September 2009 Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission Newsletter
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Transcript of September 2009 Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission Newsletter
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Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission
A Ministry of
Rescue & Discipleshipa publication of the
Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission Anchorage, Alaska
rry Aldrichrations Manager
avid Williamsgram Director
andy Hessntenance Supervisor
rry OConnor
oger Klein
nt Supervisor
avid McKnightDriver
lomona Talivaantenance
nny Leffler
ll McCormick
nthony Boone
ado Spates
homas Nolcinise 5 Disciples
res
cue
ne
wsest
.1965
septemb
2009
Why Should You Care ForThe Least, The Last, The Lost
B E C A U S E,
The Bible tells us, The poor shall never
cease out of the land, Deuteronomy 15:11
The last, the least and the lost is very descriptive of the homeless. When I read Deuteronom
15:11 and Mark 14:7, For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will y
may do them good.. I believe God is telling us to help provide for the less fortunate
know that we will always have the poor, needy and homeless people with us. There have be
plans by many cities, including Anchorage, to end homelessness and have even set a tim
frame. However, I have been dealing with this problem for many years and I do not see an
mass movement to end homelessness and there never will be. It seems like there is no end
homelessness. Usually by this time of the year we can see a noticeable reduction in the numb
of people coming to us for help. But again this year we are seeing more people continuing
come to us for help. We can only accommodate a few of these people with shelter (becau
one of our dorms has been closed by the city) but the numbers of people coming for mea
and clothing has been on the increase. I do not believe Anchorage has felt the effect of th
recession yet but when it hits more and more people are going to be looking for help!
There are many reasons why a person may become homeless. In the minds of most peop
though, drugs and alcohol are the main reason. I will agree that they play a big paand may be the end results of why a person becomes homeless. But there are many oth
reasonsmental illness, divorce and the break-up of a home are other reasons. Howeve
one of the big reasons for a person being homeless in our city is unemployment. Most of th
people that come to the Mission would work if they could find a job. When a person los
their job, their source of income, then gradually everything they ownthey may turn to drug
and alcohol. They think they can find some relief from their problems by taking this outl
only to find out they have created a greater problem. Finally, when all is lost, they may com
to us for help. But, we are limited as to what we can do because of lack of space!
Those that do come to us (and can get in) and have a sincere desire for helpcan find it her
You see, we believe a persons real help comes from GOD. With Jesus in their life and th
Holy Spirit to give them the help, guidance and comfort they need a person can look beyon
their present circumstances and see the Lord can help them reach their goals and achievemen
in their life. They do not need the drugs and alcohol for a crutch. But now they have Jesus
lean on and He will help them to get where they want to be recovered and serving. Plea
pray for the Mission and Staff that God will open the way for us to aid more of the people th
come to us for help.
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progra
mdirec
tor
i
DavidM
.Willi
ams
When was the last time you came home and complained
about not getting a traffic ticket? Try to recall the time
when you received your paycheck and then tried to get
out of taking it by saying, Its not my fault I had to
work in order to support my family. How many of
us have become victims because we didnt stop at the
liquor store and spend our last few dollars on alcohol?
Why am I so willing to accept the consequences
of my positive action yet at the same time resist the
consequences of my negative actions? It seems to
me this character flaw makes me a hypocrite. My
willingness to accept consequences equally defines who
I am as a person. As a Christian I have a fundamentalresponsibility to the body of Christ to not only be a
good steward of choice but to also be willing to accept
the consequences regardless of the classification good
or bad.
I have a dear friend who has had a really difficult year.
He made some really bad choices and as we all know
there are consequences. Like me his instinct is to make
excuses rather than practice acceptance. Its easy for
me to blame others for my circumstance because it
allows me to believe my pain is not self inflicted. If Ican somehow make it their fault I can then focus my
anger and hate in their direction rather than my own.
They become my safety net. After all isnt that what
Satan loves for us to do? Beat ourselves up! Its painful
therefore we attempt to avoid it at all cost. The irony
is; the more I struggle to break free of Satans will, the
more I take on his nature by lying to myself
and blaming others for my circumstances.
