8/8/2019 Spring 1999 Transforming Lives Newsletter, Gospel Rescue Ministries

1/4

tt*+**

ttltlitl"Old things hat'e passed rwoy;belrcld, all things have bec'omeneui' (2 Cor.5:17).

f-\ istrict observers are calling itL--, an ironic and triumphantreversal. Gospel Rescue Ministries("GRM") has taken over thenotorious Fulton Hotel, renovatingit as a shelter and rehab ministryto homeless women withdrug problems.

The separate facility willallow GRM to expand its life-transforming programs to includehomeless women. Until now, onlymen have benefited from GRM'shighly successful care andaddiction programs.

A four-story former "crackhouse" in the heart of downtownD.C., Fulton Hotel was oncedubbed "Murder Hotel" due to itshistory of violence, drug dealing,and prostitution.

Extensive repair work on thestructure is nearing completion.The new Fulton House of Hope ison schedule to open in mid-summer, according to GRM

Gospm RESCUE NIINTSTRmS VOL. I, N[0.2 O APRIL TW

GNM TNANSFOHr/S IMURDERHOTEL' IITTO OUTNEACH CE]ITEN

GRM Executive Director Edward Eyring inspects the major overhaul work neededto turn the "Murder Hotel" into GRM's Fulton House of Hope.executive director Edward J. Eyring.

"A house for drug dealing willbecome a house for drug healing,"marvels Thelma Lewis, U.S.Attomey for the District ofColumbia.

Her admiration is echoed byothers in the public and privatesector. The Justice Departmentcondemned the property so that

GRM could take it over as part ofits "weed and seed" initiative.Eyring comments, "Thetransformation of this run-downbuilding foreshadows themiraculous transformation of livesthat will take place there for manyyears to come."

The FLrlton House ofHope wlllbe a ministry of GRM.

Cotttirtued on page 2

8/8/2019 Spring 1999 Transforming Lives Newsletter, Gospel Rescue Ministries

2/4

Transformed Life: Don Melvinrl was ready to give up . . . Perhaps iust end it all.'1[-,Ihen Don Melvin came toY Y Gospel Rescue Ministries, hehad plummeted from the suburbanAmerican Dream to the point ofconsidering suicide.

"I had a pretty good life and a goodfamily background," he recalls."I had a house in the suburbs, twokids, and two Volvos. I was making$45-50,000 a year, and I was sort of alegend in my own mind," heremembers. "I was a hotshot doingvery well."

But his addiction to what the Biblecalls "the pride of life" ( I John 2:16)led him steadily downward. Hebecame addicted to alcohol. He startedsmoking crack cocaine, beginning anaddiction that would last three vears.

The results?Entirely predictable."I lost my family. My wife and

kids left," he says. "I sold my house,smoked up all the profits from thathouse, and then just went right down tothe bottom."GRM TransformsContinued from page I

Each year the facility will be thehome to as many as 48 homelesswomen with a history of drugproblems. These women will be givenprofessionally staffed care, counseling,Christian discipleship, vocationaltraining, and academic schooling--resulting in new lives and lastingtransformation.

ln what seems to be a case of divineprovidence, the former Fulton Hotelsits just behind the main GRMfacilities at 5th and H streets. Ahistoric landmark built in the 1860s,the structure had fallen into disrepairand had become a location for crackcocaine dealing, prostitution, and othercrime.

But now the 6,500 square foot

Because of the generosity of GRMsupporters, homeless men are givenimmediate care and programs that oftenlead to lasting transformation."I was ready to give up," he says.

"Perhaps I could just end it all."That's when he wandered

into GRM.At GRM, he learned for the first

time about the death and resurrectionof Jesus and what that can mean notonly for eternity, but also in this life.

The impact was immediate andprofound. At GRM, Don receivedJesus as his Savior and Lord. "I feltdifferent as soon as I said I wanted toreceive Him," he recalls.

building is being gutted and repaired,partly through grants from privatefoundations and funds from otherdonors.

