THEvision o
Gifts needed for Holiday Party W
e’re less than a month away from our Annual Christmas Celebration for the men, women and children who call the Mission “home” and we still have some urgently needed gifts. Our goal is to provide at least one gift for every man, woman and child who will be a guest here at the Mission during Christmas. This is a great opportunity for you and your family, friends, church group or coworkers to be part of a wonderful Christmas celebration.
Gifts for children: toys for all ages (0 yrs – 17 yrs) sports equipment for all ages clothes for all ages
clothing for all sizes (small – 4X) perfume & lotion (unused) undergarments (small – 4X) hair dryers & hair bru shes watches
alarm clocks
alarm clocks
thermals (small – 4X) under-shorts (small – 4X) sweatshirts & pants (small – 4X) shoes (sizes 9 – 13) watches
“They gave me a
alarm clocks socks (for emergency lodge guests)
second chance!”
M
aria was raised by a stepfather and an alcoholic mother. “My mother was never really there as a parent...I had a lot of resentment towards my parents,” Maria says. “My sister and I would run away from home and we started hanging out with gang members. That’s when I started smoking weed and drinking, then I started using meth when I was 16.” In the years to follow, Maria’s life spiraled out of control. “I was running the streets as a gang member with my four children,” she says.
Please bring unwrapped gifts to the Mission at 445 S. San Joaquin St, Stockton, from 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Bill, use my gift to bless hungry, homeless people this Christmas. ❍ $21.12 to feed and care for 11 people ❍ $49.92 to feed and care for 26 people ❍ $74.88 to feed and care for 39 people ❍ $_________ to help as much as possible ❍ I’m enclosing a special Christmas gift of $_____ to make the holidays brighter for Mission guests.
_________________________________________________________________ NAME
_________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS
_________________________________________________________________
of the gospel center rescue mission
Gifts for men:
Gifts for women:
watches
H O L I D AY 2 0 1 5
❍
Check enclosed
❍
❍
❍
Bill my credit card
❍
CREDIT CARD #
EXP. DATE
❍
What happened next was a tragedy! Read more on page 3...
CIV/SEC #
PHONE #
Donate online at www.GCRMS.org, or call (209) 320-2311.
Don’t miss…
Gospel Center Rescue Mission P.O Box 816 Stockton, CA 95201-0816
Angels. 2 Trees. Candles.
a 2 BeSecret Santa!
Needed 4 Gifts for Holiday Party
CITY / STATE/ ZIP
_________________________________________________________________ E-MAIL
2015 Holiday Newsletter – 51103 GCRM – Newsletter – PMS 193, 355 & Black
HOL15
445 S. San Joaquin Street • Stockton, CA 95203-3537 • (209) 320-2311 • GCRMS.org
2015 Holiday Newsletter – 51103 GCRM – Newsletter – PMS 193, 355 & Black
A Personal Note From Bill Brown
Trees. Angels. Candles. Carols. Feasting. Presents. Rejoicing. This is how we celebrate Jesus’ birth. But perhaps there is something else we can do. After all, Jesus made it very clear that He came “to seek and to save the lost.” He engaged with people whom others called “sinners,” who were open to hearing His message. He let them know they mattered to His Father. People just like these find their way to Gospel Center Rescue Mission every day. We welcome them, meet their basic needs and share the Good News, just as Jesus would. Amid the hustle and bustle of Christmas, please take a moment to reach out once more to “the least of these.” Give a smile to a homeless person. Serve a meal here at the Mission. Give the precious gifts of your time, talents and treasure... just as Jesus would! William R. “Bill” Brown CEO P.S. I want to thank you for your gifts this year – your time, your prayers and your donations – that have made it possible for us to serve others in His name.
2
Celebrating 75 years of service!
Celebrate the Mission... BECOME A VOLUNTEER
S
erving a meal at the Mission is an amazing experience. Seeing people’s faces light up when you set down a hot, delicious plate of food for them…hearing them whisper, “Thank you” for showing them someone cares. You can help us serve meals now during the holidays…and all year long! One of our greatest needs is for extra hands on Thanksgiving and Christmas, when we provide thousands of meals for people in our community. Gather your family, your church group or organization and sign up now for a
shift from 8 a.m. to noon, 11 a.m.3 p.m. or 2-6 p.m. We also need groups of all sizes to help with cleanup, fixup and maintenance projects, or leading evening chapel services. Hosting a donation drive at your church or business is also a great way to impact hundreds of people at the Mission. Interested in finding out more about volunteering this holiday season? Please e-mail bsaffold@ gcrms.org or call (209) 320-2329. Thank you!
