summer 2006 transforming lives newsletter, gospel rescue ministries

8/8/2019 Summer 2006 Transforming Lives Newsletter, Gospel Rescue Ministries

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\t *WOLUME 7, ISSUE 3, SUMMER 2006

At GRM

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GOSPEL RESCUE MINISTRIES OF WASHINGTON, DC

New Init ratives

*******

CFCIUNITED WAY #8919

R\l-. .'ic'i{ buil,Jins ar 175i T Street, SE

'i a1 [.-r>pi1 RC..',lC

\ linisrries u't-ruld thcn bc fulll' cquippccl,prepirred, and eager to take on thechallenges that alr,ait them come reentryinto society. In a perfect ll'orld, a clientrn'ould have a full support svstem u,aitingfor them, to help them irnd to holcl themaccountable, reinforcing everything thathas been learned rn'hile they r,r'ere a residentat GRM.

But the Gospel Rescue Ministries staff isvcrl, ;111'ope that this is not a perfect u'orld,

rncl thrt tr-r e t'rntinurc .r elicnt's rce ovcrvr-r,'.i--. .,.ntiltLrinq e.trc ;rncl suppr-rrt isc.rcntt-rl to .rrvinq clc"rn irnd sobcr rrncl t-ln

thc lt-rng rt-r.r.1 tt'r sllcccss. \len1'of thc rnenand u't-rrncn u'ht-r hrrr c c..-rtttnlctccl thcresiclential tre i.ltmcnr lh.r.c,., t-rf Gt-rspclRescue Ministries' recir\.er\- progrms clonot have thllt steady support s)'stem to helpu'ith daily living, paying the bills, andrnaintaining thc cle an lifestyle that ths"r cbeen ilccustomcd to r,r'hile at GRN4. \\'l-rilcthey might have thcir olcl friends thcl'hrrcibefore they came to the N{ission, lnore t-rftenthan nclt, these are the persons thcl'shoulclnot associate r,r'ith an)/morc.

\ltrr r atrIl iil|rlr/ tr,t ltrt.ta +

Churehct,ric nrrturrilp-rtncrs oTEc's;re arcas ot urban mlnrstry: Prayer, tducatlon,Rescue \ Iinistrics. irs thev have been sinceour beginning in 1906. Our history is full ofstories of hor,l' the churches of our city andcommunity have helped to fund and to driveour ministry to where it is today. The PEWSChurch Partner Program is a new way thatchurches can participate with us in ourministry. The idea is to give partnerchurches clear and "do-able" activities thatwill encourage congregants to learn moreabout GRM and then be moved toparticipate in our ministry.

\\'orship, and Service, at least once

PEWS Partner Church, including a link totheir website. If you would like moreinformation on the PEWS Program, pleasecall us to set up a time to meet.

throughout a year. Partners will work side ffiby side with us through a broad range ofinteractive services that work to strengthenboth our ministry and theirs. This is achance for churches to be involved on thefront lines of urban ministry, right in theheart of the city.

PEWS Partners will receive acommemorative gift from GRM, as u'ell asbeing listed on the GRM website as_a , t

rrches can and will participate with us in\rrry one or more of these areas, but a PEWS

Partner church will have the distinction ofparticipating in EACH of the 4 essential


2/6

Capitol Hill PurSuit DriveGospel Rescue Ministries oncc rrgir.in prrrtnered u-ith the Americrrn Lcaguc of Lobbyists,Men's Wearhouse, Suited For Chrrnge, and others for the 3rd annual Capitol PurSuit Drive.Members of Congress and Capitol Hill Staff are invited to donate gently used businessattire, r'r'hich is then distributed throughout the Washington community. GRM was onceagirin the prirnary distribution center for this event. Over 10,000 suits were donated thisyear - an increase of about 7,000 suits!

