The Beacon
September 2025
More Than a Gift for Today
Every meal, every bed, every program is a step toward a tomorrow filled with hope.
Every day, men, women, and children walk through the doors of the Erie City Mission carrying burdens—hunger, homelessness, addiction, fear, uncertainty. And every day, because of generous and faithful supporters, they are able to find more than a hot meal or a safe place to sleep. They are able to find hope.
At the Mission, hope is served at every table. In our free public meal ministry, people of all ages—children, parents, seniors, and neighbors in need—are welcomed with dignity and care. A meal might fill an empty stomach for a day, but it also says, “You are not forgotten. You matter.”
Hope is offered in our Samaritan Care Men’s Shelter, where those with no place to turn find a warm bed, a listening ear, and the chance to take their first steps toward stability.
Our New Life Program for men and women is not “just another rehab.” It’s a life-transforming journey rooted in the love of Jesus Christ, offering spiritual renewal, counseling, job training, and the tools to build a new future. Lives are being rebuilt from the inside out.
For our students, Urban University provides more than summer or after-school activities, it offers mentoring, skillbuilding, and leadership training that can shape a young person’s entire life. From hands-on learning to community outreach, students discover their God-given potential and a vision for a brighter tomorrow.
When you give on days like Erie Gives, or around the holidays, your gift is not just for that day or for meeting a fundraising goal. Every dollar you give is a seed planted in someone’s future. It is a meal served tomorrow. A warm bed on a winter night. A Bible study that sparks faith. A graduation from the New Life Program.
Your gift becomes hope—not just for today, but for every tomorrow that God has planned for those who walk through our doors.
More Than a Message
For every life that has been changed here at the Mission, there is a unique story of hope. Just as your gifts are providing long-lasting life transformation, their stories of hope are more than a message—they’re living testaments to the power of Jesus Christ at work through your generosity. We invite you to listen as those whose lives have been forever altered share their stories of hope in their own words. Hear their complete messages on our YouTube channel, @eriecitymission.
It is the place that will give you freedom from the prision you are living in. You’re not too good or too bad. They will help you right where you’re at. - Sam “ “
Please know the Mission is the perfect home for your fragile heart right now. They will help you, just as you are, with love, forgiveness, and hope! - Jamie
A Message from the Chief Executive Officer
If you could leave a voicemail for your former self, what would you say?
That question was at the heart of our 2025 Erie Gives Day campaign. We invited several alumni of our long-term New Life Program to share “messages” to their past selves—and the results were some of the most moving videos we’ve ever produced.
Sam, now a husband, father to five adopted children, and a local pastor, told his younger self to admit his addiction, come clean to his wife, and seek help. These stories remind us why the Erie City Mission exists—to provide a place of compassion and accountability where God can transform lives. You can watch these videos on our website, YouTube, or on Facebook. Thank you to every church, individual, corporation, and business who gave during Erie Gives Day to make this work possible.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
In this edition of The Beacon, you’ll read about a remarkable summer for Erie youth through our Urban University program and meet our Mission Chaplain, Rev. Rob O’Connell. A decorated Navy veteran who once fell into addiction and violence, Rob met God in a jail cell and began a life-changing journey. This summer, he became a nationally certified chaplain under the North American Mission Board and was ordained by his local church, a milestone we’re proud to celebrate.
As we move from a hot summer into fall, the holidays are on our minds. For many, the Mission is their only family, their home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Inside, you’ll find details on upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and ways to help.
Our Strategic Plan remains “Top of Mind”—aggressive outreach to homeless encampments, a robust learning center for residents, and a new facility to expand our women’s program and provide emergency housing for women and children. Please keep these in prayer and join us in October for our Celebration of New Life for an update.
Join us on Thursday, October 16, for our
Celebration of
Life
Our annual celebration is free to attend. Invitation with details will follow soon.
Upcoming Events
October 16, 2025 -- Annual Celebration of New Life - FREE
October 23, 2025 -- New Life Program Graduation
November 24, 2025 -- Box of Love, Thanksgiving Outreach
November 26, 2025 -- Special Public Thanksgiving Meal with Table Service
November 29, 2025-- Small Business Saturday at ECM Thrift
December 3, 2025 -- Koinonia Christmas Party for Residents and Guests
December 23, 2025 -- Special Public Christmas Meal with Table Service
More Than a Giving Day
Erie Gives Day 2025 was our biggest year yet—and it’s all because of you! Thank you for giving with such generosity and excitement, helping us make history alongside our community.
Together, Erie Gives raised more than $11 million in 24 hours, shattering records and multiplying the impact for so many local nonprofits. The Erie City Mission celebrated incredible support from 950 donors who collectively contributed $258,000 before bonus bucks. Thank you, Erie!
Your gifts to the Erie City Mission will continue to bring hope, healing, and transformation long after the day is over and the excitement winds down.
