The annual Hope Builders Showcase Week is coming July 25-29th. We'll be partnering with the Metro Peoria Baptist Association and a number of other churches to fix up the homes of 20 low-income homeowners on the south side. Still time to sign up to volunteer. Please email Minister Bessie Rush at bessier@southsidemission.org to get started!
HIGHLIGHTS FROM JUNE 2011
Decisions to follow Christ for the month
228
Avg. Nightly Census in our New Promise Center shelter
36
June graduates of the Hotel/Hospitality Training School
6
Families served with free clothing, furniture, appliances & housewares
515
Attendance in our Laramie Street Sunday School, weekly
17
Attendance at our RiverWest Bible Study
6
Children enrolled in our Kings Kids Christian Day Care
25
Elderly Services home, hospital or nursing home visits
55
Formerly homeless women moving out successfully
2
Food baskets given away at our RiverWest Satellite Office
22
June attenders of Camp Kearney
174
Ladies in the New Promise Center who have established a church home
5
June Graduates of the Culinary Arts Training School
8
Number of people completing a discipleship course this month
22
Average attendance at the Lighthouse Diner
28
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
728
Attendance at our South Side Manor Bible Study
8
Food baskets given away at our Harrison Homes Satellite Office
71
Attendance in our Chapel services, Laramie Street, weekly
35
Volunteer hours, as a ministry
4,424
Attendance in our Chapel services, Garden Street, weekly
310
Attendance at our B’Nai B’Rith Bible Study
10
Pastoral care visits & counsels (non-elderly)
56
Attendance at our Hurlburt House Bible Study
8
Kids enrolled in our Day Camp
125
Hot meals to the poor
10,222
Mother’s of Kids in the Youth Department Meeting
30
Attendance at our Harrison Homes Bible Studies
10
FINANCIALS FROM JUNE 2011
Monthly revenue vs. budgeted
$191,670/$170,725
Monthly expenses vs. budgeted
$375,584/$390,531
Positive or Negative on the Month
- $183,915
Yearly revenue vs. budgeted
$1,367,112/$1,145,350
Yearly expenses vs. budgeted
$1,681,760/$1,771,454
Positive or Negative on the year
- $314,648
How we’re doing versus budget
+ $311,456
Indicated Decisions for Christ 228
The Holy Spirit orchestrated one of those phenomenal months in which every department saw a decision for Christ, including Chapel, New Promise Center, Kings Kids, Day Camp, Camp Kearney, Elderly Services, Benevolence Center, Mission at Prayer, the Hotel/Hospitality Training School, Discipleship, External Ministries, Satellite Offices, and both Craig Williams and I had decisions when we preached in churches in June.
Persons completing a discipleship course this month 22
A healthy month for discipleship with persons completing structured discipleship courses in a variety of ministries here.
Persons receiving baptism this month 0
Financials
The Lord Reserves the Right to Not Participate in a Recession
We really feel great about this year from a financial standpoint so far. Each month this year, the Lord has brought in more than budgeted and our expenses have been under budget significantly. Put them together and you’ll see we’re $311,456 better than budget on the year. Praise the Lord. What a testimony to a watching world.
June was a three payroll month (one of two on the year, with December being the other). That accounts for the bump in expenses, but again, not as much as we expected. One reason we continue to be under on expenses is that we have been very aggressive in moving to energy-efficiencies. For example, Ameren paid us more than $1,000 in rebates for putting in energy efficient lighting. This has paid off handsomely over time with smaller energy costs. Our next frontier is HVAC efficiencies.
Meg Newell did an excellent job raising more than $5,000 to purchase bikes and make site improvements for our new Mountain Biking Program at Camp Kearney!
The four Mission Mart stores made goal this month and made 5% more than last June.
Church donations are up 8% on the year.
What’s New
The Lord continues to expand the original vision of the Hotel Housekeeping Training School. Originally, we were going to take unemployed ladies with felonies and place them with area hotels. Now the vision has expanded to:
· men and women
· either with felonies, without felonies or even still in the prison system on work release
· working at area hotels, hospitals, senior citizens’ long term care facilities and now even retail stores. JC Penney at Northwoods Mall just signed on to work with us.
