December 2013

With Sadness We Say Goodbye... We at Beacon Light Mission and Doors of Hope Woman’s Shelter come to you this month with a very heavy heart as our Staff Coordinator, Mark Scardino, has gone home to be with his Lord. Mark suffered from a variety of maladies and fought a valiant fight against Diabetes, COPD, chronic heart disease, weight, and a very bad back, to name a few. As Mark said, “I was a bit of a problem in my youth, and now I am paying for it.” Mark was born in Wilmington California on 12-06-63 and lived and worked a variety of jobs including “piano mover” here in California. After making a whole lot of bad decisions in his life, and ending up broke, and out of work, Mark contemplated another very bad decision. But some unknown person at the hotel where Mark was staying, suggested going to Beacon Light Mission. In those days, Mark didn’t know what a Mission was or what it could do for you. On September 20, 1991, Mark came to Beacon Light Mission, looking for a place to stay and for help. Feeling unloved and forsaken, Mark hated his buddies, parents and most of all himself for what he had done to himself. Mark started going to Chapel every night in a blur, but five days later while in Chapel Mark heard the message of Jesus Christ, “I’ll never leave you or forsake you…”. That night, Mark stood up with tears running down his cheeks, he prayed and accepted Jesus as his Lord and savior. (To read Marks personally written testimony which he has shared numerous times, go to: BeaconLightMission.org/mark Within a few weeks, Mark was asked by the Staff if he would like to be a Helper and observing Mark, the BLM staff quickly realized Marks potential, and asked him to join the Staff. Like everybody, Mark started at the bottom but because of his work ethics, willingness to learn and coupled with his many abilities, he rose to the top over the next several years and eventually became the Staff Coordinator for BLM. This is a position of great responsibility because the Staff Coordinator is responsible for everything related to the day-to-day operations as well as supervising the Staff in the Directors absence. Mark could fill any vacancy from Helper to Front Desk, Cook to Staff Coordinator and on occasion even lead the singing in Chapel or take the pulpit when a speaker did not show. Mark was big and extremely strong. Our former cook Marty, told us about a time when he and Mark were doing a demolition job at someone’s home and they had removed the tub. Mark picked the tub up by himself and carried it outside. (I guess his former experience as a piano mover had

something to do with this.) His size and booming voice calmed most undesirable situations before they could escalate. Mark was a strong supporter of the staff, and did not hesitate to defend them when he felt someone was doing them w r o n g . H e w a s opinionated, and he spoke “from the shoulders”, meaning; if you asked Mark for his thoughts or opinions on anything, stand by, you were going to get a very honest answer, and maybe not in the most diplomatic way possible. But at the same time, if he thought he demeaned you or was wrong, or felt he should have used more tact, he did not hesitate to apologize. Mark’s compassion, integrity, truthfulness and honesty in everything he did, is an example for all of us. How about Star, his beloved dog. Mark was transitioning into a new life and was in the process of moving to Las Vegas, where he was going to live with a longtime friend and his wife. While Mark was living off-campus, Star stayed with us at BLM. Mark would stop by every few days, so Star was happy and followed him around but being a “mission dog” she never suffers from the lack of attention by staff and volunteers. Mark wanted to take her with him, but if he couldn’t, he asked if would it be possible for Star to stay at the Mission, and we assured Mark she would definitely have a place to stay. After Marks sudden passing, one of our Saints immediately came forth and volunteered to pay for any vet bills that would come in for Star, and one of the staff ladies has volunteered to keep her bathed. And the rest of us… we will just continue to spoil her. Mark is gone, but the stories about him still abound, and the footprints he left behind are visible everywhere. Many of the homeless have offered their condolences and many had stories how Mark had helped them in one way or another. Marks vacancy will be very hard to fill, but the Lord has someone in mind, and we look forward to His decision. Thank you Scardino family for sharing your son Mark with us for 22 years. Thank you Lord Jesus for the time we had Mark with us at BLM. �

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will never walk in

darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12 Serving the homeless and needy in the South Bay area for over 100 years with

"Soup, Soap and Salvation"