Natalie Washburn Owner/Broker, Maleno
Joseph Smith Project Manager, E.E. Austin
Celebrating Rev. Rob O’Connell
We are thrilled to share exciting news: on Sunday, August 3, Pastor Rob, the Mission’s chaplain, was officially ordained through Millcreek Community Church. His journey to this moment is nothing short of a testimony to God’s grace and transforming power.
Born and raised in Erie, Pastor Rob, a Navy veteran,
experienced early life marked by addiction, brokenness, and years enslaved to drugs. In 2006, at rock bottom, he prayed to a God he didn’t know—and the Lord answered, revealing Himself and changing Rob’s life forever. Drawn to share the hope he had found in Christ, Rob connected with the Erie City Mission 18 years ago, teaching classes and ministering to the men in our New Life Program. Four years ago, he became our lead chaplain, pouring his heart into bringing the Gospel to those we serve.
His ordination is more than a personal achievement, it brings recognized credentials to the role of chaplain at the Mission. Endorsed by the North American Mission Board under the Southern Baptist Convention as a national chaplain, and now ordained after a rigorous examination by a panel of 10 pastors, Pastor Rob’s leadership carries the trust and authority that reflects the Mission’s commitment to the Gospel at the heart of all we do.
For Pastor Rob, the Mission is his church, commissioned to shepherd and guide those we serve, and this milestone affirms his calling to lead with humility, boldness, and the power of Christ. We couldn’t be more proud to celebrate this moment with him—and with you.
Share Help and Hope This Holiday
Hope is a powerful gift for those who are suffering, hungry, or homeless. The holidays at the Mission are a time for giving that hope to those in need right here in Erie. A box of food to make a homemade meal. A warm meal in a warm building. A little Christmas cheer with carols. And prayers for safety, warmth, help, and healing. These are the gifts of the holiday season at the Mission, and you can be a part of providing them to every man, woman, and child who walks through our doors.
Serve with us. Join our volunteer team to help at the Mission during the holidays. Serve at one of our special table service meals for Thanksgiving (Nov. 26) or Christmas (Dec. 23.) Bring a group to spread holiday cheer with Christmas carols.
Pray with us. Pray for our city, and for our neighbors in need. Pray that God will restore hope in their lives and that they will find help, love, warmth, and life-transformation through Jesus Christ.
Partner with us. Sign up to help pass out breakfast, hot drinks, cold weather gear, or bags of food at our annual Box of Love Thanksgiving outreach on Monday, November 24, 2025.
Visit eriecitymission.org to learn how you can join us this holiday in sharing help and hope to our neigbors in need.
Life Is an Adventure!
Urban University Summer Leadership Program
This summer’s Urban University (UU) students discovered that adventures aren’t always easy, but they do bring growth, connection, and joy—often in unexpected ways.
Courses for the summer semester of the leadership program focused on the theme “Life is an Adventure,” inspired by Proverbs 16:9—“People can plan what they want to do, but it is the Lord who guides their steps.”
Packed with immersive courses designed to spark personal, academic, and leadership growth, students were challenged to step out of their comfort zone throughout the eight-week semester.
Students learned tie-dye techniques from “Tie Dye Louis,” an 8th-grade peer instructor, and raised $400 for the UU program by raffling off a tie-dye blanket they created as a team during the course. They explored mixed media art, sewing, and culinary skills during a multi-course week at First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, and celebrated their adventures with a family event at the end of the week, featuring songs, skits, and poems the students wrote.
Hands-on learning took many forms: crocheting, physics experiments at Mercyhurst University, water ecology studies at Presque Isle, and intricate 3D diorama creation. Health and wellness came alive through Get Healthy 101, with local nutritionist Jessica Brinling, including learning functional fitness and circuit training.
Leadership development reached new heights with the
MAXX Leadership retreat at WLD Ranch, where students served around the camp, participated in team-building exercises, enjoyed outdoor activities, and gathered nightly for worship and devotions. The leadership course focused on personal growth and character building, ending the week at the Global Leadership Summit at Grace Church Harborcreek.
Weekly Neighborhood Outreach events were also central to the experience. Alongside Erie Bible Club, Urban University planned weekly events, asking students to step outside their comfort zones to serve, connect, and lead— from sharing their testimonies, to cleaning the park and serving food, to engaging younger children in games and conversation.
Urban University’s summer semester ended with a family celebration at Baldwin Park, complete with pickleball lessons, fellowship, and the announcement of the blanket raffle winner. Many students participated in multiple courses, building strong bonds as they learned, served, and grew together—truly living out “iron sharpens iron.” This summer proved that adventure, guided by God, shapes leaders who are ready to serve their community and embrace the journey ahead.
Urban University’s fall semester kicks off on Monday, September 15. Students in 7th-12th grade are encouraged to enroll today!
www.eriecitymission.org/urban-university
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