"Right By My Side" - March '20 Mission Moments

MARCH 2020

Right

BY MY Side

20 Years AND STILL GOING! T

KEITH OVERHOLT, MBA President/CEO

“FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU,” DECLARES THE LORD, “PLANS TO PROSPER YOU AND NOT TO HARM YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU HOPE AND A FUTURE.” JEREMIAH 29:11

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his month will be my 20th anniversary at the Downtown Rescue Mission. It has been an amazing journey to see this ministry grown to not only meet the needs of men, women and children who are in need, but become a lighthouse to this community as we share the Gospel of Jesus to all we come in contact with.

As I walked through the doors of the Mission for my first day on March 20th, 2000, I was excited to be called by God to a place that I knew was helping people change their lives for the better. At that time, we had 6 employees, 1 thrift store, served 75,000 meals per year and graduated 2 people from our program. Now 20 years later, I still have that same excitement.

Currently, we have almost 160 employees, 8 thrift stores, and last year served 326,000 meals, graduated 57 men and women from our program and helped 75 men, women and children find salvation in Jesus Christ. Through the years, we have moved the Mission to a new

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Donate your extra or unwanted items to Downtown Rescue Mission and help improve the life of someone in need.

#MISSIONSPRINGCLEAN

AGAPE SHOPPE @ DRM MISSIONMOMENTS | March 2020

1400 Evangel Drive NW, Huntsville, AL 35816 OPEN Mon. – Fri. 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

DROP OFF Sun. – Sat. 6:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

location, added new programs, built new ministry buildings, expanded our community outreaches and ministries and continue to follow God’s leading as He shows us new ways to help provide hope.

One of my favorite things about my journey at the Mission has been seeing this community’s support of this wonderful ministry. That support has also been extended to my family and me as well. Only in God’s provision could a northern guy from Buffalo, NY, be so welcomed to an awesome southern community and a place that we now call home.

Thank you for your years of support and love! The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I can’t wait to see what God has in store for the next 20 years.

Right

BY MY Side “THROUGH ALL OF THE STRUGGLES AND DISCONNECT…HE HAS NEVER GIVEN UP ON ME – ALWAYS RIGHT BY MY SIDE.”

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y name is Sabina, and I traveled from Ohio to Alabama in September 2018. I came here not knowing anything about Alabama. It was a very frightening experience, but I wanted a better life and the ability to regain control of my life. I had just recently left a seven year relationship and needed a change. I left my six year old daughter with her father because I knew I couldn’t take her with me without going to court due to joint custody. Leaving her was devastating, and I have prayed every day to be united with her again.

The trip to Alabama was very expensive and most of my savings was spent, to the point that I became homeless. When I arrived, I met this sweet, caring, young guy who had a very troubled past. There were a lot of concerns and reasons that would jeopardize my sanity among other people. He had a criminal record, was homeless, and was involved in drugs. God knew what He was doing though. I became his mentor, and he left his old ways and started moving in a positive

direction. By God’s grace, I was able to obtain a job and with both of our incomes, we were able to get a motel for the time being. Things seemed to be going well for us. I became pregnant during this time with my first son. We both were excited and planned on getting married, but after seven months of what seemed like a promising relationship, he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and within three or four months, he was gone. I never left his side as his caregiver.

I trusted in the Lord for guidance during this difficult time. Nowhere else to go, it was the Lord who led me to the Mission. Since coming here, I’ve learned to take one day at a time and be patient. Through all of the struggles and disconnect with my peers, family, and Jesus, He has never given up on me – always right by my side. I have asked the Lord for forgiveness for being disobedient and trying to do things my way.

I need His help to live according to His Word. I’m thankful for the Mission for helping me raise my son for the better and preparing me to go back out into the world and resist the temptations that’ll lead down the path of destruction. My future goals are to regain custody of my daughter and bring my mother here so we can be close once again.

donate.downtownrescuemission.org

M I S SION IN MY WORD S

ZACH JOHNSON

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aking disciples and teaching them to obey Jesus’ commands are two parts of our Great Commission as believers. By God’s grace, I’ve been given the opportunity to study God’s word at the academic level for almost 10 years and the privilege to turn around and teach the truths and applications of Scripture in a classroom setting for 7 years. However, in 2017 I left the classroom to work fulltime at Mission Driven Research as the Chief Philanthropy Officer. This is an incredible job that affords me many opportunities for Kingdom work, but I was no longer able to apply all those years of study and teaching as before…. until I began a relationship with the Downtown Rescue Mission.

“MAKING DISCIPLES TAKES TIME, BUT IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST TO DO OUR PART TO FULFILL THE GREAT COMMISSION.” While discussing homelessness in Huntsville, Adam Casey, Men’s Program Director, began to talk about the importance of heart change through the hard work of disciplemaking. Making disciples takes time, but it is our responsibility as followers of Christ to do our part to fulfill the Great Commission. When the opportunity to teach “Basic Beliefs” became available, it was obvious that God had placed me in the right place and the right time to serve and participate in making disciples and teaching them to obey.

