Thanks to volunteer Jay Pearson for his great work renovating the New Promise Center rooms with the assistance of a grant from the FCAI Finishing Contractors Association of Illinois!
HIGHLIGHTS FROM FEBRUARY 2011
Decisions to follow Christ for the month
198
Avg. Nightly Census in our New Promise Center shelter
34
Families served with free clothing, furniture, appliances & housewares
389
Attendance in our Laramie Street Sunday School, weekly
21
Attendance at our RiverWest Bible Study
4
Children enrolled in our Kings Kids Christian Day Care
39
Elderly Services home, hospital or nursing home visits
59
Formerly homeless women moving out successfully
2
College Club attendance
25
Food baskets given away at our RiverWest Satellite Office
11
Ladies in the New Promise Center who have established a church home
5
Boys Club attendance
60
Number of people completing a discipleship course this month
12
Average attendance at the Lighthouse Diner
11
Average attendance at Roosevelt Magnet School before-school Bible study
72
Girls Club attendance
55
Churches that have Adopted Blocks in 61605
20
Attendance at our Trewyn Middle School Bible Study & Prayer Meeting
15
Food baskets given away through our Garden Street Benevolence Center
355
Attendance at our South Side Manor Bible Study
7
Food baskets given away at our Harrison Homes Satellite Office
26
Attendance in our Chapel services, Laramie Street, weekly
37
Attendance at our Harrison Primary School Bible Study & Prayer Meeting
26
Volunteer hours, as a ministry
3,119
Attendance in our Chapel services, Garden Street, weekly
186
Attendance at our B’Nai B’Rith Bible Study
11
Pastoral care visits & counsels (non-elderly)
34
Attendance at our Hurlburt House Bible Study
8
Attendance at our Manual High School Bible Study & Prayer Meeting
7
Hot meals to the poor
6,736
Mother’s of Kids in the Youth Department Meeting
30
Kids enrolled in After-School Tutoring
75
Attendance at our Pleasant Hill School Bible Study & Prayer Meeting
15
FINANCIALS FROM FEBRUARY 2011
Monthly revenue vs. budgeted
$182,995/$165,725
Monthly expenses vs. budgeted
$245,575/$262,674
Positive or Negative on the Month
- $62,580
Yearly revenue vs. budgeted
$355,514/$336,450
Yearly expenses vs. budgeted
$476,716/$532,890
Positive or Negative on the year
- $121,202
How we’re doing versus budget
+ $75,238
The Lord Reserves the Right to Not Participate in a Recession
SPIRITUAL
Indicated Decisions for Christ 198
Persons completing a discipleship course this month 12
Also, on the Spiritual side, there were five ladies from our shelter who established a church home this month and five from our External Ministries who were baptized in February!
The Lord is enlarging the territory of Laura Toles. She is an SSM Culinary Arts Training School grad who is employed at Apple’s Bakery helping owner Mary Ardapple begin their Gluten Free Bakery. Well, it has gone so well that QVC, the shopping channel on cable, picked up Apple’s Bakery Gluten Free products to sell to the world. How about that? Now Mary Ardapple wants to hire more of our people to work on the operation. As Joseph found out, when God blesses one of His people, often that person’s employer also gets blessed!
The week of February 15-18th, 2011 our before-school Bible Studies and Prayer Meetings at 5 public schools in 61605 were able to be a blessing to 177 students with hot sausage biscuits for breakfast thanks to McDonalds. That may explain so many students that week! :) The children were so happy to see hot sandwiches as many don’t get a hot breakfast before school. Can you believe that 177 children heard the gospel in school because of South Side Mission? Yes you can! To God belongs the glory!
[from Assistant Executive Director, Benevolence, Steve Dunn’s report]
The Lord provided yet another miraculous healing at the Benevolence Center in February. Our God sighting this month is about a lady (Betty Lundgren), one of our regulars who came here & told me that she was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease & asked for prayer (which we did). Today she came back all excited to report that the Doc.
could not find any signs of the disease with no explanation. Dr. Denish Agarwal
from Heartland Healthcare asked Betty if she had any ideas why this happened. She
told her that she had been down to the South Side Mission Benevolence Center & many
were praying for her. The Dr. asked if she could send other patients down here for
prayer.
[from Director of External Ministries Rev. Bessie Rush’s report]
I don’t know what it is; maybe I just look like I need a hug on some days! Every Thursday since we started this year’s school ministry a little girl about 6 years old rush up to me and gives me a big or should I say tiny bear hug! We often talk about the fact that her brother walks her 2 plus miles to Roosevelt Magnet School then continues on to Manual High School where he attends school. Her working mother can’t afford for them to ride the bus because the distance that they live requires them to pay for riding the bus. When she arrives she is tired and cold but her attitude is always upbeat, she really loves the school ministry and we really love her too. She is always willing to help us set up, if she can. Because of this little girl I think I will give out more hugs. Have you had a hug today? It really is great therapy for both parties!
[from Chef Chris Franzoni’s monthly report]
Felicia was a spring 2010 Culinary Arts Training School graduate and recently received
a promotion at Proctor Endowment Home. She was very nervous about her new job duties and came to us for a visit. After visiting with everyone here she left with a full tank of confidence and ready to take on her new job.
Cassaundra and Molly are two recent graduates of CATS and both struggled with personal issues during their entire 12 weeks with us. One was dealing with health issues and the other with housing / family issues. We were able to shower them in prayers and this was a great comfort to both. Both are doing great and on their way to great things I truly believe.
CATS graduated Daurice Figgers is now the Breakfast Supervisor at Embassy Suites and supervises a staff of five. Daurice came to the recent graduation of the Culinary Arts Training School and recruited workers on the spot!
Joseph is a new graduate and with a background that is challenging when trying to place someone. He loves soul food and can fry a mean chicken. The day after graduation I received a call that JJ's fish and chicken needed 2 cooks. I instructed him to apply and
Lord willing he will soon be gainfully employed. David and Dustin both graduated from CATS in the spring of 2010 class.
Dustin is graduate of CATS and just got hired on to be the cook at Neighborhood House, replacing another CATS graduate who went on to a bigger job.
Our Hotel Housekeeping Training School is also providing some inroads to the kitchens in the hotels with whom we work. Our own “dean of the hotel school” Armosha Sturdivant recently met with representatives at the Holiday Inn and they informed her that they had several opportunities in the kitchen. Armosha let Chris know right away and he sent CATS grads Renae and Cassaundra down to apply.
