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MIS24187-1 ATLANTIC CITY NEWSLETTER OUTSIDE
4
ACRescueMission.org/newsletter
Look before you leap
From the tiniest of seeds...
Bruised Reed Farm
fold 3
Did you know that Atlantic City Rescue Mission operates a farm in Goshen, New Jersey? Bruised Reed Farm has been in operation for five years, cultivated and tended by about 15 Mission residents and 25 volunteers. Our farmers work hard to cultivate and harvest about 30,000 pounds of low-cost, healthy produce that provides food for our Mission table, with extra to sell at our farm market. The farm program has tremendous therapeutic impact. Putting their hands in the soil, working the land and watching the incredible yield of fruits and vegetables from the tiniest of seeds helps our residents understand how God can bring new life from small beginnings in their own lives. Your donations help make this wonderful program possible. And thanks to friends like you, we were able to start a new farm in Galloway last year. First harvest...coming soon! ▶ F or more information about our farms please
fold 2
visit ACRescueMission.org/MissionFarms
A minister, a boy scout and a computer expert were on a small plane. The pilot explained that they were going down—with only three parachutes for four people. The pilot added, “I should have one of the parachutes because I have a wife and children.” So he took one and jumped. The computer whiz said, “I should too because I am the smartest man in the world and everyone needs me.” So he took one and jumped. The minister turned to the boy scout with a sad smile and said, “You take the remaining parachute, and I’ll go down with the plane.” The boy scout smiled and said, “Relax, the smartest man in the world just picked up my knapsack and jumped out!”* Have you ever been warned to “look before you leap”? God wants us to make wise decisions and to be prudent about the future. One way is by creating a God-honoring Will. Did you know you can provide a sound future for your loved ones and also bless the ministries you love—like Atlantic City Rescue Mission? Leaving a gift in your Will *Illustration adapted from Ted Sutherland is easy, and it can change lives for eternity.
HR in place
MISSION UPDATE News of hope and healing from Atlantic City Rescue Mission
Choose life, Robbie! A few bad turns took Robbie on a long journey to nowhere. When he finally reached a dead end, he was left with two choices: jail or the Mission. What did Robbie choose?
For a FREE copy of our stewardship bulletin, “Your Family’s Ultimate Safety Net,” simply check the box on the enclosed reply card or contact Tom Davidson from Atlantic City Rescue Mission at 609-345-5517 or tomdavidson@ ACRescueMission.org—or bless your family today with a God-honoring Will at www.christianwill.org/acrescue
Easter every month We celebrate new life and hope on Easter, but every day has life-changing “Easter potential.” If you would like to help provide meals and hope month after month, consider joining the Samaritan Club— a special group of individuals who have made a spiritual commitment to support the needs of the hungry and homeless as part of their faith walk. Their consistent, monthly giving helps provide a predictable income so we can be good stewards in our planning—and be ready to help change lives whenever someone comes to us. To join this group of special donors, call Tom Davidson at 609-345-5517 or email him at tomdavidson@ACRescueMission.org
Read “He has my back” on page 2 to find out!
Get connected. Get involved. Follow us on these websites to learn more about the important work you support: Facebook.com/ACRescueMission Twitter.com/ACRescueMission Pinterest.com/ACRescueMission
“ N ow choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God...”
Yes, I’ll help provide meals and transform lives this spring! I’m enclosing: m $15
March 2014
— D EUTERONOMY 30:19-20
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 “Your Family’s Ultimate Safety Net” To give a gift by credit card, visit us online at ACRescueMission.org/newsletter or call 609-345-5517, ext. 113.
ATLANTIC CITY RESCUE MISSION 2009 Bacharach Blvd. Atlantic City, NJ 08401
inside
NAME
THANK YOU!
