REVEALER. A Publication of the Evansville Rescue Mission, Camp Reveal and YCC. God always changes your life!

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1 the REVEALER HOLIDAY 2012 A Publication of the Evansville Rescue Mission, Camp Reveal and YCC There really isn t any particular reason Joseph became homeless. He grew up here in Evansville, raised by a single mom because his dad wasn t around. He didn t graduate high school because he just couldn t get up in front of the class and make a speech that was required for graduation. Joseph is a hard worker who s had lots of jobs working at a fast food restaurant and then, a grocery store, but he gets upset when others don t work as hard as he does. God always changes your life! He s been drinking since he was 19, and has tried to quit. Individually, Joseph could have overcome these problems. But taken all together, they became a hurdle he just wasn t able to rise above. For a time, Joseph lived with his grandma, taking care of her. But when she went to a nursing home and he moved in with a great aunt, things just didn t work out. Before he came to the Mission for the first time back in 2008, Joseph slept on the street a few times. He even joined our recovery program and eventually, saved up enough money to go back out on his own. But history just kept repeating itself. Joseph did manage to get a part-time job with a roofing company, so he began learning a skill. But drinking was still a problem. When Joseph returned to the Mission this time, he entered our P.A.C.E.S. program, a highly structured, year-long program that provides Don t miss A Message from Tracy....2 Bah! Humbug!...2 Malcolm s life...completely and and totally changed....3 the discipline and accountability he needs to keep him from returning to the streets. Through daily and weekly study groups, residents complete courses designed to give them the life skills necessary to live on their own: money management, job and communication skills, and help searching for permanent housing. There s also Bible study here at the Mission or at a local church. Joseph is very appreciative of the help he s received, thankful to those who support the Mission and grateful that God has changed his life! 300 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Evansville, IN

2 Christmas is a time of joy and celebration. And at the very heart of this celebration is a child born in a stable and placed in a manger a child whose birth, life and death transformed the world, giving us a new vision. Thanks to your partnership, we are able to share this vision with those who come to the Mission people who are lost and forsaken, those who have no family or friends, and individuals who are alone and frightened. With your help, we take them in. We feed and shelter them. And we give them hope. May you feel blessed this Christmas, knowing that you have helped many who are less fortunate not only by providing food for their bodies, but nourishment for their spirits as well. For when we give to one another when we are bearers of good news for the soul then we are truly blessed in return. Tracy L. Gorman President/CEO 2 A Message from Tracy L. Gorman A New Vision Last-Minute Gobbler Gathering Reminder Please consider donating some of the following items to the annual Gobbler Gathering food basket giveaway: lb. frozen turkeys Bagged potatoes & bagged onions Fresh celery Canned goods (canned green beans, corn, peas, cranberry sauce, Bah! Humbug! When the Spirit of Christmas Present visits Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens A Christmas Carol, he brings a feast to dazzle the imagination turkeys, geese, great joints of meat, suckling-pigs, barrels of oysters, red hot chestnuts, cherrycheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears Here at the Mission, we don t have suckling pigs or barrels of oysters. But many of our guests are still dazzled by a simple meal of turkey or ham, vegetables, potatoes and gravy, and perhaps a slice of pie for dessert. yams and chicken broth) Dried goods (Jiffy cornbread or muffin mix, stuffing mix, cake mix, egg noodles) Please drop off donations by Monday, November 19 at our new Administrative offices, 500 East Walnut Street, Evansville, 8 a.m. 6 p.m. Adopt Someone This Christmas Each year, we distribute Christmas gifts to about 300 less fortunate families throughout the Tri-State area through our annual Adopt-A-Family Program. We need your help to make the season bright! You can help by donating new, unwrapped educational toys, shoes and clothing for children, wrapping paper and gift tags. The families who are selected for adoption submit their Christmas wish lists and sizes or after hours at our Residence Center, 300 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. For donation information, please Chris-Michael at chris.morrison@2rescue.org or call (812) Thank you for being a blessing to those we serve! of their children to the Mission. We then give them gifts of clothing and toys to suit their needs along with wrapping paper and gift tags. This gives parents a chance to wrap their own gifts to distribute to their children. If you are interested in adopting a family this Christmas, please contact Amanda at (812) , ext. 258 or visit for more information. You can supply just one of these feasts with your gift of $2.16. A special Christmas gift of $25.92 will feed 12 people. And each and every donation you send will enable those in need to learn about the services here at the Mission that can truly change their lives! Please send a special holiday gift today or make a gift online at to turn Bah! Humbug! into God bless us, every one for men, women and children in need right here in the Tri-State area.