Volunteers and GRM clients worked at the Rayburn Buildingon Ci'rpitt-rl Hill. collccting snits rrncl intcrrrctinq u ith clontrr..Then the suits \\ ere Eransporte ci to rir.e Gt


3/6

SuInInc:r' Pic;ri II C: SEvery sullmer, church pllrtner CirlvaryUnited N{ethodist Church in Arlingronhosts a Gospel Rescue NlinistricsSunday. GRM clients irncl st:rff ;rrcinvited to worship u'ith C;rli';rry', ;rnd top:rrticipatc in the service through song*l:l tcslinltul'. Follou'ing the service,n-e heitd up to the ncrghbonngctllTll-Irunltl' pirrk n'here u'e hrtvc ;rct-lokout and spend the afterno,--rn

together. The day culminertcs in theannual softball game, u'ith plrry'crsranging from 6 to 60 )'ears t-rld. Thirnkyou, Calvary, we had a s'r-rndcrful timcthis vear!

GRM cl i att , t'am i\, an d C ah, ary, t'r icn s cnj 01, it tg tlt d atin thc anruml sofrball gamc; Calt,arl, coolis uf, sr)nlc rdsrr

: Esrhcr and ,\ntonio Otcro compctcn-cdrs:

,.*"*ir,*

Every year, GRM presidentJohnJackson hosts a picnicfor the staff, clients, alumni, and supporters of GospelRescue Ministries. The picnic rhis )'eilr \\'as held, asalways, at John's farm in Great Falls, u'ith a cookoutlunch, horseshoes, r'olleyball, as weil as lots of fun andfellorn'ship. Thanks ro John and his n'ife Toni forhosting us again - a grear rime was had by alll

ExecutiveDirector DonMelvin andBoardMember Jeff Wright andhis famill' enjoy the day;DarnellMartinandTyroneJacltson participate in a fiercchorseshoe toLullament; John Jackson aldhis granddaughterNicolewere the chefs extraordinaire.


4/6

.Affi Nearly I out of 5 of DC residents live at

or belorn, the por,erty line, making DCthe jurisdiction with the 4th highestpoverty rate in the nation.

-Affi 27olo of DC families livc in povcrn'.

eomparcd w'irh it)9o in N,{aryiand and12% in Virginia. Nearly 4 out of l0children in the District live in poverty,making

it thejurisdiction

withthe

highest child porzerty rate in the US.

6 In 2005, 8,253 inclivicluais ancl familieswere homeless in the District. an 8.8('oincrease in one year.

6 In 2004, 3,326 families st-rughremergency shelter in the District. Thisrepresents a 7% increase from ltltlS, anda 460lo increasc frorn 1001.

C As of 2005, therc were 1.273 people whowere chronically homeless in DC,meaning they had been homeless formore than 3 vears. or had at least 4episodes of being homeless in the last 3

Did You Know...

years.

6l(l/.', of thc homclcss poPulation in thcUS has a high school diploma, and44oloare emnloved.

Providing supportive (low cost)housing to homeless people candramatically reduce the costs associarted

with their care. For instance, onereport found that homeless people insupportive housing programs:)Decreased their usage of ERs by 56 Vo)Reduced their hospital inpatient

days by 37Vo)Reduced by 89% the days spent in

alcohol and drug treatment

S t atistic t'r om SOME w eb sit e, wwv,.somc.or g.

llriccs, lrncl slrvc sonrc nronc)'for thcirfuturc.

In rrrr cffort tr) cxpancl our tr.rnsition.rlhor-rsinc scn'iecs, GR\1 h.rs cr-rtcrccl intt-r.t c(r1tri-r.et t() pLtre lrltsc .r sir lrnit.r,plrtmcnr burlJing in SL \\ ,r"lungt-on,DC, n'hich is on rr bus linc rrncl rr fcu'hloe lis rl\\'i.l\' Iront \Ictro. Each urnit hrrstirLtr l-'cclr-()r)l1ts. tu t-r hlrthr()olls, i.t.l


5/6

' Tryffi.i ri*1.rl:' Ti pffi,,llffY-Tff,i16;6,$pcl11i*s ;* 6 $,$

/

F annie M ae Walk the HomelessIt's obort that tinccrgain...