The building will be owned byGRM with no restrictions on thespirinral message that is central toGRM's acclaimed success rate intransforming the lives of the homelessand addicted."This building-the scene of somuch evil-has now been redeemed asa place where broken, desperatewomen will be restored andtransformed by God through theministry of GRM," says Eyring.

May God bless GRM supporters,whose gifts and prayers make this kindof ministry possible! I

No longer suicidal, Melvin wasdiscipled through GRM's Change vPoirtts pro-sram. which gave him theabilitl' to applv spiritual truth to all oflit-e's dillculties.

His pro_eress \\ as sri'ift. And as headr.anced. GR\1 staff save him moreresponsibilitr -an essential element ofGR\1's game plan to rebuild lives. Heeventuallr became assistant director ofthe Hat'en. a biblicallr based drugrehabilitation program on the fifth floorof GR\1.

\\-here is Don \lelr in today?Although he has the skills to

establish a career elseu here. Don haschosen to be Directtrr oi ClrcngeP oitts-building inttr other brokenmen the :pintual pnnciples and lifeskills thilt tllmed hini eroutrd.

Thank: Ilu:t {rr [t] GR\l financialsupporrersl Becaure t-'i them. DonMelr in's Sttrr-\ i: nt-rt unique. God isusing l our giti. tt-r rircLle ntany fromhorneless de:pair und tunt them intojeri'els in His Crt-r\\ I.l. o

MlSStOtlt Care and permanent lifetransformation tor homeless womenwith drug abuse problemsGRPRCITV: .18 u'omen residentsAvrnRCe Re ei 35 1'ears. with 2-3childrenNfW Sfnff : 3 (Direcror. AssociateDirector, House Mother!-plus trainedvolunteerscosr or mlntsrRv: s14,000/year totake one person through the completespiritual, psychological. educational,and vocational program. (By contrast,secular rehab centers rypically cost asmuch as $30,000 per ntonth with lowersuccess rates than GRM's.)

8/8/2019 Spring 1999 Transforming Lives Newsletter, Gospel Rescue Ministries

3/4

Transformed Ltfe: David MinceyIl sat on the church steps andcried out to the lordlt

GRM has a high success rate inproviding biblically-based, permanentfrans{ormation for the homeless.

T-\ealing drugs on the streets ofl-,, Atlanta at age twelve, David\lincey grew up with more than threestrikes against him.

He had no father in the home, andhis mother died before he was ateena-ser. To help support his thirteen),oun,ser siblings, David did what hethought he had to do."Regardless of daddy being gone,and mother being gone, brother ishere." was his motto.

But it didn't work.He was sent to prison for two years.

After coming out, he turned away fromcrime but could never seem to escape acloud of alienation and despair. Hemoved to D.C. in hope of finding ajob. but he ended up being rejected byhis girlfriend and found himself on thestreet. He literally wandered up to thefront of a church and collapsed."I went and sat on the church stepsand cried out to the Lord!" he recalls.And the Lord answered. The minister

urged him to go to GospelRescue Ministries."I came two years zgo," he says. "Ihad no money in my pocket. So Icame to the building and received onefree bed. I went to sleep holdingeverything I owned in my hands."

Today you'd never recognize Davidas the shattered soul who staggeredinto that fourth-floor bed.At GRM. David found Jesus-anddiscovered a new life. With theprayerful guidance of Chnnge Pointsdirector Don Melvin, David was givendiscipleship in the Bible and carefullife-skills training to erase the years offutile drifting.

In fact, God worked sodramatically that David was madeFourth Floor Monitor. More amazing.still, he eventually was madesupervisor of GRM's Samaritansprogram that provides critical basics tothe homeless!

"Everyday it gets sweeter, sweeter,and sweeter," he says. "I thank GRMfor letting God use them to work in mylife. Now I'm trying to work in othermen's lives."

