Members of the Adoptablock Team from Richwoods Christian Church and Maranatha Fellowship.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM NOVEMBER 2009
Decisions to follow Christ for the month
349
Average number of homeless women & children housed nightly
53
Families served with free clothing, furniture, appliances & housewares
589
Attendance in our Sunday School, weekly
44
Attendance at our RiverWest Bible Study
10
Elderly Services home, hospital or nursing home visits
58
Formerly homeless women moving out successfully
1
Food baskets given away at our RiverWest Satellite Office
17
Average attendance at the Lighthouse Diner
19
Kids enrolled in after-school tutoring
55
Churches involved with Adoptablock
15
Food baskets given away through our Garden Street Benevolence Center
573
Attendance at our South Side Manor Bible Study
8
College Club kids enrolled at ICC
15
Food baskets given away at our Harrison Homes Satellite Office
52
Attendance at our Harrison Homes Bible Study
12
Attendance in our Chapel services, Laramie Street, weekly
44
Attendance in our Chapel services, Garden Street, weekly
290
Attendance at our B’Nai B’Rith Bible Study
8
Pastoral care visits & counsels (non-elderly)
43
Hot meals to the poor
11,173
FINANCIALS FROM NOVEMBER 2009
Monthly revenue vs. budgeted
$367,984/$363,851
Monthly expenses vs. budgeted
$243,062/$247,764
Positive or Negative on the Month
+ $124,923
Yearly revenue vs. budgeted
$2,534,132/$2,502,361
Yearly expenses vs. budgeted
$2,690,103/$2,690,567
Positive or Negative on the Year
- $155,971
How we’re doing versus budget
+ $32,235
The Holy Spirit continues to have a field day here in 61605. The 349 decisions in November 2009 break down as follows…15 in Sunday School, 8 at our before-school Bible study and prayer meeting at Manual High School, 1 at Roosevelt Magnet School, 1 at RiverWest, 2 in Elderly Services, 11 in the Youth Department, 3 in the Lighthouse Diner, 8 in the Laramie Street chapel, 5 in the New Promise Center and 295 over at the Benevolence Center. Thank you God!
On the year, we are $32,235 better than expected! Praise God! When you consider all the external factors, it’s amazing that we are having as good a year as we are. But, that’s God. He gives exceedingly, abundantly above all we could ask for and he reserves the right to not participate in a recession.
The Lord outdid Himself on Thanksgiving at South Side Mission. He provided a new record 2,724 hot meals for the bellies of those in need on “turkey day” at the Mission. He also provided great weather. At 5 am that day, I was gazing at the Doppler radar, which showed a large cloud of ice, snow, and sleet bearing down on Peoria. Mercifully all that bad weather stayed in the clouds that day. Thank you Father! And thank you to all the great volunteers we had that day.
One goal of our Elderly Services department is to begin a home-winterization program for seniors on the south side. Well, our friends at WCIC jumped in to help, sending more than 100 volunteers on Saturday, November 21st and winterizing the homes of 50 south side senior citizens. We are hoping that WCIC will do this annually with us.
Before the snow gets too thick, pop by the Mission’s Benevolence Center at 2919 W. Garden and check out our nifty new linear perennial garden—it’s beautiful, even in winter. Provided by a grant from Apostolic Christian World Relief, the garden brings beauty back to a blighted area and helps bring the garden back to Garden Street. It features neatly-hemmed brick edging that goes on for at least 100 yards, expertly chosen and planted perennials, and designed/completed by Hoerr Nursery. It’s goregeous.
[from Assistant Director of External Ministries Minister Bessie Rush’s report]
There is a senior gentleman that attends the Harrison Bible Food Pantry quite often; most times you can smell the alcohol on his breath. Last week we were amazed that he was not only sober, but dressed the best he could for a church visit! He looked like a different man! Psalm 119:9 says “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” Just by sitting under the word of God this gentleman life is taking a change! Glory belongs to God.
