Mission Update: December Newsletter

ATLANTIC CITY RESCUE MISSION2009 Bacharach Blvd.Atlantic City, NJ 08401

4 ACRescueMission.org/newsletter MISSION UPDATE

THANK YOU!Your gift is tax deductible to the full extent of the law. We will send a receipt for your records. Please make your check payable to: ATLANTIC CITY RESCUE MISSION

News of hope and healing from Atlantic City Rescue Mission

To give a gift by credit card, visit us online at ACRescueMission.org/newsletter or call 609-345-5517, ext. 113.

NAME

ADDRESS APT

CITY STATE ZIP

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If you’re ready to make your giving an important part of your faith walk, consider joining the Samaritan Club. Our Samaritan Club members are a special group of individuals who have made a spiritual commitment to support the needs of the needy as part of their faith walk. Their consistent, monthly giving helps provide a predictable income so we can be good stewards in our planning as we reach out to the most desperate people in our community with life-changing help. To join this group of special donors, please call Tom Davidson at 609-345-5517 or email him at [email protected]

Follow us on these websites to learn more about the important work you support:

Go and do likewise Get connected. Get involved.

Facebook.com/ACRescueMission

Twitter.com/ACRescueMission

Pinterest.com/ACRescueMission

In his book Acts 29, Dr. Terry Teykl recounts how the mayor of a small town was driving through the city square when he noticed two city workers doing something rather unusual. Along one side of the main street, they were working steadily. One of the men was digging a hole in the ground and the other was filling it back in. Somewhat confused, the mayor confronted them and asked for an explanation. “Well, sir,” replied the first man, “we work for the city planting trees and usually there are three of us—one to dig the hole, one to plant the tree and one to cover it up. The guy who plants the tree called in sick today, but,” he proudly announced, “we’re here and we’re doing our jobs anyway.” Work is part of God’s design for a fruitful life, but how much more effective are we when our efforts are aimed at a God-honoring purpose! Our lives take on a new depth and meaning when we live intentionally. Have you considered how financial planning looks through the lens of God’s purposes? When you include Atlantic City Rescue Mission in your Will, you impact lives for Christ and honor God’s purposes here on Earth and into eternity.

God’s Design for a Fruitful LifeOperation Empty Closets Give them the clothes off your rack

Yes, I’ll help to provide Christmas meals and more this Christmas season. Enclosed is my gift of:m $15 m $30 m $50 m $150 m $__________

m I would like to give monthly. My first gift of $____________ is enclosed.m Please send me a FREE copy of “Crucial Keys to Living a Life of Purpose”

23335-10 NL1213

insideIt’s good to be home for the holidays!

Message from Dan Brown:Christmas is coming!

Give them the clothes off your rack

Your gifts of toys bring joy!A community-wide effort is underway that demonstrates God’s love by bringing joy to the children at Atlantic City Rescue Mission, as well as for hundreds more children in need throughout the Atlantic City area. You can be part of this ministry of bicycles, BarbieTM dolls, Care BearsTM and board games too!

See “Toy Time!” on page 2

Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

For a FREE copy of our stewardship bulletin, “Crucial Keys to Living a Life of Purpose,” simply check the box on the enclosed reply card or contact Tom Davidson from Atlantic City Rescue Mission at 609-345-5517 or [email protected]. Or bless your family today with a God-honoring Will at ChristianWill.org/ACRescue

December 2013

“ It’s really exciting to see how God brings all of these efforts together...and we’re able to pass that blessing along to the children.”

— DEBBI, FORMER DIRECTOR WOMEN’S MINISTRIES

This season, we expect to distribute 62,400 articles of clean clothes. Will you please help?

Are the racks in your closet filled with clothes that you never wear? Donate your gently used clothing to help the Atlantic City Rescue Mission care for the hundreds of homeless and needy people we serve on a daily basis.

We need clothing for men, women and children of all sizes. You can drop them off at 2009 Bacharach Blvd., Atlantic City. (If you have more than 20 bags of clothes to donate, call 609-345-5517 to arrange a pickup.) Or perhaps your school, business, church or civic group would like to hold a clothing drive. Give us a call and we’ll send you a poster.

No clothes to donate, but you’d still like to help? We’re always delighted to receive your cash donation. For more information or to view a map of 40 convenient Operation Empty Closets drop-off partners, visit us online at ACRescueMission.org/EmptyClosets. Thank you!

HR in place

Message from our President and CEO

2 ACRescueMission.org/newsletterMISSION UPDATE 3

Merry, marvelous, miraculous...Christmas is coming!

Gift-giving is a cherished Christmas tradition because it commemorates the precious gift of God’s son—the little Lord Jesus. The fact that He came to us as a baby reminds me that children are precious to Him and that His charge to care for them is a sacred trust.

