A Smoldering Wick

Matthew 12:20 says:

"A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out, till He leads justice to victory."

Do you have a situation in your life that has you feeling like smoldering wick--just about totally burnt out--with little hope for the future?

Take heart, my friend. The latter part of Matthew 12:20 has a promise for you. It says "till he leads justice to victory." I have often thought that the promises from God's word don't feel like promises until we are in a position to take him up on them. Are you needing victory after a long and painful battle? Take God up on the promise of Matthew 12:20.

It has been my experience (and the experience of many saints before me) that God swoops in at the last possible moment, just before that reed would break or that wick loses the last of its warmth, to provide victory in our battle. In doing so, the Lord adds another chapter to His legend and gains even more glory. He gets the victory, but we get to share in it. Thanks be to God for causing us to triumph.

What Happens When the Lighthouse Meets Soveriegn Grace

[top photo - SSM Assistant Executive Director, External Ministries Reverend Craig Williams, left, checks in with volunteer Joe Forbis and Deacon Phil of Sovereign Grace, right]

What happens when the Lighthouse meets Sovereign Grace?

Somebody ends up getting blessed--that's what happens!

The Lord gave us a vision, several years ago to see South Side Mission, or a satellite office of the Mission located on the north, south, east, and west sides of zip code 61605. This way, people in need in our beloved 61605 can be within walking distance of the Mission or one of our ministry sites. We want to eliminate transportation as a barrier to the Gospel and to getting something like a food basket or a warm coat.

Our latest satellite office will be at the corner of DuSable and Martin on the north side of the South Side, if that makes sense to you. It will be inside the new Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church. Our friends at Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist will be renovating the old Lee Auditorium and were kind enough to reserve a spot for a South Side Mission satellite office in the rear of the church.

We returned the favor by applying our Hope Builders resources to their project, providing much skilled labor at no cost to the church and, in the process, helping to carve out what will be a beautiful new sanctuary. God is good!

Satellite Offices of South Side Mission can be found in the Harrison Homes and RiverWest housing projects and offer free food baskets, clothing, after-school tutoring, substance abuse support groups, Bible studies, community outreach picnics and more.

Rise Up in the Presence of the Aged

Gloria (left), a great friend of ours who lives at the senior citizens complex South Side Manor and South Side Mission's Director of Elderly Services Robin Winfrey, RN pal around before a recent Bible Study at South Side Manor.

Meet Gloria. She is one of our faithful attenders of the Seniors Bible Study at South Side Manor housing complex. Gloria loves the Lord and enjoys opening the Word with us. We are grateful to have a faithful group that comes to study the Bible the first and third Thursdays of the month at 1:30 p.m. South Side Manor is at 915 S. Helen in Peoria.

We have two other Seniors Bible Studies that happen regularly. The Hurlburt House study is the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at 1:30 p.m. Hurlburt House is at 818 W. Hurlburt in Peoria. The B'Nai B'Rith study meets every Tuesday at 9:30 a.m at 215 Sam J. Stone in Peoria.

It's our goal to set up Seniors Bible Studies at each seniors housing facility in zip code 61605. I have had the privilege of attending, though I am not yet a senior and let me tell you those seniors have some great wisdom from the Word and from their life experiences. Pastor Gene Hooker leads the studies and conducts a lively course.

If you'd like to attend any of these studies, feel free to come by and join in!

Ministry By the Numbers - January 2010

Great things are happening in Sandra's kitchen!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM JANUARY 2010

Decisions to follow Christ for the month
205

Average number of homeless women & children housed nightly
40

Families served with free clothing, furniture, appliances & housewares
549

Avg. Attendance at Roosevelt Magnet School before school Bible study
40

Attendance in our Sunday School, weekly
42

Attendance at our RiverWest Bible Study
18

Avg. Attendance at Trewyn Middle School before school Bible study
12

Elderly Services home, hospital or nursing home visits
69

Formerly homeless women moving out successfully
3

Avg. Attendance at Harrison Primary School before school Bible study
25

Food baskets given away at our RiverWest Satellite Office
18

Average attendance at the Lighthouse Diner
16

Avg. Attendance at Manual High School before school Bible study
5

Kids enrolled in after-school tutoring
70

Churches involved with Adoptablock
16

Food baskets given away through our Garden Street Benevolence Center
561

Attendance at our South Side Manor Bible Study
6

College Club kids enrolled at ICC
14

Food baskets given away at our Harrison Homes Satellite Office
48

Attendance at our Harrison Homes Bible Study
6

Attendance in our Chapel services, Laramie Street, weekly
39

Volunteer hours, as a ministry
1,191

Attendance in our Chapel services, Garden Street, weekly
277

Attendance at our B’Nai B’Rith Bible Study
10

Pastoral care visits & counsels (non-elderly)
43

Attendance at our Hurlburt House Bible Study
7

Hot meals to the poor
6540

FINANCIALS FROM JANUARY 2010

Monthly revenue vs. budgeted
$192,137/$125,276

Monthly expenses vs. budgeted
$256,167/$250,704

Positive or Negative on the Month
- $64,030

Yearly revenue vs. budgeted
$192,137/$125,276

Yearly expenses vs. budgeted
$256,167/$250,704

Positive or Negative on the Year
- $64,030

How we’re doing versus budget
+ $61,398

Chris volunteers in Sandra’s kitchen every Wednesday. He and his wife are expecting and received some disturbing news in regards to the baby. A tumor had been discovered on the baby’s brain. He shared this with Sandra and asked for everyone’s prayers. He later reported that at their last doctor’s appointment that the tumor had disappeared and that they could expect a normal delivery – God is awesome!

We have another new Bible Study going on. This one is at Hurlburt House, a low-income apartment complex on the south side that has quite a few senior citizens living there. This makes the third Bible Study that Elderly Services has started in senior citizens living areas on the south side. The first was at B’nai B’rith and the second was at South Side Manor. Praise God. His word does not return void.

We believe God for healing and are no afraid to ask him to heal even those things that seem too tough to heal. One of our regulars at the Benevolence Center, Debra, is a lady who is waiting to receive a heart transplant because of Cardio-Myopothy, a condition in which a heart is dying. After praying with her many times for the Lord to heal her heart, He delivered. When she went to the heart doctor in St. Louis for a follow up, the doctor confirmed that she would be taken off the heart transplant list because her heart is beginning to heal itself. This is impossible without God.

Sarah arrived at the New Promise Center in July of 2009. She enrolled in GED classes almost immediately and has been attending them faithfully, and she will be taking the GED test in February. Sarah also has been enrolled in job partnership class and will be graduating soon. She explains that she really had learned important skills and could implement those skills to be successful in a job. Last week she went to an interview and was hired. Sarah will be moving out soon because she recently obtained an apartment at Sterling Towers. Praise The Lord!