Calling all students: interns wanted! We’re looking for talented students for volunteer internship positions to help at the Mission – and gain valuable experience and in some cases, college credits for their work. Here’s some areas where we desperately need volunteer interns to help! » » » »
Office administration Project management Graphic design Social media
» » » »
Video production Promotions & PR Event planning Fundraising
For more information, please e-mail bsaffold@gcrms.org or call (209) 320-2329.
I needed to
get my life right!
In 2011, Child Protective Services took Maria’s children away from her, and referred her to Gospel Center Rescue Mission for help. “I was just too antsy. I couldn’t sit still. I just wanted to leave,” Maria says. “I only became clean and sober because I had to get my kids back.” As soon as she regained custody, Maria moved with her children into their own place. Then she relapsed. “I started doing drugs again. I started drinking. I lost my apartment and then we started living in an abandoned office. I lost my kids again,” she says. Maria decided it was time to change her life, and completed a sixmonth rehabilitation program. Then she came back to the Mission. “They allowed me to have a second chance. This time I was doing it for myself,” she says. “I decided that I was going to stay here for a while. I’m going to sit still this time and accept the love they have to give.” Maria, who was baptized in the Catholic Church as a child, has grown spiritually since coming to the Mission. “I’m still continuing to build
SAVE THE DATE...
Be a Secret Santa!
N
o matter how hard we try, it is still true that “there’s no place like home for the holidays.” That’s why we make a special effort to make Christmas the best celebration we can for the homeless men, women and children who are staying with us here at the Mission! We’re blessed with church groups who come caroling, volunteers who decorate and serve festive holiday meals, and families who donate gifts.
You can join them and help us lift spirits and spread the joy of the holiday by becoming a Secret Santa and providing a special gift for one of our guests here at the Mission. You’ll find a list of suggested gift items on the next page. Or, if time is short, please use the enclosed envelope to send a special Christmas gift directly to the Mission. Either way, you’ll help put the Ho, Ho, Ho! (and a real blessing) in a homeless person’s life this Christmas!
2015 Holiday Newsletter – 51103 GCRM – Newsletter – PMS 193, 355 & Black
my relationship with God,” she says. “It’s really been an eye-opener on what I needed to do in life and that I needed to get my life right.” She credits our staff with helping her make godly choices. “They always encourage me to do the best thing,” she says. “If I’m going through something, they are there to listen to me.” Maria plans on graduating from the Life Skills Track of our New Life Program and earning her GED so that she can find a good job. “Then I can become stable and raise my four kids in a clean and sober lifestyle,” she says. Being here at the Mission has made Maria feel like she belongs...for the first time in her life. “They don’t belittle you or look down on you. They accept you for who you are,” she says. “I don’t have to feel like I have nobody there for me because they make me feel wanted.”
...for our 75th Anniversary Gala on April 8, 2016 at Stockton Golf & Country Club!
T
Thanksgiving is almost here and Christmas is just around the corner. But the Mission pantry is still not full. You can help by purchasing one or more of these items.
Turkeys Hams Instant stuffing mix Canned yams Cream of mushroom soup Milk Dinner rolls Whipped topping Carrots Celery Onions Potatoes Recyclable cups & napkins Disposable salt & pepper shakers Please bring donations to the Mission at 445 S. San Joaquin St. in Stockton from 8 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. THANK YOU!
“Away in a manger,
Eat. Shop. GIVE. here’s a day for giving thanks and a day for getting bargains. Giving Tuesday, December 1, is the day for giving back! In the midst of our busiest season of the year, we’re scrambling to provide over 10,136 meals and nearly 4,333 nights of shelter for homeless, hungry men, women and children. Your Giving Tuesday gift will
Holiday Shopping List
no crib for a bed...”
go a long way toward providing the food, shelter and life-changing care our community’s needy people need most. Please visit our website at GCRMS.org on Dec. 1 and make your Giving Tuesday gift. Thank you for being part of our Mission family!
Shelter from the cold: 4,333 nights Holiday meals: 10,136 For the next six weeks, the Mission will be both home and family to hundreds of men, women and children. Your special holiday gift will provide “tidings of comfort and joy,” including the food and shelter that can make eyes sparkle and hearts feel light!