ADDRESS APT CITY
STATE ZIP
MIS24187-1_NEWSLETTER_FA.indd 1
24187-1 NL314
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
Message from Dan Brown:
Life is not perfect,
Bruised Reed Farm:
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
50 years of changing lives
but at least we have hope
Providing food for our Mission table
RUSS REID JOB SPECS
3/3/14 8:49 AM
JOB NUMBER
MIS24187-1
SIZE
17 x 11
TITLE
ATLANTIC CITY NEWSLETTER
FOLDS TO
8.5 x 11 then 8.5 x 3.66
ELEMENT
NEWSLETTER OUTSIDE
INKS
4C
STOCK
70# SOMERSET SATIN
DO NOT PRINT RGB KEYLINES OR TYPE
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MIS24187-1 ATLANTIC CITY NEWSLETTER INSIDE 2
MISSION UPDATE
Message from our President and CEO
50 years of changing lives with hope
fold 3
If you’ve already read the inspiring stories in this newsletter, perhaps Dan Brown President and CEO you are wondering how lives that were so broken not too long ago could be so bright and promising today. What turns things around for people like Robbie and Paul? I can answer that question with a single word: Hope. Here at Atlantic City Rescue Mission, we’ve seen time and time again how a tiny spark of hope, fanned by God’s love, can blaze the way to new life and a bright future. Hope makes the difference between “I can’t” and “I can.” Hope convinces someone tormented by regret that to God they’re not worthless...they’re priceless. And hope can empower that person to close one door on a devastating past and walk through another to a bright new future.
fold 2
Hope has resurrection power, which is what Easter is all about. During this sacred season, we celebrate the power of hope that has been changing lives here at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission for the past 50 years. What excites me most about this time of year is the increased opportunity to share the Gospel not only in word, but in deed. There is nothing more thrilling than to see how this results in transformed lives, restored families, and children who are loved, nurtured and protected. We would not have this opportunity without support from our generous, compassionate friends. Thank you for being one of them! May God bless you,
Dan Brown, President and CEO
MIS24187-1_NEWSLETTER_FA.indd 2
HR in place 3
ACRescueMission.org/newsletter
Life is not perfect, but at least we have hope
“ The Mission did more than save my life— it saved my soul. It taught me how to serve others, not myself.”
He has my back
(continued from page 1)
At 6-foot-4, Robbie was always considered a rough-and-tumble guy who wouldn’t back down to anyone. But after taking a few wrong turns in life, he realized one day he couldn’t back down because he was already flat on his back. Life had him pinned to the mat, faced with two choices: jail or the Mission. Robbie took choice number two and it led him to Atlantic City Rescue Mission. He didn’t realize it at the time, but Robbie had decided to “choose life.” For him, coming to the Mission wasn’t just about beating his addiction; it was about learning to trust in a power greater than he was— the power of God. It was also about learning to serve others instead of himself. At the Mission, Robbie spent many hours between classes in the kitchen learning how teamwork is about sticking together and lifting each other up when a teammate is knocked down.
A lifelong battle Six months later, Robbie graduated from the Work Readiness Program and joined the Overcomers Program. This “band-of-brothers” program helped Robbie discover that facing addiction successfully is a lifelong battle that takes a deeper commitment in order to win. He began working on his relationship with Jesus Christ and his knowledge of the Bible. He surrounded himself with people who were stronger in faith and also on the same Overcomer’s path to victory. His journey in faith and self-discovery took two years to complete. Then, when he was ready, God opened the door to a ministry position at Revelations of Freedom Ministries in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he continues to serve God today. His personal journey makes him an inspiring spiritual mentor to others who are in recovery.
Choosing life Today Robbie is glad he made the choice to come to the Mission—the choice for a transformed life of self-reliance and service. Asked what he values most about his experience at the Mission, Robbie replied: “The Mission did more than save my life—it saved my soul. It taught me how to serve others, not myself. Now I find if something gets me down, I always have someone I can look up to. I guess you could say I gave up the struggle and surrendered to a better plan. With Jesus, I know I don’t have to face life on my own because He already has my back!”
Sometimes life throws a curve ball had to ask his mother to take custody you can’t dodge. As Paul knows well, of his daughter because he couldn’t take care of her. “I hit bottom and no it takes you down. He was married, had a daughter and a good job. Life one could put up with my craziness was pretty good, anymore,” he and then...tragedy. When Paul’s wife died, grief tore says. When “I came home things got so him apart. But with help here at bad that Paul one night after working late and the Mission, he has found healing was on the found my wife in and a new life of hope. street, God led our bed...lifeless,” him to Atlantic he recalls. “I put my arm around her, City Rescue Mission. “Somehow and she was so cold.” Paul’s wife, I was able to think clearly enough who suffered from a heart condition, for a few days to realize I was going was gone. “I lost my mind,” he down like the Titanic,” he recalls. shares. “The pain I felt, especially for “The chaplains showed me a way our little girl, was too much to bear.” to avoid sinking.”
