Laura Toles (left) helps with the ribbon cutting for Apple's Bakery's new Gluten-Free Bakery Items. A graduate of South Side Mission's Culinary Arts Training School, Laura has become a key employee in the gluten-free enterprise at Apple's (see more on Laura below).Hello from the Lighthouse on Laramie!
You are among our most trusted of supporters so we share with you each month a little more information. Please take time to pray with us over concerns, rejoice with us over victories, and share with us your time, talent, and treasure as the Lord directs.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM DECEMBER 2010
Decisions to follow Christ for the month
272
Avg. Nightly Census in our New Promise Center shelter
30
Families served with free clothing, furniture, appliances & housewares
452
Attendance in our Laramie Street Sunday School, weekly
46
Attendance at our RiverWest Bible Study
4
Children enrolled in our Kings Kids Christian Day Care
39
Christmas meals delivered to the needy
1,651
Elderly Services home, hospital or nursing home visits
62
Formerly homeless women moving out successfully
4
Food baskets given away at our RiverWest Satellite Office
13
Boys Club attendance
45
Number of people completing a discipleship course this month
4
Average attendance at the Lighthouse Diner
14
Girls Club attendance
45
Churches that have Adopted Blocks in 61605
19
Attendance at our Trewyn Middle School Bible Study & Prayer Meeting
13
Food baskets given away through our Garden Street Benevolence Center
572
Attendance at our South Side Manor Bible Study
7
Food baskets given away at our Harrison Homes Satellite Office
38
Families given Christmas gifts for the entire family
45
Attendance in our Chapel services, Laramie Street, weekly
37
Attendance at our Harrison Primary School Bible Study & Prayer Meeting
20
Volunteer hours, as a ministry
2,756
Attendance in our Chapel services, Garden Street, weekly
256
Attendance at our B’Nai B’Rith Bible Study
12
Pastoral care visits & counsels (non-elderly)
49
Attendance at our Hurlburt House Bible Study
5
Attendance at our Manual High School Bible Study & Prayer Meeting
10
Hot meals to the poor
8,071
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
20
FINANCIALS FROM DECEMBER 2010
Monthly revenue vs. budgeted
$753,808/$565,280
Monthly expenses vs. budgeted
$440,560/$328,559
Positive or Negative on the Month
+ $313,248
Yearly revenue vs. budgeted
$3,368,966/$3,278,320
Yearly expenses vs. budgeted
$3,402,305/$3,278,321
Positive or Negative on the Year
-$33,339
How we’re doing versus budget
- $33,339
Indicated Decisions for Christ 272
The Holy Spirit’s power and diversity was on display in December. We saw decisions in many departments. Here are the numbers…Kings Kids had 1 decision, the Breakout Youth Center 1, Benevolence Center 244, Elderly Services 2, South Side Manor Bible Study 3, Mission at Prayer 3, the Riverwest Housing Project Satellite Office of SSM 1, Harrison School before-school Bible Study & Prayer Meeting 1, The Harrison Homes Housing Project Satellite Office of SSM 3, Laramie Street Chapel 7, Lighthouse Diner 1, Hotel Housekeeping Training School 1, and the New Promise Center 5.
Financials
“All’s well that ends well.” Given all the sound and fury that accompanied our financials this year, to end the year within one percent of budget and with $528,507 in the bank is cause for celebration. Once again, God swooped in at the last minute and made everything OK.
The Lord Reserves the Right to Not Participate in a Recession
· We did not have to draw on a line of credit this year and have not since 2005.
· We finished with $528,507 in the bank.
· The Lord now has us at a $3.4 million budget after being just a $1.6 million organization in 2002. This kind of growth within the financially-dicey last 8 years is a testament of the Lord’s amazing power.
God Sightings
The Lord allowed South Side Mission to bless many at Christmastime.
· On Christmas Day, volunteers cooked and delivered 1,651 meals to the elderly, the poor, the shut-in and the handicapped. Despite nasty weather on Christmas Eve, all the volunteers who had signed up to come help did so. Wild horses couldn’t drag them away.