At the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, we have a special calling to be guardians of children. It is always our goal to brighten their lives with the love of God as we provide for their needs in His name. The Christmas season offers a unique opportunity to make a difference, and we invest a great deal of time and thought into planning for the holidays.

Needless to say, we count on support from you and other caring friends in the community to provide toys and special holiday events to make happy memories for the children God entrusts to us. “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” around here, and you can read all about it in this newsletter!

Because you care, homeless, hungry and hurting neighbors (big and little!) will have a home for the holidays. They won’t be able to tell you personally, but they will never forget you for helping to make this a merry, marvelous and miraculous season of hope. Thank you for bringing joy to their world!

May God bless you,

Dan Brown, President and CEO

When Elizabeth and her little girl came to the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, they urgently needed a place to stay. “I was in a very low place and felt so bad about myself,” she recalls. “I felt like a failure.” It was a bad time in her life. But with help she received at the Mission, things got better. “They don’t just give you a place to live; they give you the tools you need to stay off the streets,” she explains. “The Rescue Mission gave me a second chance that I never thought I’d have. An opportunity to know I’m not alone and there are so many good people like me who end up in a bad position.” Not everyone plans on being homeless

Being at the Mission changed Elizabeth’s perspective about homelessness. “It happens to some really great people,” she comments. “Some of the people I met there

aren’t drunks, aren’t addicts, aren’t criminals,” she says. “They’re medically ill people who can’t work, elderly people without families, and

mothers and children fleeing domestic violence and poverty.”

There is a wide array of services available to people at the Mission. Services that include access to drug and alcohol rehabilitation, but also training and assistance to find a job and secure housing. And comprehensive care that helps people get back into the mainstream of life and move on. People like Elizabeth!

Season’s Greetings for YOU Elizabeth is looking forward to

celebrating Christmas with her children in their own home, and she’s excited. “To think a little over six months ago I was faced with homelessness...” she ponders. She would like to say, “Thank you for helping me when I felt so lost. You probably have no clue the difference you’ve made for so many...Happy New Year!”

It’s good to be home for the holidays!

18,300 meals this Christmas season!

Winter Wish List

Toy Time—It’s the happiest time of year!(continued from page 1)

Imagine waking up hungry and homeless on Christmas morning. What a lonely, sad feeling that would be. The great news is, this Christmas season with your help, anyone who needs one will be able to find a delicious holiday meal, right here at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission. This Christmas season, we’re planning to fill 18,300 plates with roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and all the trimmings. This year, at our annual Christmas dinner, we’ll start serving promptly at 10:00 a.m. and continue until 7:00 p.m. Christmas evening.

We’re praying that many of our guests decide to take that first step toward making lasting

changes in their lives. Every home-cooked meal will be served with a helping of hope— a meal that can be the first step towards the caring support and proven programs that can help them turn their lives around for good.

Please help the Atlantic City Rescue Mission make a difference for our hungry neighbors this Christmas season. To help volunteer, donate funds and change lives, please visit our website at ACRescueMission.org or call 609-345-5517.

• Prayer

• New, unwrapped toys for our Toy Drive (appropriate for children ages 0-17)

• Food (canned fruits and vegetables, soup, pasta, etc.)

• Warm clothing for men, women and children (sweaters, jackets, socks, gloves, hats, etc., in all sizes)

Winter brings many special needs. We welcome your gifts of:

To donate any of these items call 609-345-5517

Thanks to friends like you, Elizabeth and her children will celebrate Christmas in their own home this year.

Rumor has it, elves are among us. No surprise to us! For the past 20 years or so, they’ve been showing up this time of year with boxes and bags full of toys and gifts for children who would otherwise go without at Christmas.

Our elves are unique, they are families who have their own kids pick out gifts for less-fortunate children (a great way to teach them the good feeling of helping others). They are businesses—restaurants, salons, stores, banks—that hold toy drives and bring their collections to the Mission. They are churches and civic organizations, casinos, radio and television stations, the Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce...and people just like you. Everyone satisfying their inner elf by supporting our annual Toy Drive!

A community with a big heartSince its inception, our Toy Drive fulfills the wishes of the 20-25

children who are living here at the Mission every year. We want them to take away happy memories, so we plan a lot of activities—breakfast with Santa and parties organized by groups and organizations that care and come to help. And thanks to the generous community it grows each year.

We’ve expanded distribution to include needy families in the community, including many that have previously been through our residential program and are now out on their own. These families are making it on a shoestring and Christmas is one of the things they really would not be able to absorb. It’s a delight to be able to bless them in this way!

God brings it togetherWe expect to provide bags containing four or five toys, clothing

and a stuffed animal for 400-500 children this Christmas— the smiles would melt your heart! It’s a massive undertaking and we couldn’t do it without the outpouring of support we get from friends like you. “It’s really exciting to see how God brings these efforts together from all of these different groups, and we’re able to pass that blessing along to the children,” says Debbi Giacomoni, former Women’s Ministries director.