44You belong to your father, the devil,
and you want to carry out your fathers
desire. He was a murderer from the
beginning, not holding to the truth, for
there is no truth in him. When he lies,
he speaks his native language, for he is
a liar and the father of lies
John 8:44
I had a spiritual awaking while watching the Foo
Network. A mother of four girls was competing for h
own T.V. show and one of the challenges included h
telling why she felt this would be right for her. She to
about how she had climbed the corporate ladder an
how it had filled her mind yet had left her soul empt
Then she turned to her passion, food. She told abo
how she was no longer afraid to try new things becau
if she failed at least she was failing at the right thing.
My passion is Christ but Ive always been afraid to faThis fear of failure has been a barrier in my relationsh
with Him. Thanks to the voice of a mother of four wh
I will never meet I can now deconstruct the barrie
before me and get a better understanding of who Chri
is. Even when I fail it no longer matters. For I no
know Im failing at the right thing. This knowledg
gives me the freedom to stand back up and try aga
without wasting time playing the blame game.
This begins by acceptance. I told my friend it was h
decision to travel the road of destruction therefore h
could not blame others for his circumstances. Like I
wont to do, he began playing word games by askin
me if it was the road to destruction or just a bump
the road. I didnt respond because he was missing th
point while looking for a way out. The truth is he w
on the road to destruction. Just because that road d
not, PRAISE BE TO GOD, end in total annihilatio
doesnt mean he wasnt on the road. After all I don
have to go all the way to Seward to have been on th
Seward highway. This attitude illustrates our propensito avoid the real issues and that is, the consequences
our choices are ours and ours alone!
We are choice driven. Once Ive made a bad decisio
I have a new set of choices to make. They are: be
myself up for my mistakes, blame others for my action
or accept the consequences of my decisions. Beatin
myself up or blaming others is me failing at the wron
thing. Accepting the consequences of my decisions
me trusting Christ and that is the Right Thing.
The Right Thing!
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Trust has always been a big issue of mine. That and
doubt. I guess it started at a very young age for me.
I was born in Pender, Nebraska, and raised in Dakota
City, Nebraska (pop 1200). The small town was home
to the biggest Beef Packer in the United States, IBP.
This is where my mother and father earned a living, as
did most of the small town. Union made, and close nit,
the small town was rough and full of trouble.
My childhood was a happy one. I had my cousin Bruce
to play with, and my sister Penny to pick on, and we
were all close. I had a very nice baby sitter who made
the best half dollar sized pancakes in the world (I once
ate around 35 of them, outdoing my cousin. A memory
I am for some strange reason, very proud of).There was
baseball, football, fishing, boy scouts, and church. I
was a pretty confident outgoing kid. But it began to fall
apart, at about the age of seven.
One day at school, my cousin Bruce took me aside on
the playground. He had bad news to give me. He was
moving. His mom and dad had decided to split from
each other. He would be moving back to Central South
Dakota, 220 miles away to where our family has its
roots. My best friend was leaving me.
It was not long after this, that the same tragedy hit
my own immediate family. I remember being parked
on the floor in front of the television set watching a
show about UFOs one evening (strange I rememberthat show being on), and my mother asking me to come
to my sisters room. Getting up I walked to her room.
My sister was crying, and my mother tells me that she,
and my father, are splitting. We will be moving to the
neighboring town. Looking back, I believe my identity,
and all that was me, was lost in that moment. My
mom, my sister, and I moved to South Sioux
City.
I did not adjust very well. I did not like my new home
did not like the kids in my new neighborhood. I becam
very angry and upset. I went from a popular kid, full
fun, to a lost kid fully depressed. All I could think abo
was how to get it all back. My friends and my famil
the life I loved. The way it was. It was never going
happen.
I began to destroy things, toys, friendships, family, an
myself. I use to participate in school. I loved gym clas
school plays, and other activities. Now, my attitud
was, why bother? From the age of thirteen to seventee
I lived with my father. I pretty much did what I wante
Dad set some rules, but rules were meant to be broke
I just did what I wanted. I thought, Nobody car
anyway!I moved back in with my mom when I w
seventeen. She had her hands full to say the least. I w
drinking heavy along with everything else.
I graduated high school. Dont ask me how. Th
negative, hateful attitude followed me through m
military career, and beyond. It was the snowball affec
Every year my attitude grew darker. I never really g
over anything, or ever learned to let things go. It all ju
festered, and I always wanted revenge, or a way out
married twice looking for happiness. I divorced twi
finding sadness. No surprise. I had no God. I had n
test
imonies
Resu
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love. I felt I had nothing to offer. My failed marriages
left me completely lost. What is it going to take to
make me happy?