· Over in the Youth Department, they tell me, there were 19 Christmas parties for the kids in our programs. Merry Christmas indeed!
· Also in the Youth Department, 45 whole families were adopted with Christmas gifts by generous people.
Did You Know?
You’ll notice that our shelter number was just 30 for an average in December. That’s quite a bit lower than what our average has been. However, we have graduated 9 ladies and their children in the past two months to an income and an apartment. Our census should rise back up to traditional numbers soon.
Reverend Frank Winfrey, Assistant Executive Director and Senior Pastor of South Side Mission is working on his Doctorate from Northern Seminary.
Stories of People You Have Helped
[from Associate Executive Director, Connections, Sean Allen’s report]
Our Northwoods Adoptablock team had an awesome month serving on the south side! Through coordination with the NWs Photography Team, we provided more than 20 families (AAB and NPC) with 4x6 Christmas photos and 10 postcards. We then delivered 60 Christmas baskets (including Wal_mart gift cards) to our friends on Malone Street! Finally, we celebrated Christmas together with dinner and lots of games at Jillians at the Shoppes of Grande Prairie!
[from the External Ministries department]
The Christmas Party for River West was on December 5, 2010 at 5:30-8:00 pm at the Frank Campbell Center in River West. It was a wonderful fellowship! The attendance of about 200! The dinner was catered from Famous Dave’s Restaurant. Each family received 2 gift baskets. One basket was filled and overflowing with household products, the other basket was filled with family friendly games. The parents were so overwhelmed by the gifts they received that they wanted to do something to show their appreciation, so they cleaned up afterwards and gave the cleaning crew the day off. Once again Imago Dei & our River West volunteers did a wonderful job!
[from the New Promise Center shelter for homeless women & their children]
The Tuesday night service on 12/28/10 was a powerful one. The Spirit of the Lord moved and invited people to come to Christ. One of our residents, SB was in the service. She is on my caseload and she has not been very cooperative in attending services, MAP, Life Skills classes or the addiction recovery classes. She attends, but reluctantly. She does her chores, she’s employed. She will only do what is asked of her, nothing more. On this night she wrote me a note stating t hat she had some questions about God. I dropped everything and went to her. I took her into the chapel and the first thing she told me was that she did not want to go to hell. She said she was raised Catholic, but since she has been at SSM, it was as if every sermon was being told directly to her. She said she was really confused about Christ because she knew she could not be perfect. That was my opening. I did not preach to her because I am not a preacher. I did tell her about what salvation really is- admitting you are a sinner and the only way to God is through Jesus. She accepted Christ right then and there. I prayed with her and she is now on her way. Praise God!
[from Associate Executive Director, Youth Services, Shereee Lyles’ report]
We were blessed with donors who chartered two 45 passenger buses for the day and paid for entrance to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago for ninety children and 10 adults. We all absolutely enjoyed ourselves with seeing the underwater sights. After which they attended a Christmas party where children received several gifts from Santa, also decorated ginger bread men and received beautiful face paintings. Topped off with an excellent lunch, after which we toured Michigan Avenue.
One of the mothers in our Ladies Day Out group lived with family members who are using drugs. She has been down in the dumps because she has tried to find affordable housing. She has two children who she has attempted to shelter from the drug use as much as possible. She was encouraged to contact housing. She was blessed with an apartment in the Harrison homes but did not have the deposit. With the assistance of staff and a friend we were able to come up with the necessary money. She was handed the keys the same day.
[from Associate Executive Director, Development, Meg Newell’s report]
Laura Toles is a graduate of our Culinary Arts Training School and has quickly become an invaluable part of owner Mary Ardapple’s Apple’s Bakery. Mary is developing, with the aid of employee Laura, Apple’s Gluten Free Bakery. It has caught on and now Mary will be doing mail order gluten-free items. Laura’s career is taking off! Best of all, she recently moved up from Harrison Homes to her new apartment out in the community!
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