We all have gifts and talents, but it is our responsibility to leverage those abilities to further the Kingdom of God. The Parable of the Talents reminds us that God does not deal lightly with those

who squander what He has given them. For me, it was using my experience in a classroom. For you it may be organizing donations, working the phones, volunteering at an event, etc. Prayerfully consider how God has gifted you and how you are stewarding your gift. Then ask God if there is a way you can join us in reaching out to “the least of these” at the DRM. Zach Johnson Mission Driven Ministries

MISSIONMOMENTS | March 2020

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STRAIGHT PATHS

n October 2019, our chaplains and security team felt God calling them to be more intentional with men in our Emergency Shelter who, due to personal, financial, or legal reasons, could not enter our Life Recovery Program. Our intent at the Downtown Rescue Mission is to share the Gospel of Jesus with every man, woman, and child that comes through our doors, but we felt like there were certain individuals falling through the cracks. God opened the chaplain’s and security team’s eyes and they saw that we had guests that wanted stability and accountability in their lives, but had no way to obtain it. This led to the creation of Straight Paths.

The concept of Straight Paths is to meet our guests where they are and walk with them through the darkest parts of their lives. Our goal is to point men to Jesus and encourage them to pursue Him in all aspects of their lives. The name comes from Proverbs 3:5-6 which states: “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” Jesus teaches that our own ideas and decisions will always lead to spiritual darkness. So we must rely on Christ and the council of Godly people. Straight Paths offers our guests another opportunity to have christian community, accountability, and discipleship.

Every week the guests in Straight Paths meet with one of our security officers or chaplains and engage

in an in-depth, one on one Bible study. This is a time of accountability, prayer, and study. We show the men that our sin or situations don’t define us, but God’s love for us does. We want to instill the hope of Jesus in men who have lost all hope. Members of our security team have been certified as biblical counselors so our guests have more access to counseling during their stay with us.

God has blessed and will continue to bless these men for their obedience. In the first four months of Straight Paths, we had two men transition out of Straight Paths and into permanent housing. Please continue to partner with us in prayer as these fellow brothers in Christ look to transition into a life fulfilled

by Jesus.

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DRM GOLF CLASSIC

s an avid golfer, I understand the joy one gets from playing this great game. I also understand that I am very fortunate to have the means and opportunity to afford this “life” luxury. When I was first introduced to the idea of supporting the Downtown Rescue Mission to raise money, I was skeptical. I’d never heard of the Mission or its goals and objectives. Then I met Tonia Camardella. She explained to me how the Mission works and how it strives to give people back their lives and that really resonated with me. I was eager to get on the Golf Committee and support an organization that recognized the good in people and provided a safe and supportive place for folks to get back on their feet. I’m now in my 3rd year supporting the DRM Golf Classic as the Golf Chairman and am humbled by the opportunity to give back to my community.

As the Chairman of the Committee for the Golf Classic, I ask for your support. This year the tournament will be held at the Canebrake Club in Athens, Alabama, on Monday, May 4, 2020. The 2018 and 2019 DRM

Classic’s raised $27,670 and $35,739 respectively, and we are looking to blow the 2020 number through the roof.

We are currently looking for event sponsors and teams to support this worthwhile event. We have numerous sponsorship levels and are eager to partner with you in order to make this event the best it has ever been. The Mission has an extremely wide reach on social media and a large presence in the community, making this partnership beneficial to both your company and the Mission. I think you would be a great fit for this event.

For more information, send Tonia an email at tonia@downtownrescuemission.org. Register for the DRM Golf Classic today at drmgolfclassic.org.

Louis Tominack - Committee Chair, DRM Golf Classic

A JOURNEY OF HOPE – 45 YEARS IN THE MAKING

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ho knew that a couple of guys giving out sandwiches from the back of a van in 1975 would end up having such a huge impact on the homeless community in North Alabama 45 years later?

Mark your calendars to join us as we celebrate Downtown Rescue Mission’s 45th Anniversary! On June 25th we will make a joyful noise with entertainment and dinner. The celebration will be hosted at Asbury Church’s

Building 4 Worship Center on Hughes Road in Madison at 6pm. There will be a silent auction and stories of hope.

Please join us to see where God is leading our ministry to better serve our men, women & children.

If you’d like to sponsor the celebration, donate a silent auction item, purchase tickets, or for more information, contact Tonia Camardella at 256.536.2441 x 343 or tonia@ downtownrescuemission.org.

LIVES YOU HAVE TOUCHED JANUARY 2020

26,541

Meals Served

2,269

Volunteer Hours

Lodging

8,732

Sack Lunches Provided

Clothing Provided

4,296

Spiritual Decisions

is a proud member of

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®

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