"45 Years of Hope" - June '20 Mission Moments

JUNE 2020

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

G

od used my son’s broken leg while wrestling with his brother in 1974 as the catalyst to bring attention to the plight of the homeless in our area. Kirk had to be in the hospital for six weeks with his leg in traction. Bobbie LeCroy, a pastor friend, and his wife came to sit with him to give my wife and me a break. While they were at the hospital, they saw homeless individuals come to the emergency room for basic needs such as food and shelter. God used these observations to spawn the idea of starting a rescue mission in Huntsville.

Bobbie shared his observations with me, but I didn’t believe Huntsville needed a rescue mission – that we just didn’t have any homeless people. Bobbie then took me around to several homeless camps in the downtown alleys and outlying wooded areas to show me where they were. We started transporting food in the trunk of Bobbie’s car to pass out at these homeless camps. We’d also shared the gospel and handed out gospel tracts.

Through God’s leading, Bobby LeCroy, Curtis Eason, and I eventually founded the Downtown Rescue Mission in 1975. Each of us attended church together at Antioch Baptist Church where Curtis was the pastor. The Mission’s first location was on Clinton Avenue in what was an old service station. This is why it is called Downtown Rescue Mission.

I spent a lot of time painting and cleaning the building and property. One day a homeless man came up to me while I was at the Mission and asked what I was doing. When I explained what a rescue mission does to feed and shelter the homeless, the man replied, “Well, it’s about time someone noticed us”. He would come and help me every time I was there by cleaning,

painting, building walls, and preparing the place. When the day came to open the Mission for clients, he was the first in line to stay there. And the Mission has not been empty since.

The biggest challenge in the early years was convincing the community that there were homeless people in Huntsville and surrounding areas. In order to get community support, my wife typed the entire Huntsville phone book of names and addresses into a mailing list for an old mimeograph machine to mail out for donations. Community awareness and support was often a struggle and sometimes is still today. In spite of the struggles in funding, location changes, or support, God is active in changing people’s lives for the better. Forty-five years is a lifetime, and the need for the Gospel has never changed.

As our area has continued to grow, the life-changing power of the gospel continues to change lives. The grace of Jesus Christ helps people turn things around as they seek freedom from addiction, gambling, or poor life choices. The growth of adding a women’s and children’s facility, Owen’s House, was a great step of faith to continue to meet the needs of the community and allow us to continue sharing the gospel. The prayer of my family is for God to continue to be a presence to the community through the staff and works done at the Mission. To God be all the glory in the work done at the Mission!

– Bernard Thompson & Family

1975

1977

1981

1982

1983

1996

DRM is founded & located at 102 Holmes Ave.

DRM expands to 9th Avenue location

Construction campaign to build a chapel begins

The Women's Auxiliary is established to help homeless women

Focus is placed on thrift stores for alternative income

"Doc" Overholt is hired as Executive Director

MISSIONMOMENTS | June 2020

REVITALIZING THE MINISTRY

I

arrived at the Mission in April of 1996. The Mission was in great need in all areas, from finances to buildings to personnel. We had four employees and one part-time driver for work therapy. Six months after I arrived, the City of Huntsville closed our family shelter, kitchen, and dining hall citing safety issues with the building. This meant that we had lost our women and children’s ministry almost immediately.

The city did allow us to keep the kitchen open, but we had to run all of the food 200 feet to the temporary dining hall. Every staff member (all four of us) worked with a minimal budget, and there was no health insurance provided for anyone. The biggest need was to equip our residents to live a changed life through the work of the Holy Spirit by Jesus Christ becoming their Savior and Lord.

By the grace of God, one year later we had a brand new kitchen worth nearly $350,000 for the total cost of $69,000.

That was only the beginning of watching God perform many miracles at the Mission. By the second year, the Mission had doubled to eight staff members who were now receiving Blue Cross insurance. We also had nearly doubled our budget.

One of the greatest miracles was when we opened a new Sapp Family Shelter in 2001 by the donations ($1,500,000) of hundreds of faithful donors from the Huntsville area. While God was blessing us with physical growth, we were also growing spiritually. We saw more lives changed every year right up to the present.

In my years of rescue work, I have seen many changes to our clients. For many years, most of the people who came to the Mission were alcoholics. Missions saw a change when

mental institutions were closed all across America. Many of them found a home at missions. I also watched drugs hit our communities with a vengeance. The average age of missions’ clients dropped from the fifties and sixties to the low thirties.

The last large group that appeared at missions were women and children. These changes have all happened in my lifetime.

I think that senior citizens may be the next great group to look to us for more and more help.

One of my greatest memories was of Henry. When I first saw him, he looked like he was either stepping into the grave or out of it. As he stayed at the Mission, he began to change physically and spiritually. He looked healthier and seemed to be happier and more content. Christmas rolled around and the Mission received several hundred winter coats to give to the men. He disappeared for a couple of hours after he had received his Christmas coat. When he returned, he had bought a gift for the office staff. I still have his gift on my desk at the Mission. I believe he had not received a gift for many years and that his heart was touched by the Christmas coat.