2015 Holiday Newsletter – 51103 GCRM – Newsletter – PMS 193, 355 & Black
3
A Personal Note From Bill Brown
Trees. Angels. Candles. Carols. Feasting. Presents. Rejoicing. This is how we celebrate Jesus’ birth. But perhaps there is something else we can do. After all, Jesus made it very clear that He came “to seek and to save the lost.” He engaged with people whom others called “sinners,” who were open to hearing His message. He let them know they mattered to His Father. People just like these find their way to Gospel Center Rescue Mission every day. We welcome them, meet their basic needs and share the Good News, just as Jesus would. Amid the hustle and bustle of Christmas, please take a moment to reach out once more to “the least of these.” Give a smile to a homeless person. Serve a meal here at the Mission. Give the precious gifts of your time, talents and treasure... just as Jesus would! William R. “Bill” Brown CEO P.S. I want to thank you for your gifts this year – your time, your prayers and your donations – that have made it possible for us to serve others in His name.
2
Celebrating 75 years of service!
Celebrate the Mission... BECOME A VOLUNTEER
S
erving a meal at the Mission is an amazing experience. Seeing people’s faces light up when you set down a hot, delicious plate of food for them…hearing them whisper, “Thank you” for showing them someone cares. You can help us serve meals now during the holidays…and all year long! One of our greatest needs is for extra hands on Thanksgiving and Christmas, when we provide thousands of meals for people in our community. Gather your family, your church group or organization and sign up now for a
shift from 8 a.m. to noon, 11 a.m.3 p.m. or 2-6 p.m. We also need groups of all sizes to help with cleanup, fixup and maintenance projects, or leading evening chapel services. Hosting a donation drive at your church or business is also a great way to impact hundreds of people at the Mission. Interested in finding out more about volunteering this holiday season? Please e-mail bsaffold@ gcrms.org or call (209) 320-2329. Thank you!
Calling all students: interns wanted! We’re looking for talented students for volunteer internship positions to help at the Mission – and gain valuable experience and in some cases, college credits for their work. Here’s some areas where we desperately need volunteer interns to help! » » » »
Office administration Project management Graphic design Social media
» » » »
Video production Promotions & PR Event planning Fundraising
For more information, please e-mail bsaffold@gcrms.org or call (209) 320-2329.
I needed to
get my life right!
In 2011, Child Protective Services took Maria’s children away from her, and referred her to Gospel Center Rescue Mission for help. “I was just too antsy. I couldn’t sit still. I just wanted to leave,” Maria says. “I only became clean and sober because I had to get my kids back.” As soon as she regained custody, Maria moved with her children into their own place. Then she relapsed. “I started doing drugs again. I started drinking. I lost my apartment and then we started living in an abandoned office. I lost my kids again,” she says. Maria decided it was time to change her life, and completed a sixmonth rehabilitation program. Then she came back to the Mission. “They allowed me to have a second chance. This time I was doing it for myself,” she says. “I decided that I was going to stay here for a while. I’m going to sit still this time and accept the love they have to give.” Maria, who was baptized in the Catholic Church as a child, has grown spiritually since coming to the Mission. “I’m still continuing to build
SAVE THE DATE...
Be a Secret Santa!
N
o matter how hard we try, it is still true that “there’s no place like home for the holidays.” That’s why we make a special effort to make Christmas the best celebration we can for the homeless men, women and children who are staying with us here at the Mission! We’re blessed with church groups who come caroling, volunteers who decorate and serve festive holiday meals, and families who donate gifts.
You can join them and help us lift spirits and spread the joy of the holiday by becoming a Secret Santa and providing a special gift for one of our guests here at the Mission. You’ll find a list of suggested gift items on the next page. Or, if time is short, please use the enclosed envelope to send a special Christmas gift directly to the Mission. Either way, you’ll help put the Ho, Ho, Ho! (and a real blessing) in a homeless person’s life this Christmas!
2015 Holiday Newsletter – 51103 GCRM – Newsletter – PMS 193, 355 & Black
my relationship with God,” she says. “It’s really been an eye-opener on what I needed to do in life and that I needed to get my life right.” She credits our staff with helping her make godly choices. “They always encourage me to do the best thing,” she says. “If I’m going through something, they are there to listen to me.” Maria plans on graduating from the Life Skills Track of our New Life Program and earning her GED so that she can find a good job. “Then I can become stable and raise my four kids in a clean and sober lifestyle,” she says. Being here at the Mission has made Maria feel like she belongs...for the first time in her life. “They don’t belittle you or look down on you. They accept you for who you are,” she says. “I don’t have to feel like I have nobody there for me because they make me feel wanted.”
