Dinosaurs invaded South Side Mission's Summer Day Camp! How do you explain to your insurance carrier that two kids from the Day Camp were eaten by a T-Rex?
HIGHLIGHTS FROM AUGUST 2010
Decisions to follow Christ for the month
275
Average number of homeless women & children housed nightly
23
Families served with free clothing, furniture, appliances & housewares
492
Attendance in our Laramie Street Sunday School, weekly
28
Attendance at our RiverWest Bible Study
5
Elderly Services home, hospital or nursing home visits
63
Formerly homeless women moving out successfully
3
Food baskets given away at our RiverWest Satellite Office
13
Number of people completing a discipleship course this month
8
Average attendance at the Lighthouse Diner
27
Churches that have Adopted Blocks in 61605
17
Food baskets given away through our Garden Street Benevolence Center
642
Attendance at our South Side Manor Bible Study
8
Food baskets given away at our Harrison Homes Satellite Office
72
Attendance at our Harrison Homes Bible Studies (2)
14
Attendance in our Chapel services, Laramie Street, weekly
44
Volunteer hours, as a ministry
3,020
Attendance in our Chapel services, Garden Street, weekly
283
Attendance at our B’Nai B’Rith Bible Study
8
Pastoral care visits & counsels (non-elderly)
39
Attendance at our Hurlburt House Bible Study
6
Hot meals to the poor
6,390
FINANCIALS FROM AUGUST 2010
Monthly revenue vs. budgeted
$216,817/$244,276
Monthly expenses vs. budgeted
$289,953/288,693
Positive or Negative on the Month
- $73,136
Yearly revenue vs. budgeted
$1,710,622/1,617,208
Yearly expenses vs. budgeted
$2,120,868/2,210,140
Positive or Negative on the Year
- $410,246
How we’re doing versus budget
+ $182,686
How Can the Mission Feel OK About Losing $410,000 on the year?
South Side Mission takes in a surplus of dollars during the Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. It loses money during the other times of year, with some exceptions. This is not uncommon for Missions. However, the surplus we receive during the Holidays is usually so large that it offsets the loss and we finish at break-even on the year. This sometimes makes cash flow an issue, but the Mission has reserves that help make up shortfalls.
In addition to our overnight campers at Camp Kearney, we have a strong number (600+) of day campers who will use Camp over the summer. For example, on August 3rd, 4th, & 5th we welcomed 320 children from Camp of Champions day camp to Camp Kearney for three full days. They enjoyed swimming at our pool, boating at our lake, hiking on our trails, and worshipping in our chapel. Bringing in day campers helps us expand our ministry to kids at Camp beyond just overnight camping.
We have a new all-time record for number of people served in one day at the Lighthouse Diner lunch program—70 people on 8/25/10. The Culinary Arts Training School treated them to Chicken en Croute. That’s a chicken breast in a brown sauce with chopped asparagus baked inside a puff pastry shell. What a cool day that ended up being!
Adoptablock churches were active with additional ministry to the blocks in August, including Northwoods Community Church held a family picnic for the residents on their blocks; Word of Faith held a health Fair and transport residents to the fair; and Laramie Baptist Church held a neighborhood picnic as well.
Our two large vegetable gardens at the Benevolence Center not only provided fresh produce for the poor folks who came to the BC for food this summer, but Robin Winfrey always took a basket of veggies to deliver to her senior citizens to whom she ministers. Many of these people grew gardens when they were homeowners and miss the taste of a garden tomato. You can do a lot of ministry with a garden!
We added another element to our High Ropes Course at Camp Kearney with a new climbing apparatus on the north side of our tower. Not for the faint of heart.
God Sightings
Our Hope Builders Showcase Week is always a God sighting. The Lord has us on pace to reach the goal of 40 families helped with “big ticket” home improvements in 2010. Our volunteers do these projects throughout the year, but have a big push during one week in August in which we do 15-20 projects in one week. SSM Assistant Executive Director, External Ministries, Rev. Craig Williams and his crew of volunteers, led by SSM Board Member Harold Booze worked on houses throughout the zip code 61605, concentrating in our adoptablock areas. Craig and Harold will be sharing the story of one homeowner on Smith Street and her challenging property at the next Board meeting. This year’s Hope Builders Showcase Week was really blessed by God with good media from all the outlets and great involvement from the homeowners. Several of them helped the volunteers complete the work. Hope Builders was a little more expensive this year as several of the usual donors of materials couldn’t do as much this year for us. But the Lord provided.
Hike for Hunger 2010 was definitely a God sighting. He allowed us to set an all time record for the event this year, with $46,667. We had excellent corporate sponsorship, great publicity (thanks Meg), and a strong walkup of hikers. The Lord provided perfect weather yet again for the event. Thanks also to a nice group of Board members who came out for the morning event. Mark your calendars for the third Saturday in August 2011 to join us for next year.
On August 19, 2010, Imago Dei Church, one of our partner churches at the SSM Riverwest Housing Project satellite office, supplied 75 children with back packs filled with school supplies, 1 school uniform, a hygiene kit and a discount coupon for shoes! 175 people were in attendance at the River West “Back to School” function. Parents were the only ones that could pick up the school supplies for their children. These were some very grateful parents and children that day!