Beacon Light Mission Jerry Rilling Executive Director

A s the Christmas Season approaches, and we get ready to Celebrate the holiday with family and friends, I picked up today’s newspaper and read that between 1990 and 2012 the share of residents in the Los Angeles and the surrounding counties who were living below the federal poverty level rose from 13% to 18%. What a

uplifting note that is…not. Another report released at the end of June 2013 shows Los Angeles County homeless population increased significantly over the past two years. Since 2011, homeless men, women, and children have increased by 16%. We in the South Bay are one of the few areas where there has been a slight decrease in the homeless population especially among Veterans. More good news is that total family, homelessness in Los Angeles, saw a reduction from 9,218 family members to 6,678 family members in 2013. Approximately two thirds of the 6,678 family members whom are homeless are children under the age of 18. A very positive figure that did come out of the latest Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, of which we are a proud member, showed that nationally, 79% of the homeless using the Missions prefer spiritual emphasis at the Mission. Why are you writing this Jerry? Just a week before Thanksgiving, I was talking to a young homeless man in his mid to late 20’s, out in the alley and he began to lament how he hated this time of the year. He said it really depressed him. Thinking about how his family gets together during the holidays and remembering all the fun and joy he had, but now felt outside of them. He yearned to be with them, but he said he feels like an outcast…like they really would not be happy to see him there with them, after all he put them through. I did it myself, he softly murmured, connoting a sorrow for his past bad decisions. As I spiritually tried to console him, he looked down, and replied he knows about Jesus and knows what he should do, but just can’t bring himself to do it. I began to think about all our homeless friends and how lonely the Holiday must be for them. No phone calls from loved ones. Outcast and alone…not even a Christmas Card. Huddled up in doorways; under stairways, or any place they can find to be safe, warm and protected from the elements. It’s hard to keep one’s eyes dry. My dear friends; if your church, school, place of employment, group, business, or any social group you belong to or enjoy; if they have a collection or receive donations for the poor and neglected, homeless and alone, forgotten and hungry; please take the time and support them and you will have a very Merry Christmas. Jerry Rilling, Executive Director

NuStar Energy, stars in kitchen...

T welve volunteers from NuStar Energy graced the kitchen and dining room here at Beacon Light Mission (BLM) a couple weeks ago, to serve a home cooked meal to our homeless. A “prep crew” arrived first with all the gro-ceries for that evenings meal and began the initial preparations for it, followed by the cooking crew and then

the “night shift”…the service and clean-up crew. The menu for the evening was; Caesar Salad, Spaghetti and home-made sauce and homemade very large meatballs, garlic toast, and topped off with Ice Cream Pie covered with fresh fruit. Brian Burkhardt formerly of the TV cooking show, Gen’s Guiltless Gourmet, his assistant Denny Cannon, and crew, gave our cooks, Waletta Scott and Bill Berg a real lesson in cooking, and a meal which our guests enjoyed, and were still talking about it a few days later. It was not only a very enjoyable meal…it was a lesson in organization and team-work. It was an example of God’s word in process. 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 12“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts … so that there should be no division in the body, but that all parts should have equal concern for each other…(v25). How great it is to see His words in action. Thank you Lord Jesus for your servants from NuStar Energy.

Matthew Campbell Alyssa Campbell Michael Campbell Robert Thornton Rebekah Riganti Matt Ryan Christine Ryan Denny Cannon Darleen Alvaro Philip Nelson Armando Marin Brian Burkhardt

Home(less) for Christmas

ladies from Girl Talk. Thank you Ladies so much. We also received 19 beautifully decorated and filled boxes from Minister Anchanel from Thee Open Door. We put these boxes on the beds, and when the ladies came in the building from dinner, they were excited to see these presents on their beds. They were astounded that someone thought of them. Some of these ladies have been homeless for quite a while, and were so elated and pleased and very grateful. Thank you Minister Anchanel.