Over the years, my great joy has been to see changed lives.

I have always felt that when you see a changed life, you can only imagine how many others are effected by that change.

I will have to wait until heaven to really know that answer. It is always a joy to meet graduates on the street and hear what God has done for them. My prayer for the Mission is that Christ will stay at the center of all that we do and that we will see many more changed lives here and now and eventually in heaven.

– Dr. Darwin “Doc” Overholt

2000

2001

2004

2005

2006

2007

Keith Overholt is hired for a role in the Development Department

Sapp Shelter for women & children opens on 9th Avenue

The Decatur Thrift Store opens

The Albertville Thrift Store opens

The Athens Thrift Store opens

The City of Huntsville declares eminent domain on 9th Avenue property

donate.downtownrescuemission.org

CELEBRATING 45!

T

he Mission is celebrating its 45th year of serving the Tennessee Valley. The celebration didn’t quite happen with the fanfare that we had planned for as we’ve been dealing with the Coronavirus, but it is still time to celebrate what God has done through this ministry that has helped thousands of lives over the years.

What started as handing out sandwiches out of the back of a car in the early 70’s has grown to a multi building campus where programs and services are provided to over 300 men, women and children on a daily basis. As I step back to reminisce, joy overflows as I think about how God has truly blessed this ministry and this community through it.

Over the years, as the need grew, the Mission grew with it. In 2008, the Mission moved its entire operation to our current 17-acre campus.

The ministry continued to grow as in 2018 we added a 30,000 square foot facility for women and children named “Owen’s House.” Last year, we continued our commitment to meeting the need and purchased our first “Grad House,” a transitional housing unit for graduates of our program. In 2000, when I first came to the DRM, we had one little thrift store on our old campus. Now we have eight thrift

stores throughout North Alabama that help fund our ministries, and I believe they are the best stores in town!

Over my 20 years at DRM, my fondest memories are at our quarterly graduation celebrations. Seeing the change in these men and women who were broken and bruised by addiction and bad life choices brings tears to my eyes every time. So many have graduated our year-long program as new creations in Christ. I love when I’m out in the community and past graduates come up to me and give their testimonies of how the Mission helped change their lives.

Seeing the joy in their eyes makes all the hard work worthwhile.

These 45 years would not have been possible without your support both through volunteering and donations. The Mission is completely supported by individuals, businesses and churches from our community.

Thank you for the continued support and trust that allows this ministry to help all who come through its doors.

I look with great anticipation to see where God will take us in the future.

God is good!

KEITH OVERHOLT, MBA President/CEO

2008

2011

2015

2018

2019

2020

DRM promotes Keith Overholt to CEO & moves to its current location

The Madison Thrift Store opens

The Huntsville West Thrift Store opens

Owen's House opens to serve women & children

The Grad House, a transitional housing unit, opens

DRM celebrates its 45th anniversary

MISSIONMOMENTS | June 2020

HOPE THROUGH THE YEARS

EVENTS RESCHEDULED

O

ur DRM hearts couldn’t be more full due to the outpouring of support from our incredible donors and volunteers during this unprecedented pandemic. The health and safety of our community and event supporters are always in our prayers and the decision to cancel several of our Mission events was a tough, but necessary one. In the meantime, would you prayerfully consider making a donation in the amount you would have spent to participate in and support one of these rescheduled events? Though our COVID-19 support has been immense, the need for ongoing operational funding remains high as we enter the summer season when donations typically are at their lowest.

• DRM Golf Classic (May 7, 2021)

• 45th Anniversary Banquet is being replaced with a celebration in the summer of 2021 (more information to follow).

• Glow Run (2021, TBD)

If you are interested in sponsorship or event participation, please contact Tonia Camardella at tonia@downtownrescuemission.org or 256.713.4343.

WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN THE SMELL OF GUN POWDER IN THE MORNING?

O

n Friday, September 25, 2020, the Downtown Rescue Mission will host its 6th Annual Shoot4Shelter sporting clay tournament at Limestone Hunting Preserve in Ardmore, Alabama. The clay shoot will provide multiple challenging stations and fun games. We will start the morning’s activities with a continental breakfast and door prize opportunities. The games, awards, and prizes will accompany lunch. Call Tonia for more information about

committee and sponsorship opportunities at 256.713.4343 or tonia@downtownrescuemission.org. Reserve your team now at shoot4shelter.org

LIVES YOU HAVE TOUCHED APRIL 2020

Meals Served

17,205 5,735

Lodging Program Graduates

is a proud member of

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82060

1400 Evangel Drive | Huntsville, AL 35816 | 256-536-2441 | downtownrescuemission.org