David is also thankful for thefaithful support of GRM's financialpartners like you. May God bless youas you continue to help provide manymore victories like David! a

Your financial support iscrucial in enabling GRM toreach out to the homeless.Yet your prayers are alsovital. Please pray:o For the homeless as a hotsummer approaches. Heatis hard on nutritionallydeficient homeless people.o That out of the hundredsof men GRM givesimmediate food, clothing,

and shelter to, many willbe open to the gospel andpermanent transformation,choosing to enter a longer-term, residential ministry.That GRM can raise fundsneeded to make veryurgent repairs to our mainstructure at 5th and Hstreets.

o That GRM can fully recoverfrom unusually lowdonations during the endof 1998 and beginningof 1 999.

Thank vou!

3

GnM on the Radio!Hear Good NewswithDr. Edward Eyring, ExecutMeDirector of GRM, each day at9:3O ilTl, on AM 1580.

8/8/2019 Spring 1999 Transforming Lives Newsletter, Gospel Rescue Ministries

4/4

Y2l[-llMratWoutdJesus Do?A re you surprised to see a headline about the Y2K-llcomputer problem in the newsletter of a ministrylike GRM?You shouldn't be. Y2K has many ramifications for

the homeless.First, whether or not we witness the enormous computer

crash many are predicting, the mere fear of such a catastrophe could rattle our economy.Either way, we could see an increase in the homeless population on the streets of theDistrict-and during the coldest time of the year.

Second, the fear of Y2K could throw a wet blanket on the generosity of Christians whofinancially support GRM and other such ministries around the country.How then, should we react?At GRM, we transform lives by modeling the spirit of Jesus. To quote the popularphrase, let's ask "What would Jesus do" if faced with Y2K?

Would Jesus panic? Never. And neither should we, for "God has not given us a spiritof fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. l:7). A "sound mind"doesn't panic. We at GRM will not head for the hills-we'll stay on the ramparts ofministry whatever happens.

Would Jesus say to prepare? Yes. He counseled the wisdom of "counting the cost."His Word says, "A prudent man foresees evil" and prepares (Prov. 22:3).

That's why GRM is making plans this summer to be ready if Y2K----or merely the fearof it-produces a larger than usual number of homeless men on our streets next year.That's also why I'll be communicating with our financial supporters in coming months,laying out plans for them to help GRM be ready for what could be a huge opportunityfor ministry.

Would Jesus help others? You already know the answer! The question is will wefollow Jesus?His Word says, "As we have opportunity, let us do good to all" (Gal. 6:10), "whoever is

kind to the needy honors God" (Prov. l4:31), and "a generous man will prosper; he whorefreshes others will himself be refreshed" (Prov. I 1:25).

Calmness. Prudence. Generosity. These should be our Y2K legacies.

P.S. Thank you for your indispensable financial partnership. GRM is your vehiclefor reaching out to the most needy in our area--people who arrive here withouthomes, shelter, bank accounts, decent clothes, and little or no sense of dignity.God bless you for every dollar you give.

The faces of the men and womenthat shared Thanksgiving dinnerwith us lit up when they read thepersonal messages from donorslike you on special tray cards.4

A\TM;rt ..- Ittt.Ir_m;:rr -Fflfirhl+*lrl tl++ttGosppr Rnscun Mnntrunso

OF WASHINGTON. D.C.P.O. Box 50940

wAsHrNcroN. D.C. 2009 l -0940(202) 842-t731

Please notify Gospel RescueMinistries if you receive more thanone copy of Transfurming Lives or

have a change ofaddress. Themoney we save will feed and care

for the hungry and hurting.

Volume I, Number 2April 1999Edward J. Eyring, M.D.

Executive Director

Boad of DircctorsGhaiman

John JacksonEtecntiue DircG'tolEdward J. Eyring, M.D.

Executiue GomnritbeDavid Van Duzer

Finance GqnmitbeAlbert Manola

llominatng GmrmltbcRudy Pruden

llenteloptnent GommltbeThorne Auchter

fleagnerCharles D. Robinson