Adopt A Block is going well. Pastor Chris Duncan and Lily of the Valley Ministries has joined the AAB team as our newest church.
NPC Case Manager Elizabeth Diviney has a baby boy. Mother and son are doing well.
The LWML Convention was held in Peoria and we were the recipient of their service project along with 4 other Peoria ministries. (This we knew.) What we did NOT know was that it will fill a truck and a half! Towels/toiletries/underwear/coloring books/lotions…the south side of Peoria will smell NICE for MONTHS!
God Sightings:
Our Urban Gardening Program continues to “grow” as this year we have four vegetable gardens planted. We’ve harvested collard greens, mustard greens, spinach, lettuce, and onions as well as many herbs. The fresh vegetables and herbs are shared with the poo through our Benevolence Center food pantry and our Laramie Street Kitchens. We have many other crops that will ripen and fruit soon! God is good. Our Day Camp volunteers have been using the gardens as object lessons for Bible stories like the parable of the sower.
Did You Know?
Hope Builders completed 5 projects this month. Our volunteers were outstanding this month with 869 hours of support for SSM External Ministries! They consist of a youth group from O’Fallon IL, Workforce Network, Youth Build, Laramie Baptist Church, Northwoods Church, Park Avenue Baptist Church, and Harold Booze of Woodland Baptist Church, Larry Pope of New Life Community Church, supporters from Harrison Home Discipleship group and Hal & Gary of Northwoods. I thank God for each and every one of them!
Stories of People You Have Helped
[from Assistant Executive Director Minister Craig Williams’ monthly report]
This involves 2 people that we started in our Harrison Home Discipleship class over a year ago. It started with a gentleman named Tommy and him coming to the food pantry where he gave his heart to the Lord. Tommy has been engaged every since then. Tommy comes on most Sundays from 9:30-10:30 to the Harrison Homes discipleship class. He has now completed one discipleship class already. He has now enrolled in a GED class as well. Tommy now has his electric and water bills in his own name where before he could not because of outstanding bills he owed. His faithfulness and the support of SSM have really paid off! Tommy has just moved into a brand new PHA housing!
Here is another story:
It is amazing how God touches the hearts of his people. I was blessed to know that one of our newest churches Pentecostals of Peoria came out with over 40 people for their prayer walk on their new blocks. I was pleasantly surprised when I said to them ‘so this is your prayer walk group? They replied “No this is the regular group that will go out and some of them are not here today. This group has been consistent every since then! WOW” What a mighty God we serve!
[from Director of External Ministries Minister Bessie Rush’s report]
I often pray with a 50 year old resident in River West. This dear sister needs a heart transplant. She currently lives on an electrical machine connected to her heart to keep it pumping. The doctors have told her that she can only live on this machine about six years. The machine also runs on charged batteries but only allows her 3 hours to be away from home. Other than praying for a medical miracle we prayed that God would do something that would allow her to go outside more other than to doctor's visits or rushing to fix her schedule so she does not run out of battery time! She dreams of going to the park or to the movies and a dinner with her teenage children. I told her prayer changes things and we would pray about it. Recently she was informed that a new machine was developed and that she was one of the first to get one! Her new machine would allow her to be out for 12 hours! She was so excited! She was fitted with the machine and as soon as she was able her first trip was to the park just sit on a bench and soak up the sun. She is so grateful to God for moving in her life! She used to be so pale because she hardly spent more time outside now she looks so much better and her mood has improved as a result of the SON and the sun.
