KNOX The Newsletter of Knox Area Rescue Ministries Restoring Lives in Jesus Name JULY 2017

Transcription

1 Opportunity KNOX The Newsletter of Knox Area Rescue Ministries Restoring Lives in Jesus Name JULY 2017 Something to live for Ricky is building a bridge to the future at KARM.

2 Where else can we go? Dear Friend, Each month, Knox Area Rescue Ministries welcomes thousands of men and women into our Crossroads Welcome Center. And when I say welcome, I really mean it: we offer kindness and intentional engagement to everyone who walks through our doors. While they re with us, we have several programs in place that are designed to help our guests build a bridge from homelessness and addiction to a sustainable, hope-filled future. Programs like the new Berea ministry, which focuses on a Work, Learn, Serve approach, allow participants to give back in return for life-changing training. But as with any worthwhile construction project, we have to make sure we re building with the right materials. At the end of John 6, Jesus shares a particularly difficult teaching with His followers. Upon hearing it, many decide to walk away from Him, but Peter and the other disciples stay. When Jesus asks if they will also leave, Peter replies, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Peter speaks an incredible truth here. Where else can we go? No matter who you are, only the Lord Himself has the words of eternal life. This is the heart of our ministry here at KARM. While other organizations can provide food and shelter, KARM s unique mission is to lead our guests to the One who truly brings new life. In doing so, we help our guests build life-changing bridges: a bridge from homelessness to stability. A bridge from pain and hurt to forgiveness and restoration. And a bridge from a life of darkness to the light of Christ s grace and mercy. Thank you for your role in this vital ministry. Your support is changing lives every day at KARM, and for that, we are tremendously grateful. God bless you! Blessings, Simon Peter Burt Rosen President & CEO answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. JOHN 6:68

3 Something to live for But seek first His kingdom and His righeousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. MATTHEW 6:33 Ricky is just 27 years old, but he s been struggling with addiction for 15 years. He s been in and out of jail, and after he was released last summer, Ricky s counselor suggested he spend a year at KARM and try to make some lasting changes. He moved in late last year and began to work through the LaunchPoint program, rediscovering the faith he grew up with. Now that he s been here for several months, Ricky has a unique perspective on his past. I never really pursued God until I got arrested so many times, he shares. God just kept leading me back to jail. He put it on my heart that I needed to stop making such bad choices and start living for something else. Today, Ricky has a job and is ready to take the next step in his time at KARM, so he s moving to the Bridge, our transitional housing for men. The men who live on the Bridge have found work and are actively engaged in classes and community service through the You are keeping people out of the wet and cold and giving them the hope they need to change their lives, says Ricky. Berea model at KARM. Their time in this program helps them build a bridge to a life filled with hope and purpose, and they aren t doing it alone. If I weren t here, I would never have known that people do care about others, Ricky says. It s easy to get down and say, Oh, no one cares about me, but it would be wrong. The people here really look out for you, and it makes me want to help someone too. We ll continue to care for Ricky as he adjusts to life on the Bridge and prepares to be on his own again in the future. In the meantime, he has something to say to the partners who make this possible. You are keeping people out of the wet and cold and giving them the hope they need to change their lives, he says. I wasted 15 years getting high, and it s sad, and it hurts, and you can t get it back. I m just glad to be able to see that at 27 to see that it s time to turn to God.

4 Backpacks will be distributed to children in need at KARM and in the Knox County school system. Donate the following supplies at any Knox County KARM store: Backpacks Three Ring Binders Loose-Leaf Notebook Paper Boxes of Kleenex Spiral Notebooks Pocket Folders JULY 10 29, Glue Sticks / Glue Bottles Pencil Boxes Pencils and Pens Crayons and Markers Rulers Scissors Thank you to our Stuff the Backpacks sponsors: VOLUNTEER NEEDS TEACHERS Do you have a gift for equipping others? Teach a class for our guests. Commitment: Approximately 2 4 hours, at least one day per week. GUEST SERVICES Are you driven to connect individuals to resources that meet their needs? Join our Crossroads team! Commitment: Approximately 3 4 hours on weekdays, once or twice per week. FRONT DESK SUPPORT Warmly greet homeless guests, vendors, staff, and other volunteers at our main campus and at Serenity, our residential recovery site for women. Commitment: Approximately 4 hours, once or twice per week, multiple time slots available. For more information about these and all our volunteer opportunities, please visit karm.org/volunteer. * All positions require commitment to the Christian faith, application, interview process, background screening, and training. KARM DAILY NEEDS LIST You can make a powerful difference to someone who s hurting! Please contact us at (865) or info@karm.org to arrange drop off of Needs List items. The items listed here are our guests most immediate needs. To view a complete list, visit karm.org/needs. Pillowcases Shaving Cream Towels & Washcloths new or gently used Twin sheet sets, especially flat sheets Deodorant