God has taken a hostile family member and turned him into a friend. Elmira’s son who resented my interference in his mom’s care has called for advice several times this month and still keeps in touch now that Elmira is living at Belwood Nursing Home. Elmira is adjusting to her new surroundings and smiles when she sees Elderly Services visit. She needs our prayers. She has had many losses in a short time: her independence, her home, moving into then out of her son’s home, Belwood placement and a brother passed away this past month.
[from Assistant Executive Director and Senior Pastor Frank Winfrey’s report]
I spoke to you last month about a very powerful time in MAP when the ladies shared openly about the changes that they have seen in the lives of their friends. On the heels of this I challenged the ladies to go out with me and be involved in following up some of those who expressed a need on our comment cards.
I have had four ladies go out thus far with me into the community and they have been encouraged to share their testimony and give words of encouragement to those we meet. There is more growth that is needed in their live but I so appreciate their willingness to be vocal about their faith. They are stepping out of their comfort zone and I am so encouraged by them.
At one of the houses we visited a young woman opened up to us about her alcohol addiction and her recent commitment to walk away from this. One of the ladies had been an addict and she was able to speak into her life. Keep praying for the ladies as they move forward in this that the doing will not be the emphasis but rather the overflow of the heart.
[from Director of the New Promise Center and Chaplain Linda Butler}
Midstate College representatives came for their quarterly presentation on career opportunities. Two weeks later NPC took 10 residents for a tour of the campus.
Five of the residents began admission counseling. Two residents are scheduled begin classes in February 2010.
Elizabeth Diviney Reports: In late December of last year I received a call from a mother with four children on a daily basis. I told her day after day that we did not have any space available however, she kept calling. At the beginning of February we had a family move out and Sarah and her four children moved in. She began to make progress as soon as she moved into the New Promise Center. Sarah found a safe and secure place for her family and because her basic needs were taken care of she began to be able to recommit her life to Christ. Sarah then began to search for a job and apply for housing. She found a part time job and even though it was not what she was looking for and it was not enough hours to support her children she took the job anyway. Sarah kept looking for another job that would offer her full time hours. She then succeeded in finding a full time job and is now working with the Developmentally Disabled population as a nursing assistant. However transportation because her job was not directly on a bus route and was limited on the weekends and the cost taxi service was almost financially counter productive. Shortly after getting the job NPC provided her with a donated vehicle. Sarah will be receiving a house soon through Public Housing Authority and therefore her time at the mission will be ending. The one thing that I can say I will miss most about Sarah is her sense of humor and that she always was smiling no matter what the circumstances were. From her time at the mission she was able to save money, gain a job, obtain a house and a car, and renew her faith in Jesus Christ!
[from Associate Executive Director, Benevolence Steve Dunn’s report]
The B.C. has been ministering to a lady that we call Maggie. She was addicted to crack cocaine and had all of her children taken away from her. The day that she accepted Christ as her personal Lord and savior she gave up the drugs and started getting her children back. Currently, she has gotten all four of her children back and their all in school. Maggie is real proud of her kids because some of them are even on the honor roll. We are so proud of this mother. When she gets her children ready in the morning for school, she says, “God is good,” and her children say, “All the time.” The B.C. has been able to give all four of these children coats for the winter.
Richwoods Christian Church and Maranatha Fellowship partner together on an Adoptablock effort for us. The partnership has been very fruitful over the couple years they have been doing this. A recent outreach was their Thanksgiving luncheon held at Trewyn Middle School, which drew 200 people, mostly from their adopted blocks. Our own Minister Craig Williams blessed the meal.
Our buttons were bursting on November 20th as the Peoria Chamber of Commerce awarded South Side Mission its “Community Wealth Award.” Awarded annually at the group’s Community Thanksgiving Luncheon (attended by 800 this year), the honor recognizes a charity each year that makes Peoria a better place to live.
In November, out of 36 ladies using our New Promise Center shelter for homeless women and their children, we had 13 ladies who were with us fleeing domestic violence situations. People sometimes forget that the Mission is very much a domestic violence shelter, too. It is one reason our security is as strict as it is. Sadly, the Holidays can be a time in which domestic violence becomes more heated.
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