...for our 75th Anniversary Gala on April 8, 2016 at Stockton Golf & Country Club!
T
Thanksgiving is almost here and Christmas is just around the corner. But the Mission pantry is still not full. You can help by purchasing one or more of these items.
Turkeys Hams Instant stuffing mix Canned yams Cream of mushroom soup Milk Dinner rolls Whipped topping Carrots Celery Onions Potatoes Recyclable cups & napkins Disposable salt & pepper shakers Please bring donations to the Mission at 445 S. San Joaquin St. in Stockton from 8 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. THANK YOU!
“Away in a manger,
Eat. Shop. GIVE. here’s a day for giving thanks and a day for getting bargains. Giving Tuesday, December 1, is the day for giving back! In the midst of our busiest season of the year, we’re scrambling to provide over 10,136 meals and nearly 4,333 nights of shelter for homeless, hungry men, women and children. Your Giving Tuesday gift will
Holiday Shopping List
no crib for a bed...”
go a long way toward providing the food, shelter and life-changing care our community’s needy people need most. Please visit our website at GCRMS.org on Dec. 1 and make your Giving Tuesday gift. Thank you for being part of our Mission family!
Shelter from the cold: 4,333 nights Holiday meals: 10,136 For the next six weeks, the Mission will be both home and family to hundreds of men, women and children. Your special holiday gift will provide “tidings of comfort and joy,” including the food and shelter that can make eyes sparkle and hearts feel light!
2015 Holiday Newsletter – 51103 GCRM – Newsletter – PMS 193, 355 & Black
3
THEvision o
Gifts needed for Holiday Party W
e’re less than a month away from our Annual Christmas Celebration for the men, women and children who call the Mission “home” and we still have some urgently needed gifts. Our goal is to provide at least one gift for every man, woman and child who will be a guest here at the Mission during Christmas. This is a great opportunity for you and your family, friends, church group or coworkers to be part of a wonderful Christmas celebration.
Gifts for children: toys for all ages (0 yrs – 17 yrs) sports equipment for all ages clothes for all ages
clothing for all sizes (small – 4X) perfume & lotion (unused) undergarments (small – 4X) hair dryers & hair bru shes watches
alarm clocks
alarm clocks
thermals (small – 4X) under-shorts (small – 4X) sweatshirts & pants (small – 4X) shoes (sizes 9 – 13) watches
“They gave me a
alarm clocks socks (for emergency lodge guests)
second chance!”
M
aria was raised by a stepfather and an alcoholic mother. “My mother was never really there as a parent...I had a lot of resentment towards my parents,” Maria says. “My sister and I would run away from home and we started hanging out with gang members. That’s when I started smoking weed and drinking, then I started using meth when I was 16.” In the years to follow, Maria’s life spiraled out of control. “I was running the streets as a gang member with my four children,” she says.
Please bring unwrapped gifts to the Mission at 445 S. San Joaquin St, Stockton, from 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Bill, use my gift to bless hungry, homeless people this Christmas. ❍ $21.12 to feed and care for 11 people ❍ $49.92 to feed and care for 26 people ❍ $74.88 to feed and care for 39 people ❍ $_________ to help as much as possible ❍ I’m enclosing a special Christmas gift of $_____ to make the holidays brighter for Mission guests.
_________________________________________________________________ NAME
_________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS
_________________________________________________________________
of the gospel center rescue mission
Gifts for men:
Gifts for women:
watches
H O L I D AY 2 0 1 5
❍
Check enclosed
❍
❍
❍
Bill my credit card
❍
CREDIT CARD #
EXP. DATE
❍
What happened next was a tragedy! Read more on page 3...
CIV/SEC #
PHONE #
Donate online at www.GCRMS.org, or call (209) 320-2311.
Don’t miss…
Gospel Center Rescue Mission P.O Box 816 Stockton, CA 95201-0816
Angels. 2 Trees. Candles.
a 2 BeSecret Santa!
Needed 4 Gifts for Holiday Party
CITY / STATE/ ZIP
_________________________________________________________________ E-MAIL
2015 Holiday Newsletter – 51103 GCRM – Newsletter – PMS 193, 355 & Black
HOL15
445 S. San Joaquin Street • Stockton, CA 95203-3537 • (209) 320-2311 • GCRMS.org
2015 Holiday Newsletter – 51103 GCRM – Newsletter – PMS 193, 355 & Black