C)nce again. Gospcl Rcscuc Ministries is planning to participatc in Fannie NIae's annual Walk for thc Homclcss campaign.The Firnnie \lac FLrunclation Hclp thc Homclcss Walkirthon or thc National lr{all bcnefits locrl organi:rrrions that preventht.rruclcssnccs: prriliclc scn iccs to thc honclcss. inclucling fcrmtncltt supportivc housing; and help homclcss pcLrplc return toindcpcnclcnt l1r inq.

Hoir' \'rrrr Can Hclls...

lf coming dolr'n to thc Mall for thc big rvalk is a problcm for your congregation, then host a \lini-Walk! Designed forchildren, youth, ancl families, GRM can come and clo ir short prt.rgram ancl thcn havc a brief u'alk at your church. In the past,I'outh grtrups hirvc l alkcd around thc parking lot, children's churchcs hl'c circlcd the playground, ancl u'hole congregationshave s'irlkcd through thcir ncighborhood. Registradon fccs for \lini \\'alks irrc thc same as for thc big s'alk. Contact Maryleth if you arc intcrcstccl in this fun ancl cxciting event for your church!

Remember,- -of your registration fees and/or sponsor fees comes directly back to GRM for use inour programs. The more r'r'alkers rve get to walk for us, the higher the bonus is from Fannie Mae. Please visitour website to register, and for more information. Our goal is 1200 walkers!!

Recovery Month 2007 Floliday EventsBc on thc ir'rtrktrut for informatir.rn_in thc c(iuring nLrnth\ Gospel Rescue Minisries is once again hosting a series ofnbout r nctt rtirjor event in the litc (rf Grripcl Rcscuc holiday dinners. Many volunteers will be needed to serve andUinistlles: We rS 1lllMlgdjLsponsorine J m.rjrrr sgrics Frellare meals. please check the wehsite for more details- andof.. cnts thnt * ill rai.c tlrc I.'ul''lic'. l\\'irrcrlcss rcgrrcling calLMary Beth to sig"

"pto r..u"

5uh:tJncc .ll.Lr-( r(-\'r'Ln lnJ trc.rtment frr)griun: in\\'rshingttrn. DC. \\'c rrc drclch- in the planning srirgcs for Thanksqivinq DinnercR\ l's Rccor crt \ lonth l0r't7

-L44 (i,;;,,,,t7rri"r?^iri,irwalh for thcHomcrcss)Recovery Month, 2002, is still ir t'trrk in prtrgrcss, bur idcrs & Saturday, November 18for the weekend includc an .{thlctcs Againit

Addiction12:00 Noon to 4:00 PM

event at thc Ycri:on Ccntcr. hlrr ins thc churches in the DCMetro arcrr ccntcr thcir Sunclrl,seri'iccs on acldiction and Thanksgiving Dinnerreco\/ery, and a tour for DC rrnd fcderal l:rn'makcrs so thilt Thufsday, Norrember 23they can see and cxpcricncc first hirnd u'hat trcatmcnt 12:00 Noon to 4:00 pMfacilities such as GR\l ;-rrc rrcct-rrnplishing and'uvhat morchclp wc neeci to makc i-l scrious clcnt in thc problclns ofcldictitx and povcrtf in thc District. (l^\r.1, Christmas Dinner