3 After coming to the Mission... Malcolm s life completely and totally changed. Malcolm had a great job working as an apartment maintenance technician for a 202-unit apartment complex here in Evansville. A wonderful job, a brand new truck, a nice apartment on the lake and steady employment! Who could ask for more? One day, Malcolm got called into the office and learned that the company was just about out of funding and somebody had to be let go. Guess who was at the bottom of the totem pole? Malcolm began looking for other work. But somehow, every door that I tried to open was closed. In fact, it seemed that some of the doors were nailed shut! Though Malcolm went to school at Plaza Park Elementary and attended high school at Harrison, his family had moved out of the area over 1,000 miles away. So staying with them wasn t an option. Besides, Malcolm had moved out on his own, and didn t want to have to go back unless it was absolutely necessary. Malcolm watched his brand new truck get towed away. Then, he lost the apartment and all his furniture. I had no idea what to do, he says. So I went to church and asked the pastor for advice and help, and he gave me a ride to the Evansville Rescue Mission. Malcolm had never heard of the Mission he d never been anywhere like this before. But it sure beat living on the streets! Malcolm didn t intend to enter our long-term recovery program when he came to the Mission. He was just trying to get my feet under me. But once he started classes and actually heard the Gospel and began accepting it, his life completely and totally changed! Becoming a minister of Jesus Christ and answering the calling God placed on my life became my number one priority, he says. My goal is to not get in God s way, says Malcolm with a smile. Essentially, I let Him choose where my life goes surrendering to His will instead of mine. To the world, it sounds so crazy, but actually, I ve never been happier in my entire life! Malcolm is grateful for the chance the Mission has given him and others. When people wind up in this position and end up homeless, it s a scary situation and it s often very confusing. Instead of falling right off into despair, a place like the Evansville Rescue Mission provides hope. I think it is absolutely amazing the changes that happen in people s lives through ministries like this! It s Not Too Late to Join the Dash! You can still sign up to be part of the inaugural Drumstick Dash to benefit the Evansville Rescue Mission! This is a fun run/walk in downtown Evansville that starts and finishes at ERM s new Residence Center, 500 East Walnut Street. Take part in one of two races: an 8K (4.97 miles) run/walk that kicks off at 9 a.m. or a 1-mile run that kicks off at 9:10 a.m. If you re not a runner, don t worry! We are also seeking volunteers, $100+ sponsors and cheerleaders to cheer from the sidelines. For more information, or to register, contact us by at ERM@2Rescue.org, call (812) or visit our website, Keep an eye out for our list of Drumstick Dash sponsors in the next issue of The Revealer! Thanks for Golfing With Us We want to thank all of our golfers and sponsors who made the 8th annual Golf Scramble a success! We couldn t have done it without you! To see a list of sponsors, see the enclosed insert. To learn more about this and other annual Mission events, visit 3

4 Impact Ministries The men in our P.A.C.E.S. program have spent the last eight months participating in life-changing classes that have helped them gain knowledge and skills that they can use when they are ready to leave the Mission. Thanks to the Life Transformation Challenge, the men in our program have benefitted from classes like conflict management, Financial Peace University and other life-skills training. This month, our first class of P.A.C.E.S. participants will graduate. Please join us in congratulating them for this great accomplishment! They have worked very hard over the past few months, and we will all reap the benefits of their success as they leave the Mission to reenter society. To learn more about our many programs for body, mind and spirit, visit our website at ERM is Moving! The Evansville Rescue Mission will be moving to a new location early next year. Our new facility is located at 500 East Walnut. Thanks to God s grace, we have received a subsidy grant that will go toward the purchase of the new building, which means that we do not need to raise funds! The new site is situated on 3.7 acres of land, and there will be room for us to shelter 180 homeless men each night and serve as many as 500 meals per day! This is a 50% increase over our current facility. In addition to more The Evansville Rescue Mission is on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube! You can now be up-to-the-minute on special announcements, upcoming events or urgent needs at the Mission. beds, the new facility includes classrooms, rooms for our collaborators to meet with guests and introduce them to the community resources available to help them get back on their feet, a commercial kitchen and cold storage with a walk-in freezer and refrigerator, a loading dock and even a barber shop! The shelter section of the new building will be divided into three separate wings. The first wing will serve as an overnight shelter. The second wing will serve as a dorm for working guests. The third wing will Follow the Mission Online Visit and click on the Facebook, Twitter and YouTube icons to check us out. provide transitional housing for men in our P.A.C.E.S. program and other guests who are preparing to leave the Mission to live on their own. We are looking forward to moving into our new home! If you are interested in arranging a tour of our new facility, please call (812) Or visit to learn more about our many services. This is a great way to find out what s happening at the Mission and to share your passion for helping the hurting and homeless with others.

5 8th Annual Evansville Rescue Mission GOLF SCRAMBLE SPONSORS On Monday, October 15th, we hosted our 8th Annual Golf Scramble at the Rolling Hills Golf Club. Thanks to everyone who participated, we raised thousands of dollars to benefit the Mission! Below is a list of the corporate and church sponsors we would like to thank for their generosity. We couldn t have done it without you! FLIGHT SPONSORS EAGLE SPONSORS Mark and Cassie Keneipp

6 CART SPONSOR MEDIA SPONSOR CLUBHOUSE SPONSORS Mr. Daniel C. Bugher Newburgh United Methodist Church LUNCH SPONSORS Rev. and Mrs. Tracy L. Gorman