The only answer I could come up with on my own was
alcohol, drugs, and sex. But these medicines had bad
side effects. They were temporary, and left me feeling
depressed and empty. I was dead. Alive physically, but,
inside I was dead. I just kept digging a deeper grave to
lay in.
My choices led me from a small Midwest town to the
streets of Anchorage, Alaska. Cold, Hungry, tired,
hopeless, and homeless. I had just finished a 15 month
prison stretch, and the one thing I was sure of was, I do
not want to go back to prison, and I do not want to go
back to the streets. What do I do? Give me an answer!
Someone was listening. My mother, and my older sister
Penny, asked if I would consider joining the NewLife
program here at the Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission.I would be safe there they told me. So I called the
Mission and made an appointment for the next day.
In the morning I entered the office of David Williams,
Program Director for the NewLife Discipleship
Training Program. He welcomed me with a smile. He
spoke of Jesus, and that before me right now, was an
opportunity. An offer that if I choose to accept, will for
certain change my life. I joined.
I settled in upstairs and opened a bible to 2 Corinthians
chapter 6, verse 2. I was stunned at what I read. In
an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day
of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the
accepted time, now is the day of salvation. How could
this be? The timing was incredible! This is exactly what
I needed to hear! I was convinced, there is a God! He
knows me! I decided right then and there, I am ready
to accept Jesus Christ into my life. I choose to believe.
I will fallow him and do the best I can to keep his
commandments.
Today, I am doing just that. My life and my attitude
being completely transformed. I am not perfect. I mak
my mistakes. But, I have conviction now. I confess, an
we move on. We move forward and improve. With th
help of Jesus Christ and the staff here at the Anchorag
Gospel Rescue Mission, I now have a life I am happ
to be living.
If you are reading this and you have not opened yo
heart to Jesus, please do. Do not wait. He will giv
you life. He will restore all that you have lost. He w
heal your pain. He will guide and direct you, and nev
forsake you.
I was hopeless, and I now have hope. I was worthles
and I now have a life of value, and with purpose.
I have been resurrected!
So, I end this testimony with a passage out of Psalm 3
I will extol you, O Lord, for you have lifted
me up, and have not let my foes rejoice over
me. O Lord my god I cried out to you and you
healed me. O Lord, You brought me out the
grave; you have kept me alive, that I should
not go down to the pit.
God Bless you a
Kel
rrected!
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direc
torsde
sk
Rev.Do
nBettis
A Child of The KingMy Father is rich in houses and lands,
He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,
His coffers are full, He has riches untold.
My Fathers own Son, the Savior of men,
Once wandered on earth as the poorest of them;
But now He is pleading our pardon on high,
That we may be His when He comes by and by.
I once was an out-cast, stranger on earth,A sinner by choice, and an alien by birth;
But Ive been adopted, my names written down,
An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown.
A tent or a cottage, why should I care?
Theyre building a palace for me over there;
Tho exiled from home, yet still I may sing:
All glory to God, Im a child of the King.
Chorus:
Im a child of the King,
A child of the King!
With Jesus my Savior,
Im a child of the King!
There have been several version of this old hymn, but
see if you remember this one.
When We See ChristOft times the day seems long, our trials so hard To
bear: were tempted to complain, to murmur
And despair; But Christ shall soon appear to Catch H
bride away, all tears forever over
In Gods eternal day.
Sometimes the sky looks dark with not a
Ray of light; Were tossed and driven on,
No human help in sight; but there is
One heavn Who knows our deepest care,
Let Jesus solve your problem,
Just go to Him in prayr.
Lifes day will soon be oer,
All storms forever past; Well cross
The great divide to glory safe at last;
Well share the joys of heavn,
A harp, a home, a crown;
The tempter will be banished,
Well lay our burden down.Chorus:
It will be worth it all,When we see Jesus,
Lifes trials will seem so small,
When we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face,
All sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race
Till we see Christ.
Back to the Good Ole Days of
Heart-felt Gospel Music
I have not had much response from you the last few months concerning the old Hymns of Faith. Perhaps you hav
been busy or away for the summer. I am going to give you 2 this month. If I do not receive much response fro
these I will drop this portion of the newsletter for a while. All I want you to say is that it was a favorite of yours
that you remember it. I love the old hymns.