5 Daniel s next chapter When Daniel Standley began to think about retirement, he knew he didn t want to just sit at home and wilt, as he candidly puts it. After spending time in prayer, he felt that God had a place for him at KARM. He started as a table facilitator in our LaunchPoint program, and as time went on, his responsibilities expanded. Today, he leads devotions at LaunchPoint and mentors men enrolled in the program. I love people, he smiles, so what I found pretty quickly in the LaunchPoint program was that my skills as a Christian and as a human being were things I could share with the participants. I feel like I know the Bible pretty well as a layman, but some of the guests put me to shame. They make me feel like I need to study and dig further! We re grateful for Daniel and the hundreds of volunteers like him who serve the Lord every month at KARM. If you re interested in making a lasting difference here, Daniel has some encouragement for you. If you re like me, you ll get more out of serving than you give away. You don t have to have a professional background or any specific skills to serve in an important capacity at KARM. It s very humbling and very gratifying. Contact us at volunteer@karm.org to register. MARK YOUR CALENDAR The 7 th Annual KARM Dinner of Hope will be held Tuesday, October 24, at The Crowne Plaza with speaker Emily Colson (pictured). TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, Emily Colson is a popular author, speaker, and advocate. Emily speaks to churches and organizations nationwide, and has appeared on numerous media outlets including Focus on the Family. In her award-winning book, Dancing with Max, Emily and her father, Chuck Colson, share the struggle and beauty of life with Max, Emily s 26-year-old son with autism. For more info, contact Angie Beaty: abeaty@karm.org or Learn more about all of our upcoming events at

6 Bridge Mom BOARD OF DIRECTORS DAN HURST Chairman Strata-G Estaire Tomczak is the program coordinator at KARM, and she works closely with the men staying on the Bridge. I call myself the Bridge Mom, she laughs. I tell them all of the do s and don ts and help them get ready to live in the real world. And I always tell them that we accept them the way they are, but we love them too much to leave them unchanged. The Bridge is KARM s transitional housing program for men. Guests must apply to live in the apartments, and once they re on the Bridge, caring staff members walk alongside them as they look for work and prepare for life outside of KARM. We call it the Bridge because it s a transition, Estaire shares. You don t build a house on a bridge it s there to help you get from A to B. We re encouraging them to restore relationships with loved ones and break the cycle of being homeless. It s just an amazing place. Every day I feel what an honor it is to serve here. I m serving the Lord, and it s an honor and a blessing. estaire Estaire has been a part of the KARM family for more than seven years, and in her time here, she s developed a deep appreciation for the power of the gospel at work in our guests. Honestly, it s the most incredible experience. It makes you such a grateful and humble person; you realize there isn t much difference between you and the people we serve, aside from the grace of God. Every day, when I pull into the parking lot, I feel what an honor it is to serve here. I hate to even call it work I m serving the Lord, and it s an honor and a blessing. SALLY FISHER Vice Chairman Morgan Stanley Wealth Management DALE KEASLING Secretary Home Federal Bank DR. WILLIAM BURKHART Summit Medical Group NEAL CALDWELL Dalen Products RICK COX Rick Cox Construction CATHY GONZALEZ CAC DR. JOE JOHNSON University of Tennessee DR. H. LEE MARTIN Clarity Resources, LLC DENNIS McCLANE Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen & Carpenter, PLLC WAYMAN McLAUGHLIN, Jr. Consolidated Nuclear Services W. FRANK SMITH, III Washing Equipment of Tennessee BOBBY STOGNER The Peoples Bank DOUGLAS YOAKLEY CPA, Financial Consultant LEADERSHIP TEAM BURT ROSEN President & CEO STEVE CLABOUGH Vice President, Operations JOE HAAS Vice President, Finance CYNTHIA RUSSELL Vice President, Serenity Ministries GREG GREER Vice President, Programs P.O. Box 3310 Knoxville, TN (865)

7 Knox Area Rescue Ministries, Inc. P.O. Box 3310 Knoxville, TN Opportunity YOUR NEW KNOX NEWSLETTER IS ENCLOSED! Ricky is building a bridge to the future. Read his KARM story inside KAR1707N

8 CHECK BOX IF THIS IS A NEW ADDRESS My gift to help build a bridge to the future at KARM. D1707N Your first class stamp is an additional contribution. THANK YOU! BUSINESS REPLY MAIL FIRST-CLASS MAIL PERMIT NO KNOXVILLE TN POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE KNOX AREA RESCUE MINISTRIES PO BOX 3310 KNOXVILLE TN NO POSTAGE NECESSARY IF MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES

