The entrance of our main headquarters, "the Lighthouse on Laramie." It's important that the poor be treated with dignity. Show them that they are important and they might just listen to you about your God. This landscaping, courtesy of Hoerr Nursery, KullScapes, and Dutch Landscaper, earned the Mission a Peoria City Beautiful award a couple years ago. We won our second just this week for our garden on Garden Street, the Benevolence Center.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM AUGUST 2011
Decisions to follow Christ for the month
308
Avg. Nightly Census in our New Promise Center shelter
38
Families served with free clothing, furniture, appliances & housewares
480
Attendance in our Laramie Street Sunday School, weekly
21
Attendance at our RiverWest Bible Study
7
Attendees for the Heartland Apartments Bible Study
10
NPC Residents connected to a local church so far in 2011
11
Elderly Services home, hospital or nursing home visits
56
Formerly homeless women moving out successfully
3
Food baskets given away at our RiverWest Satellite Office
28
Number of people completing a discipleship course this month
14
Average attendance at the Lighthouse Diner
23
Churches that have Adopted Blocks in 61605
20
Families enrolled to be mentored in our Family Mentoring Program
5
Food baskets given away through our Garden Street Benevolence Center
712
Attendance at our South Side Manor Bible Study
8
Food baskets given away at our Harrison Homes Satellite Office
67
Attendance in our Chapel services, Laramie Street, weekly
36
Volunteer hours, as a ministry
5,328
Attendance in our Chapel services, Garden Street, weekly
298
Attendance at our B’Nai B’Rith Bible Study
10
Pastoral care visits & counsels (non-elderly)
57
Attendance at our Hurlburt House Bible Study
8
Hot meals to the poor
8,038
Attendance at our Harrison Homes Bible Studies
21
FINANCIALS FROM AUGUST 2011
Monthly revenue vs. budgeted
$260,990/$300,575
Monthly expenses vs. budgeted
$287,872/$297,500
Positive or Negative on the Month
- $26,882
Yearly revenue vs. budgeted
$1,856,718/$1,616,600
Yearly expenses vs. budgeted
$2,242,588/$2,370,450
Positive or Negative on the year
- $385,870
How we’re doing versus budget
+ $367,980
The Lord Reserves the Right to Not Participate in a Recession
On the year, we remain better than budget on the year on both revenues and expenses.
Our Hotel Housekeeping Training School has expanded again. We have 10 hotels involved as well as Methodist Hospital. Now the Peoria Civic Center wants our students, too. We may need to change the name of the school as we place people in the custodial industry, not just the hotel industry!
Otis, a man to whom I [Sean Allen] have been ministering for some time broke curfew on a Saturday afternoon and in an effort to get back to the White Oaks Rehab facility, he had called me and another friend. Both of us were unavailable, but as he walked along, one of his former drug dealers happened to see him. He told Otis that he had heard he was trying to get his life straight. He then extended an unexpected offer to take Otis back to White Oaks. Otis accepted and was back where he needed to be. Otis later shared that the man never once offered him drugs and that only God would send a drug dealer to pick up a recovering addict to take him back to rehab! The next day (Sunday), Otis was cleared to go to church with us on the bus. He was quite depressed by his actions and falling short, but I encouraged him to stay strong in Jesus and accept His mercy and grace as new every day. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing!” (Isaiah 43:18) I then asked Otis if he would pray over those on the bus when we arrived at church. He nodded, and when we arrived, he stood and shared one of the most powerful prayers… everyone looked in amazement and many thanked him for his prayer! As I’ve indicated many times, God has a mighty plan for this man, and it’s exciting to actually see it unfolding day by day!
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