pecial S m Thanksgiving m NEWSLETTER
445 S. San Joaquin Street Stockton, CA 95203-3537
NONPROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID RESCUE MISSION 52641
THEvision o
THANKSGIVING2014
of the gospel center rescue mission
Dear Mr. Sample, Healing broken lives is like baking a very complicated cake. You need exactly the right ingredients. You must mix them in a very specific order. Then, you have to allow time for them to bake at the proper temperature. Miss a step or omit a vital ingredient and you’re risking disaster. Here at the Mission, we’re not just healing lives: we’re healing minds and bodies destroyed by alcohol, addiction and neglect. We’re restoring souls wounded by abuse and abandonment. The ingredients are not complicated: food, shelter, time, encouragement, counseling, care and a huge helping of God’s love. But there are no short cuts, no substitutions. This Thanksgiving season, many broken bodies and souls will come here to the Mission. Whether you volunteer your time, take part in a special event, donate food or send a gift, you play a vital role in making them whole again. Let the healing begin! William R. “Bill” Brown CEO
“I’m blessed to be here!”
M
aurice was rootless and restless. Moving around to different places, living with family and friends. When he did work, much of his money would go to drinking or drugs. “I never saved up enough to get myself a place. It was just one dead end after another.” Maurice would end up here at the Mission, stay for a week, leave, and the cycle would repeat itself. His drug use dated back to his teens when he smoked marijuana and drank. Later, he did meth, but that made him feel that he “wasn’t normal.” It wasn’t until Maurice began “hearing voices” that he decided he really needed help. His first visit here was about four years ago. He found a place where “people cared,” and it was this caring that finally brought him back to the Mission and our New
445 S. San Joaquin Street • Stockton, CA 95203-3537 • (209) 320-2311 • GCRMS.org
Here’s my Thanksgiving gift:
❍ $AA.AA to feed and care for AA people ❍ $BB.BB to feed and care for BB people ❍feed $CC.CC to feed andpeople care for CC people ❍ $AA.AA to and care for AA ❍ $_______ to feed and care for as many ❍ $BB.BB to feed and care for BB people as possible ❍ $CC.CC to feed and care for CC people ❍ $______ to feed and care for as many as possible Sample A. Sample 1234 Main Street P.O. Box 12345 Anytown, ST 12345
Life Program. “I had to get myself right,” he says. “It was the end of the road...I was moving from place to place and I had to get myself together.” Days at the Mission begin early: Maurice and others in the program are up at 4 a.m. to lend a hand to the men who’ve stayed in our overnight emergency lodge. “We make sure they get showers, clean clothes, whatever they need... Then we have classes. Later on, there’s chapel with different ministries coming here and praising God. Then we’re back to the emergency lodge to help those who are staying here that night.” Maurice is no longer rootless, though he is restless to keep growing – he wants to be out on his own again, “helping others” and getting back in touch with his family.
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Check enclosed
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CREDIT CARD #
EXP. DATE
Bill my credit card
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❍ CIV/SEC #
PHONE #
Donate online at www.GCRMS.org.
Gospel Center Rescue Mission 445 S. San Joaquin Street Stockton, CA 95203-3537
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“He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.” Psalm 146: 7
This season, thank you for providing: • 29,000 meals • 13,000 nights of shelter
Your gifts are the fuel that enables us to bring hope and help to hungry, homeless neighbors.
You’re invited
T
he Mission is a wonderful place during the holidays. So make plans with your family, coworkers or church group to join us for one of these special events:
November 16 -
Weberstown Mall’s “Magical Night Of Giving”
27 -
Thanksgiving Meal Service - help prepare or serve our Thanksgiving feast. Volunteers are scheduled on a first-come-first-served basis, so e-mail Benjamin Saffold today at Events@ GCRMS.org to sign up.
December 25th - Christmas Meal Service - Volunteer now to help prepare or serve our special Christmas Dinner. E-mail Benjamin Saffold today at Events@GCRMS. org to sign up your family, coworkers or church group.
Tell a friend about...
National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week
W
e are grateful that you work with us to end hunger and homelessness year round! So Nov. 15-23 is a great time to encourage others – friends, family, and coworkers – to join you, and help fix the problems that cause hunger and homelessness by volunteering, organizing a clothing or food drive, or making a special donation to the Mission.
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Here’s where we need help most: Serve an evening meal Afternoon child care Administrative assistance Conduct a supply drive Tutor in our learning center
If you’re on Facebook or Twitter, please, urge friends to help. You can even give them our address, www.GCRMS.org/volunteers as a place to get more information. THANKS!
Holiday Shopping List
I
f you could buy one or more of the items on this list below and donate them to the Mission, it would be a real blessing! Donations can be dropped off at 445 S San Joaquin St. in
Stockton from 8 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. For more information, call Uyen “Win” Do at (209) 320-2311. THANK YOU!
Coffee 100% juice Whole milk
Turkey Ham Potatoes Sweet potatoes Green beans
Pies Cookies Whipping cream
Lettuce Tomatoes Cucumbers Salad dressing
Sugar Brown sugar Butter
Rolls
Join us
Facebook.com/gospelcenterrescuemission
Twitter.com/gcrms
Youtube.com/ GCRMSTV
Breakfast, Lunch or Thanksgiving Dinner – Still Just $1.92! Some of us still remember when a soda was 5¢. Or a time when you could get a burger for a quarter. These days a plain cup of coffee can set you back $2 or more! But here at Gospel Center Rescue Mission, you can still provide a hot, wholesome, home-cooked meal for just $1.92. We’ll be serving a lot of those great meals this Thanksgiving season, including hundreds of festive Thanksgiving Dinners with turkey and all the trimmings! Your $1.92 gift can provide a meal that’s a turning point in the life of a person who’s lost all hope, along
with the care and counseling that helps end homelessness and addiction. If you think that’s amazing, imagine what a gift of $25 or $50 or even $100 can do! Please share your blessings by making a special gift today to feed and begin to change the lives of as many people as possible. Use the enclosed envelope, or make a safe, secure donation on our website at www.GCRMS.org. THANK YOU!