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Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission P.O. Box 230510 Anchorage, Alaska 99523-0510
Here is my support gift: For Credit Card Donations:Food and Shelter: $_____Facilities Maintenance: $_____$46.25 For 25 Meals ______$74.00 For 40 Meals ______
$132.20 For 72 Meals ______$277.50 For 150 Meals ______
______Other:______ I Will Pray for this Ministry.
I would like to charge my total donation of $__________________
Check One: Visa M/C Am/Ex Discover
Card Number __________________________________________Exp. Date: ______/______ Signature _______________________
Name:________________________________________________Address: ______________________________________________
Please send this coupon with your donations.
All credit card information is kept in strict confidenceMake checks payable to the Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission
You will receive a receipt.
7
We invite you to visit us on
the web or drop us an e-mail
with your comments and
suggestions
www.a
nchorage
rescue.org ww
w.an
chora
gere
scu
e.org
You can also make your
donations
on our secure On-Line
donation page
www.a
nchorage
rescue.org w
ww.an
chora
ger
escu
e.org
The Mission has lost its longest sitting Board Member.Enoch went home to be with the Lord on July 22nd,
2009. He served on the Board at the Mission for 35 1/2
years. He loved the Lord and he showed it by caring for
those who were lost in this big world. Enoch made the
world a little smaller by embracing those around him
and surrounding them in the protective shelter of his
love.
Goodbye Dear Friend
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GOD BLESS AMERICA
Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postal
PAIDAnchorage, AKPermit # 290
Anchorage
Gospel
MissionA Ministry of
Rescue & Recovery
ge
sionres
cue
newsrescu
e
P.O. Box 230510Anchorage, AK99523-0510(907) 563-5603
return service requested
STATEMENT OF FAITH
The Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission is a Non-Profit, Non-Denominationa
organization. We receive NO municipal, state or federal funds. We are not a UnitedWay Agency. Your financial support and In-Kind donations makes it possible for us toprovide for the poor, needy and homeless people in our community. Also, your donation
allow us to provide a Drug and Alcohol Recovery program. All Donations are fully tax
deductible. We will give you a receipt for your donation.
Associa
tion ofGo
sp
el
Missio
nsMember
resc
ue
urgent
Our supplies of theseitems is constantly in
need of replenishing
Prayer
Paper Towels
45 Gallon Trash Bags
Fresh Meat
Coffee
Bathroom Tissue
Laundry Soap
Disposable Shavers
Cleaning Supplies
Liquid Dish Detergent
Dinner Napkins
Shampoo
urgent
Anchorage Gospel
Rescue Mission
Board of Trustees
Ed Shelton
(President)
Bob Collins( Vice President/treasure)
Enoch Adams
(Secretary)
Mark Soquet
Ralph Nobrega
Rev. Bob Sloan
Emeritus:
Cliff Hodgins
Rev. Willard Leisy
Advisory Board:
Paul Kelly
Rev. Don Bettis, Exec. Dir.
Charlotte Bettis, Asst. Dir.
resc
ue
resc
ueOur Ministry of
is to
the least
the last
the lost
Chapel Services for SeptemberSunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1
Anchorage
Pilgrim
Nazarene
2
Anchorage
Gospel
Singers
3
Anchorage
Vineyard
Fellowship
4
First
Presbyterian
Church
5
Calvary
Baptist
Church
6
Gods
Place
7
Abbott Loop
Community
Church
8
First
Assembly of
God
9
Anchorage
Church
of Christ
10
Christ
Community
Church
11
Calvary
Church
12
Wasilla
Assembly
of God
13Gods
Place
14Church
of God of
Prophecy
15Anchorage
Native
Assembly
16Christian
Evangelical
Church
17Sherbahn
Evangelistic
Team
18Sherbahn
Evangelistic
Team
19Lighthouse
Christian
Fellowship
20
Grace
Victory
Fellowship
21
Sherbahn
Evangelistic
Team
22
Attorney
Greg Grebe
23
Calvary
Baptist
24
Evangelical
Covenant
Church
25
In His Name
Sandy
McCollum
26
Glenn
Hermann
27
New Light
Community
Church
28
Calvary
Baptist
29
Grace
Brethren
Eagle River
30
Change
Point
Nightly Services7:30 PM to 8:30 PM