E Please drop off all new, unwrapped toys by December 20. Our Mission elves are standing by to wrap all of your generous gifts! And remember—toys bring joy! For more information, call Toni Graef at 609-345-5517. Thank you!

For children in need, the gift of Christmas toys is a ministry!

Photo has been changed to protect the identity of the clients.

HR in place

ATLANTIC CITY RESCUE MISSION2009 Bacharach Blvd.Atlantic City, NJ 08401

4 ACRescueMission.org/newsletter MISSION UPDATE

THANK YOU!Your gift is tax deductible to the full extent of the law. We will send a receipt for your records. Please make your check payable to: ATLANTIC CITY RESCUE MISSION

News of hope and healing from Atlantic City Rescue Mission

To give a gift by credit card, visit us online at ACRescueMission.org/newsletter or call 609-345-5517, ext. 113.

NAME

ADDRESS APT

CITY STATE ZIP

EMAIL @

If you’re ready to make your giving an important part of your faith walk, consider joining the Samaritan Club. Our Samaritan Club members are a special group of individuals who have made a spiritual commitment to support the needs of the needy as part of their faith walk. Their consistent, monthly giving helps provide a predictable income so we can be good stewards in our planning as we reach out to the most desperate people in our community with life-changing help. To join this group of special donors, please call Tom Davidson at 609-345-5517 or email him at [email protected]

Follow us on these websites to learn more about the important work you support:

Go and do likewise Get connected. Get involved.

Facebook.com/ACRescueMission

Twitter.com/ACRescueMission

Pinterest.com/ACRescueMission

In his book Acts 29, Dr. Terry Teykl recounts how the mayor of a small town was driving through the city square when he noticed two city workers doing something rather unusual. Along one side of the main street, they were working steadily. One of the men was digging a hole in the ground and the other was filling it back in. Somewhat confused, the mayor confronted them and asked for an explanation. “Well, sir,” replied the first man, “we work for the city planting trees and usually there are three of us—one to dig the hole, one to plant the tree and one to cover it up. The guy who plants the tree called in sick today, but,” he proudly announced, “we’re here and we’re doing our jobs anyway.” Work is part of God’s design for a fruitful life, but how much more effective are we when our efforts are aimed at a God-honoring purpose! Our lives take on a new depth and meaning when we live intentionally. Have you considered how financial planning looks through the lens of God’s purposes? When you include Atlantic City Rescue Mission in your Will, you impact lives for Christ and honor God’s purposes here on Earth and into eternity.

God’s Design for a Fruitful LifeOperation Empty Closets Give them the clothes off your rack

Yes, I’ll help to provide Christmas meals and more this Christmas season. Enclosed is my gift of:m $15 m $30 m $50 m $150 m $__________

m I would like to give monthly. My first gift of $____________ is enclosed.m Please send me a FREE copy of “Crucial Keys to Living a Life of Purpose”

23335-10 NL1213

insideIt’s good to be home for the holidays!

Message from Dan Brown:Christmas is coming!

Give them the clothes off your rack

Your gifts of toys bring joy!A community-wide effort is underway that demonstrates God’s love by bringing joy to the children at Atlantic City Rescue Mission, as well as for hundreds more children in need throughout the Atlantic City area. You can be part of this ministry of bicycles, BarbieTM dolls, Care BearsTM and board games too!

See “Toy Time!” on page 2

Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

For a FREE copy of our stewardship bulletin, “Crucial Keys to Living a Life of Purpose,” simply check the box on the enclosed reply card or contact Tom Davidson from Atlantic City Rescue Mission at 609-345-5517 or [email protected]. Or bless your family today with a God-honoring Will at ChristianWill.org/ACRescue

December 2013

“ It’s really exciting to see how God brings all of these efforts together...and we’re able to pass that blessing along to the children.”

— DEBBI, FORMER DIRECTOR WOMEN’S MINISTRIES

This season, we expect to distribute 62,400 articles of clean clothes. Will you please help?

Are the racks in your closet filled with clothes that you never wear? Donate your gently used clothing to help the Atlantic City Rescue Mission care for the hundreds of homeless and needy people we serve on a daily basis.

We need clothing for men, women and children of all sizes. You can drop them off at 2009 Bacharach Blvd., Atlantic City. (If you have more than 20 bags of clothes to donate, call 609-345-5517 to arrange a pickup.) Or perhaps your school, business, church or civic group would like to hold a clothing drive. Give us a call and we’ll send you a poster.

No clothes to donate, but you’d still like to help? We’re always delighted to receive your cash donation. For more information or to view a map of 40 convenient Operation Empty Closets drop-off partners, visit us online at ACRescueMission.org/EmptyClosets. Thank you!

HR in place