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify

you Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

I am still looking for volunteers for mornings to do intake on our guests and in the afternoons to answer phones, answer the door, take messages and take donations when they arrive. � Linda Stratton, Director of Operations

P raise the Lord, two of our guests a mother and daughter accepted Christ on Sunday the 17th, at Pastor Jones church. These ladies are awesome

ladies. They just recently became homeless and are waiting for housing and they are trusting that the Lord will find a place for them. We have been blessed this month with abundance of clothing, and are sharing with the people in the Philippines. We also had extra blankets and sent them along as well. As you can see in the pictures, we r e c e i v e d 1 4 beautifully wrapped gift baskets, along with 6 bags of canned and boxed goods from Precious and several young

Doors of Hope Linda Stratton Director of Operations

Blankets We had the pleasure of

sharing the “red blankets” with the Nobertine Sisters of Wilmington. These three Sisters who make up the Convent at St. Peter and Paul Parish in Wilmington, make a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience, and live it each day of their lives. They dispersed their first load of blankets in just a few days, and returned for a second load a week later to bless the homeless in our area. The last of our Blankets were picked up thanks to Love Inc. We talked to Pastor Woody Robinson, Lynwood Worship Center, and they passed out the red blankets to the homeless on Venice Beach, and downtown LA in skid

row. Pastor Woody s a i d homeless were very thankful for them because the nights are getting colder. �

Cub Scout Troup 235 Once again, Cub Scout 235 has collected an abun-dance of groceries and canned goods for BLM/DOHWS. By this time of the year, our supplies are getting low, but because of these young scouts who have a desire to serve in their community and specifically the homeless, we have been blessed by their selfless desire. May our Lord continue to bless you Troop 235 and bless all our Scout Troops, wherever they may be. �

Thanksgiving Dinner This year’s Thanksgiving dinner was absolutely fantastic! We served a dinner that without your service and donations would not have been pos-sible. This year’s menu consisted of 12 turkeys, 3 hams, yams, string beans in mushroom sause topped with French fried onions, cranberry sauce, candy dishes, olives, mixed fruit cups, rolls mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, green salad, and pumpkin pie with whip cream. You were all so giving this year that we were able to help other homeless shelters with their Thanksgiving dinner as well. A total of 109 dinners where served. �

525 Broad Avenue, Wilmington, CA 90744 (310) 830-7063

email: beaconlightm@aol.com www.beaconlightmission.org

529 Broad Avenue, Wilmington, CA 90744 (310) 518-3667

email: info@doorsofhopewomensshelter.org www.doorsofhopewomensshelter.org

We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is qualified to receive tax-deductible donations.

Drop off your donations: You may drop off your food, clothing or other

donations any time between 8:00am-6:00pm for both Beacon Light and Doors of Hope. Just go to the back gate of the Beacon Light Mission and honk your horn. Someone will come out and

collect your donations.

Financial donations can be given online at: Beacon Light:

www.beaconlightmission.org Doors of Hope

www.doorsofhopewomensshelter.org

Or by mail to: 525 Broad Avenue, Wilmington, CA 90744

Thank you so much!

Beacon Light Mission & Doors of Hope

November Service Report

• 1544 attended evening Chapel Service • Breakfast was served to 1213 • Noon meal was served to 522 • Evening meal was served to 1801 • 724 beds were assigned • 148 came in for open showers.

*Open showers are for any homeless man. Each man is given new socks, underwear, t-shirts, razors, soap, and a

toothbrush.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kent Meyer, President

Roy Barile, Vice President

Christian Bower, Secretary

Paul Dever, Treasurer

Pastor Vergil Best

Dr. Dan Fox

Margaret Grieco

Pastor Jewel Jones

Ronald Okamoto

Jim Overstreet

Anthony Sogliuzzo

Honorary

Ralph Potter

Our Christmas Dinner Needs

Hams, yams, brown sugar, boxed mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls, olives, salad dressing, poultry

seasoning, butter, gravy, pies (apple, pumpkin, pecan or sweet potato) and cool whip. Also needed

are Christmas napkins and tablecloths.

You may drop off your Christmas food donations any time before December 22nd from 8:00am-6:00pm. Just go to the back gate of the Beacon Light Mission and honk your horn. Someone will come out and

collect your donations.

Thank you so much for making the holidays special here at the mission!! God Bless