SSM Board Member Tony Berry occasionally mentions that in years past that South Side Mission used to be a missionary-sending organization, launching people into mission fields throughout the world. Well, we are going to send a missionary to the Dominican Republic sometime soon. Beth’s goal is to begin a Bed and Breakfast ministry in the DR and reach out to poor women on the island of Hispaniola. She is taking culinary classes with us to prepare her for this role. Pretty neat, huh?
Did You Know?
We have six high school students living in our shelter now. This is extremely rare for us. Usually, high school students will do anything to avoid living in a shelter because of the social stigma attached. However, these six young ladies are all high school seniors and attend Manual and Limestone high schools.
We partner with a ministry called Sidewalk Sunday School each summer as they literally conduct Bible-based outreach on the sidewalks and lawns of poor neighborhoods with the use of volunteers. They use our Harrison Homes satellite office as a base of operations in August. Many kids came to know Christ through their outreach. We’re glad to help.
Stories of People You Have Helped
[from Case Manager Elizabeth Diviney’s report]
Donna arrived at mission on July of 2009 to escape from a domestic violence situation. After she settled in to the mission she then began to deal with the severity of the situation that she endured. She was provided with spiritual care, psychological care, and she was also involved with the Center for Prevention of Abuse which specializes in domestic violent situations. Donna stayed here one year and two months, and she realized within that time that there was a very different way to live her life. She felt safe, valued and loved. She learned about the Lord and that she too deserved to be happy in life. She was baptized during the time she was residing here and found a home church to belong to. Donna realized that she could be self-sufficient and she is now moving into house where she can adequately afford the rent. Praise the Lord!!!!!!!!!
[from Director of Kings Kids and Kindergarten Teacher Sue Murphy’s report]
We had one little boy who came the first day of school without a book bag. Both he and Dad said they forgot it at home. On the second day of school, I overheard Dad say, "I'll go buy you a book bag today." It was our special opportunity to take him to the Youth Department and let him pick out a book bag. He is sooooo totally proud of it, and has
said each day, "Look there is My book bag."
[from Associate Executive Director, Development, Meg Newell’s report]
A family with 5 foster kids showed up at the Hike for Hunger with no money to pay for registration, but asked if they could still hike. We responded YES! And before the end of the day, they had t-shirts, breakfast and had enjoyed hiking, bouncing, and general merriment at God’s Hike for Hunger.
[from Director of Elderly Services Robin Winfrey RN’s report]
God blessed a gentleman with new air-conditioning in his home and he in turn blessed us with four nearly new window air-conditioners. Jim Hutchinson and I went to visit a senior with heart problems and were able to pass on a much needed air-conditioner. The air-conditioner will be a great help during these humid months.
Adopt-A-Block gave the name of a disabled woman to assess. Barbara is not able to ambulate in her home due to extreme weakness and arthritis. Earlier in the year I was given a children’s wheel chair I did not know what to do with. I felt led to put it in the New promise Center nurses station rather than the BC and you guessed it …that w/c is perfect for Barbara and easy to manipulate. Barbara is now a believer, by the way! Our next challenge with Barbara is to rid her house of roaches.
[from Assistant Executive Director, External Ministries, Rev. Craig Williams’ report]
I received a call from Ms. Williams, a city worker who explain to me that she was approached by a lady that thanks her for helping her mom. The city worker asked “who is your mother?” The lady replied with tears in her eyes that her mother was Mrs. Helen Thomas, the 85 years old widow who had received a new roof, new windows and new siding from Hope Builders. She told Ms. Williams that her mother would have died if she would have had to move from her home to a nursing home. The city was ready to condemn her home of 50 years but because of Hope Builders she properly will live out her days in the home she loves! Praise the name of the Lord!
Here is another story from Ms. Riley on Smith Street. She said she prayed to God for help when she moved into her house. She asked God to fix up her house so that others on the block would be inspired to fix up their homes and keep their property up too. She mentioned at one point she became discouraged because she did not have money or resources to fix her house up and then here comes Fresh Fire Ministries! Fresh Fire adopted her block, then she became encouraged to have a bible study in her home and the rest is history! Get it? His Story! God sent the help that she needed to get her house sided, new kitchen cabinets, a new tiled kitchen floor. It does not take much for her to testify about the goodness of the Lord!
[from Director of External Ministries Reverend Bessie Rush’s report]
A young lady (maybe 22 or 23 years old) came to the Harrison food pantry with a pantry volunteer, at first glance she appeared to be mad at something or someone. Before the pantry started the pantry volunteer asked if I would pray for this young lady. Because the room was filling up with residents, for a bit of privacy I took her by the hand and we went outside. I asked what I should pray for. She began to tell me about her one year old son that was hospitalized and how he had been diagnosed with cancer at 6 months old! As we begin to pray the power of God moved on her and she cried out to God! I was so moved with compassion for her. We both wept as our fervent partition went up to God. After the prayer I looked at her again and she looked like a different person! God had lifted her burdens as she cried out to God. I was later told that when she got to the hospital that day that the doctors gave her good news and the baby came home the next day!
Thanks for reading this report and Praise the Lord for all He is doing here! Please find me on Facebook or visit our blog www.southsidemission.blogspot.com, visit the website at www.southsidemission.org, pray for us and support us as you feel led.
In Christ,
Phil Newton, Executive Director