Monday, Decemb er 25\-We hope this r.r'ill turn into ir hugc annual evcnt, ancl u'c are"Z \N f Z,OO Noon to 4:00 pMcxcitecl about thc irnplica[ir]ns it rnight havc ft-rr our

ministry. Watch for more clctirils!l

for

The big u'alk u ill takc plar.cc on Saturdlq', Novcmber 18 at 9\\1. l.rirr trr -lrirrt. TIrt .tr-t i- l5q [,.r'.rtlLrltr (l-''r',-

i'e lt-ti-ltirrtl - 1,.) t-rn f hc clrr') rn,l >lJ t..r r trLtth ,,t-,.1 t..'tt-,,-t{.r:luir> (-1{. I j rrr \'rrllngcr). Rcgistcr rrnlinc ,lt\\ \\ \\

.qnu.t]rgilncl

thencomc clo$'n lrncl $';llk $'if h usll

Churches, indii'icluirls, ;rnd organi:-irtions cirn bc GR\l\lrOn\ol.s'rr-hielr1l1Ci1I1sl.lol.ttt'c'f.,t.tt'fr..trr|arriricffifrcc rcqt.tr.ltit-rt.t f trr .r11 ntcntl]cr: trf vt-rur cl-rurch orgrrni-;rtit-lnitrr thc blq ri.rlk. S1.i-rn51'11 lcr.cls st:lrt :tt Sli00. Call \lilr1'Bcrh fr-rr clcr.rils.

\--


6/6

Dear Friends,

We thank God for His faithfulness! The summer months tried our faith, as our bankaccounts were on zero, but God showed me whyJesus is my hero - He is an ever-presenthelp in our rimes of needl He is in control, and He has already made provision for Hiswork of Rescue Ministry, He just asks us to be faithful (full of faith) to the wotk, and totrust that He will provide the increase.

If you were one of these who attended the phase Completion Ceremony, September 2,2006, I know that your heart was delighted, as \\'as mine, b;' the testimonies and the glorythese men and women gave God for their transformed lives. \len and \\'omen rn'ho hadattended several programs before coming to GRM, told about hon' the spiritualrelationship they developed with God through faith inJesus Christ made the differencethis time around. Prav with us that their faith r,r'ill remain!

As stated in the opening article, GRM has contracted to purchase a 6 unit (4 bedroomseach) apartment building in SE, Washington DC. It will be used to provide transitional

housing for the men and women who complete the treatment phase of GRM's programs.We will need your help funding the purchase and renovation of the building, which wehope to have ready by the end of 2006. Please consider an additional gift above yourregular gift to help with this work. These units will aliow our men and women to have aclean, safe, below market rent place in a supportive community.

Pastor, N{issionarics, and Outrcach Coordinators, plcasc contact us about our PE\\'Sprogram (Prayer, Education, Worship, Service) and how it can be a blessing to you andyour church. Please visit our website www.grm.org or call Mary Beth Sams, ourCommunity Outreach Coordinator to set up a time for a PEWS presentation, either hereat GRM or at your own congregation.

As always we thank God for you, and for your steadfast commitment and support of the

work rhe Lord is doing in this place. May God continue to bless you in all that you do.

Don MelvinExecutive Director, Gospel Rescue Ministries

CCStfl-RESCUEMINSIRIESof V,iashirrgton DC

810 5th Street, N\VWashington, DC 20001

Phone: (202)842-1731Fax'. (202)898-0285

Volume 7. Issue 3

www.grm.org

Don MelvinEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

JohnJacksonPRESIDENT

GRM BOARD of TRUSIEES

Drrvid Van DuzcrCHAIRPERSON

Jane Bond Don Melvin

Bill Harper Rudolph Pruden

JohnJackson Charles Robinson

Al Lawerence Jeff WrightAl Manola

cFC # 8919If 1'OU hat'c qttcstic'\].s o,- cr)rllnlcl1r.srcgarding fhc lrnr,.slcrrcr', or- rltlrhitttclsc abou r GRM, plca.sc .scrrd tt.s art ctitrt i ll

GRM docs not .scll or- disir-iburc ir.smail inglist to am, thir d pcu'tt'.

tsty,ryI r',& F't&|

-,Ed

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[email protected]

summer 2006 transforming lives newsletter, gospel rescue ministries

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