9 LET S BUILD THE BRIDGE TOGETHER! KAR1707N Yes, Burt, I want to help build bridges to a better future for the men and women at Knox Area Rescue Ministries. I ve enclosed a gift of: []Ask_1 []Ask_2 []Ask_3 []Ask_4 Mr. & Mrs. John Q. Sample 123 Any Street Knoxville, TN P.O. Box 3310 Knoxville, TN (865) Instructions: Please make your check payable to KARM and return this form with your gift. See back to use your credit card. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowable by law. Thank you! Please communicate updates/news via my address: [MOTIVE CODE] [DONOR CODE] LET S BUILD THE BRIDGE TOGETHER! KAR1707N Yes, Burt, I want to help build bridges to a better future for the men and women at Knox Area Rescue Ministries. I ve enclosed a gift of: []Ask_1 []Ask_2 []Ask_3 []Ask_4 Mr. & Mrs. John Q. Sample 123 Any Street Knoxville, TN P.O. Box 3310 Knoxville, TN (865) Instructions: Please make your check payable to KARM and return this form with your gift. See back to use your credit card. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowable by law. Thank you! Please communicate updates/news via my address: [MOTIVE CODE] [DONOR CODE] LET S BUILD THE BRIDGE TOGETHER! KAR1707N Yes, Burt, I want to help build bridges to a better future for the men and women at Knox Area Rescue Ministries. I ve enclosed a gift of: []Ask_1 []Ask_2 []Ask_3 []Ask_4 Mr. & Mrs. John Q. Sample 123 Any Street Knoxville, TN P.O. Box 3310 Knoxville, TN (865) Instructions: Please make your check payable to KARM and return this form with your gift. See back to use your credit card. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowable by law. Thank you! Please communicate updates/news via my address: [MOTIVE CODE] [DONOR CODE]

10 Please charge my gift to rush help to the hungry and homeless now! Please charge my: The amount of $ Card Number: Expiration Date: Name as it appears on card: Signature: KNOX AREA RESCUE MINISTRIES P.O. Box 3310 Knoxville, TN (865) Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). Membership in the ECFA is your assurance that an organization adheres to the highest standards of stewardship and ethical financial practices. KARM is one of only 38 Rescue Missions nationwide, out of nearly 300, that are certified excellent members of the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions. KARM is supported by the gifts of friends and receives no federal funding to shelter the homeless. In all our communications, we strive to present the needs of homeless and poverty-stricken people with accuracy and integrity. Friends are invited to participate in KARM s work only as they feel led by God to do so. We believe God will meet the needs of the poor through the financial gifts of those who respond in this manner. All gifts-in-kind are appreciated and used where needed most. KARM does not rent, sell or otherwise share donor information. If gifts are received above a specific need, they will be used for programs where the need is greatest. No person is denied care based on race, creed, sex, disability or national origin. Please charge my gift to rush help to the hungry and homeless now! Please charge my: The amount of $ Card Number: Expiration Date: Name as it appears on card: Signature: KNOX AREA RESCUE MINISTRIES P.O. Box 3310 Knoxville, TN (865) Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). Membership in the ECFA is your assurance that an organization adheres to the highest standards of stewardship and ethical financial practices. KARM is one of only 38 Rescue Missions nationwide, out of nearly 300, that are certified excellent members of the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions. KARM is supported by the gifts of friends and receives no federal funding to shelter the homeless. In all our communications, we strive to present the needs of homeless and poverty-stricken people with accuracy and integrity. Friends are invited to participate in KARM s work only as they feel led by God to do so. We believe God will meet the needs of the poor through the financial gifts of those who respond in this manner. All gifts-in-kind are appreciated and used where needed most. KARM does not rent, sell or otherwise share donor information. If gifts are received above a specific need, they will be used for programs where the need is greatest. No person is denied care based on race, creed, sex, disability or national origin. Please charge my gift to rush help to the hungry and homeless now! Please charge my: The amount of $ Card Number: Expiration Date: Name as it appears on card: Signature: KNOX AREA RESCUE MINISTRIES P.O. Box 3310 Knoxville, TN (865) Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). Membership in the ECFA is your assurance that an organization adheres to the highest standards of stewardship and ethical financial practices. KARM is one of only 38 Rescue Missions nationwide, out of nearly 300, that are certified excellent members of the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions. KARM is supported by the gifts of friends and receives no federal funding to shelter the homeless. In all our communications, we strive to present the needs of homeless and poverty-stricken people with accuracy and integrity. Friends are invited to participate in KARM s work only as they feel led by God to do so. We believe God will meet the needs of the poor through the financial gifts of those who respond in this manner. All gifts-in-kind are appreciated and used where needed most. KARM does not rent, sell or otherwise share donor information. If gifts are received above a specific need, they will be used for programs where the need is greatest. No person is denied care based on race, creed, sex, disability or national origin.