[from Camp Director Paul Mulholland’s report]
Many of the campers who attend Camp Kearney are returning campers from previous years. One particular camper during our second week of camp was a young man named “Jamar”. This year was Jamar’s fifth year attending Camp Kearney. The first two years Jamar attended Camp Kearney he was sent home on the first day due to behavior issues. Three summers ago I met Jamar for the first time and he proudly proclaimed to me on the first day during lunch that he’d been sent home quickly the previous two summers. When I asked why he’d been sent home he said, “because I stood up for my cousin.” I quickly responded jokingly, “Wow! They must have been really strict here if they sent you home just for standing up!” Not realizing I was teasing, Jamar tried to explain that he meant that he was sent home for fighting in defense of his cousin. Continuing my playful banter I assured Jamar that we did not have a strict policy on standing or sitting and that violation of either offense would not get him sent home. Jamar, finally realizing I was joking with him, laughed and smiled and said, “I think I like this camp now!” Jamar stayed the entire week that summer as well as last summer. Through these three years I’ve gotten to know Jamar quite well. In addition I’ve learned a lot about his home life and some of the difficulties that have left Jamar in an almost constant state of acting out. Knowing these things about Jamar, we purposefully placed Jamar in a cabin with one of our strongest male counselors this year. Though there were many challenges and struggles with Jamar’s behavior we did manage to get him through the week. On more than one occasion I had to deal with Jamar due to behavior issues. On Wednesday I was called out to the Caboose field because Jamar had gotten into an argument with another camper and was becoming very disruptive to the mountain biking class. As I spoke with Jamar about his behavior, he broke down into tears and shared with me that “his life sucked” and that he “hated himself.” When I began to share with Jamar about Jesus he angrily responded, “What has Jesus ever done for me?” My heart aches when I know that these children are facing very difficult trials at home. Trying to show them Jesus is very challenging when all they’ve ever experienced is hate, disappointment, abuse, and tragedy. Even though I tried to assure Jamar that Jesus loves him and has a wonderful plan for his life, Jamar was still somewhat unresponsive to this message. During our early Thursday morning staff meeting we prayed for Jamar. His counselor shared that even though Jamar puts on a tough exterior that it seemed that he was opening up some and that he was beginning to ask some questions during bible studies and cabin time. During our Thursday evening commitment service, Jamar prayed to accept Jesus into his heart for the first time. PRAISE GOD! Jamar will still have a tough journey ahead of him and I know his situation at home will probably not improve but I hold out hope that the prayer Jamar prayed is only the beginning of God’s work in his life. Five summers! Jamar attended camp for five summers before asking God to be a part of his life. It would have been easy to give up on Jamar. I am thankful that we did not give up on him and I know that God never did and never will. Jamar is now a child of the King!!!!
[from Robin Winfrey RN, Director of Elderly Services' report]
Jim H. and I were running late on afternoon but I just felt a strong leading to visit a senior I haven’t seen for several months. When we knocked on her door she said, “You know just when to come, my only brother just died today, he is finally out of pain, but I don’t know if he knew the Lord. I have nothing to wear to his funeral.” Then the tears came flowing. We had a chance to sit and “BE” with her for a while as she talked about her brother and better days. We left a bag of groceries we had collected for another person not found at home and promised to bring several items by the next day that might work out for her to wear to the funeral. We found shoes and beautiful things that were “just right”. She knows God Cares!!!
[from Assistant Executive Director Rev. Frank Winfrey’s report]
God provided a fantastic visit with a long time soup kitchen attendee. “Jay” has struggled with drug issues throughout his life. He says that often the soup kitchen meal is the only one he eats each day. He does know the Lord, but is very honest about the fact that he knows he needs to take the next step in obedience. I am concerned because he just battles with the weight of the world on his shoulders. God prompted me to take some time out to be with him because I wanted him to know that God cares and loves him. He is not forgotten and even though he has failed in his sobriety thus far, it does not have to continue. He talked a lot about his financial struggles, most of them due to poor discipline. Trust he will soon turn a corner. Please pray for Jay as the Lord brings him to your mind.
Phyllis Jordan praises God for allowing her client Paula to complete 18 months of the Drug Court Program. She managed to maintain her sobriety and find full time employment. Paula's felony charge and two misdemeanor charges have been taken off her criminal record. She can now apply for State and Federal funded jobs and not get turned down because of her criminal background. Paula is grateful for the encouragement and support she received from SSM. She is happy about the car that was donated to her from SSM. She is thankful God allowed her another change to get her life on track.
A former resident, who attributes her new life to SSM, graduated from Midstate College with an Associates Degree in Business Administration.
