was picking up the bags from the barrel, a bottle of vanilla was laying all by itself. He tucked it into a bag, and as he left the building to continue his errands, he thought about that bottle of vanilla. It's not a usual donation; most items we get are boxed or canned goods. He wondered just how they were going to use that solitary bottle of vanilla.

As he arrived back at the Mission and began unloading, Kevin, one of the cooks, walked past from the kitchen.

"I'm heading out to the store, Roger," he said, "I need to pick up a bottle of vanilla."

Imagine his surprise when Roger reached into a bag and handed him the vanilla. Such a small, ordinary thing that symbolizes the amazing experience of relying every day on the Lord's provision. Whoever gave that bottle could hardly imagine it would arrive at the perfect time. But that's what God's timing always is, perfect.

It's never that simple...

I thought it'd be fairly simple. Go to the agrm home page or just google to find a sheet explaining the best way for compassionate individuals to react when encountered by someone who is homeless. What I found at first surprised and then concerned me. Most of the google responses had to do with questions that individuals posted regarding what to do when approached by a person who said he/she was homeless or by someone requesting money. The responses to these posted questions, again from anonymous individuals, ranged from unwisely compassionate to dangerously hostile.

We're all taught by our parents not to talk to strangers. Don't tell strangers your name or give them personal information. It's a safety issue that really doesn't end when you become an adult, especially in this age of identity theft. Just because you have a compassionate heart and see someone in need does not mean that you suddenly forget this valuable lesson. It is better to be helpful but remain anonymous.

One should also always be cautious about handing out money. Though it may seem to be the quickest answer to a problem, money rarely is the "easy solution" everyone touts it to be. The few dollars you give to a stranger on the street could go to supporting a self destructive habit, rather than providing a local service agency with the means to combat the man or woman's addiction or situation. If you feel a desire to give monetarily, call your local homeless shelter or visit their website to make a donation. Keep a list of service agency numbers to offer if someone comes to you for help.

In our area (Michigan's capital), 211 is an excellent resource for those looking for help. Not only is it easy to remember, it's also a free call from any landline phone. The person looking for assistance calls 211 and reaches a friendly operator, who searches their database and provides the caller with the names and numbers of agencies who can help meet their specific need.

To return to our google postings, the responses varied on either extreme. The unwisely compassionate were those willing to go to any extreme to help someone in need. Discretion is always the best practice, even in matters of compassion. You want to be sure that your "good deeds" are actually doing good, not enabling self destructive habits or merely "patching" a bad situation.

The other side of the suggestions came from those whose anonymity gave strength to their voice of hostility. Opinions ranged from "punching the bums" in the face or threatening them with weapons. In fact, these suggestions only underline a growing trend of violence again the homeless. The National Coalition for the Homeless reports that 106 homeless individuals were violently assaulted in 2008; 27 of those assaults resulted in death. In 2002, two young men made a business out of taping homeless men fighting each other for the promise of a few dollars.

At the City Rescue Mission, our desire is always to meet the physical and spiritual needs of men, women, and children in Michigan's capital area. We seek to nurture an attitude of compassion to our guests and to encourage those who truly desire to help to become as educated as possible, not only about homelessness but also about our ministry (visit our website at www.lcrm.org).

Some good resources for information include the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions (agrm.org), the National Coalition for the Homeless, and the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness.

So That's What I Smelt...

Dining at the Mission can be an educational experience. Through the years, we've served an astonishing array of interesting dishes, besides the normal "Mission fare." Because at least 90% of what our cooks serve comes from whatever arrives in the form of donations, anyone serving in the Mission kitchen has to learn how to be a little creative with their recipes. It wasn't until I began to work at the Mission, for example, that I learned that such a thing as smelt even existed, let alone that people ate the little things. I've had many culinary firsts here, swordfish, collard greens, asparagus (what can I say, I had a sheltered childhood), and even buffalo (not that I tried that dish. Does anyone remember Elvis from Fenner?).

It is actually pretty amazing when you think that in 2008 alone, we served enough meals to feed a family of four, 3 meals a day, for over 19 years. Much of that food comes from regular families, like the one pictured here! Do those few extra sale items you pick up and donate make a difference? Just ask the hundreds of men, women, and children who will get a hot meal tonight because of your compassion!

Movers for Moms

Two Men and a Truck, in collaboration with Windemere Park Charter Academy, recently helped collect clothing, personal need (hygiene) items, and non-perishable food for City Rescue Mission of Lansing. The items, specifically to help homeless and/or low income mothers, were collected and brought to the Mission, in time for mother's day.

In an article for the Lansing State Journal (written by Kathryn Prater), Wayne Lake, general manager of Lansing's Two Men and a Truck, was quoted as saying, "A lot of these mothers, they probably don't get anything for Mother's Day. They're just barely getting by." He rightly stated that young people, like the students at Windemere Park, are the future.

It is a great blessing to see the management and employees of Two Men and a Truck, as well as parents and teachers, living an example for the students at Windemere Park. The Mission, and the moms who need our services, are very grateful for their compassion.

What do you say?

So, today's blog is more of a question... What do you say to a mother who calls about donating her son's belongings because he has passed away?

We get a lot of unusual and interesting calls at the Mission and donations come in a variety of ways, but there's always that hardship of being grateful for the "benefits" of a tragedy. A husband dies, and his wife requests that donations be sent to the Mission in lieu of flowers. A young man just starting his life is killed in a terrible accident, and his father calls to ask if we'll take the extra food from his son's funeral dinner.

Compassion wrapped in a blanket of pain and loss... And what do you say?