Going down like the Titanic In Paul’s memory, the next year is a grey blur. He lost his job and
Everything Paul learned at the Mission helped him heal. Slowly but surely, he regained control of
his life. Now he has a new home and is building a relationship with a woman who loves and supports him. “We have our kids and we work hard to keep things going,” he says. “Life is not perfect, but at least we have hope.” Photo has been changed to protect the identity of the client.
Hope begins with an Easter meal!
Spring Wish List
As we prepare to celebrate Easter with a traditional holiday feast, we know we’ll have a crucial opportunity to share the message of new life and hope with our hungry, homeless guests. We’re expecting to provide 55,000 meals this Easter season and we need lots of help to get ready!
We need your help in a hurry! Easter is coming up on April 20 and we would be grateful for:
Thank you to all of our friends who have already responded to our special Easter placemat appeal. Your generous donations will help If you are one of the caring friends who has already fill all those empty signed an Easter placemat plates with delicious, like this and sent it in with nutritious food. And the a generous gift, thank you. signed placemats add If not, there’s still time! a decorative personal touch that means so much to our hungry, homeless guests. By treating them with dignity
and compassion, you demonstrate the love of Jesus and help open hearts to His lifetransforming power. So you see, hope truly does begin with the meals you help provide. E There’s still time to make a difference this Easter. Simply send your gift today, along with the coupon provided with this newsletter. Thank you for caring!
• Your heartfelt prayers • Donations of food (fresh hams, canned fruits and vegetables, soup, pasta, etc.) •C lothing, socks, new undergarments and shoes for men, women and children (all sizes needed) To donate any of these items call 609-345-5517
RUSS REID JOB SPECS
3/3/14 8:49 AM
JOB NUMBER
MIS24187-1
SIZE
17 x 11
TITLE
ATLANTIC CITY NEWSLETTER
FOLDS TO
8.5 x 11 then 8.5 x 3.66
ELEMENT
NEWSLETTER INSIDE
INKS
4C
STOCK
70# SOMERSET SATIN
DO NOT PRINT RGB KEYLINES OR TYPE
fold 1
MIS24187-1 ATLANTIC CITY NEWSLETTER OUTSIDE
4
ACRescueMission.org/newsletter
Look before you leap
From the tiniest of seeds...
Bruised Reed Farm
fold 3
Did you know that Atlantic City Rescue Mission operates a farm in Goshen, New Jersey? Bruised Reed Farm has been in operation for five years, cultivated and tended by about 15 Mission residents and 25 volunteers. Our farmers work hard to cultivate and harvest about 30,000 pounds of low-cost, healthy produce that provides food for our Mission table, with extra to sell at our farm market. The farm program has tremendous therapeutic impact. Putting their hands in the soil, working the land and watching the incredible yield of fruits and vegetables from the tiniest of seeds helps our residents understand how God can bring new life from small beginnings in their own lives. Your donations help make this wonderful program possible. And thanks to friends like you, we were able to start a new farm in Galloway last year. First harvest...coming soon! ▶ F or more information about our farms please
fold 2
visit ACRescueMission.org/MissionFarms
A minister, a boy scout and a computer expert were on a small plane. The pilot explained that they were going down—with only three parachutes for four people. The pilot added, “I should have one of the parachutes because I have a wife and children.” So he took one and jumped. The computer whiz said, “I should too because I am the smartest man in the world and everyone needs me.” So he took one and jumped. The minister turned to the boy scout with a sad smile and said, “You take the remaining parachute, and I’ll go down with the plane.” The boy scout smiled and said, “Relax, the smartest man in the world just picked up my knapsack and jumped out!”* Have you ever been warned to “look before you leap”? God wants us to make wise decisions and to be prudent about the future. One way is by creating a God-honoring Will. Did you know you can provide a sound future for your loved ones and also bless the ministries you love—like Atlantic City Rescue Mission? Leaving a gift in your Will *Illustration adapted from Ted Sutherland is easy, and it can change lives for eternity.
HR in place
MISSION UPDATE News of hope and healing from Atlantic City Rescue Mission
Choose life, Robbie! A few bad turns took Robbie on a long journey to nowhere. When he finally reached a dead end, he was left with two choices: jail or the Mission. What did Robbie choose?
For a FREE copy of our stewardship bulletin, “Your Family’s Ultimate Safety Net,” simply check the box on the enclosed reply card or contact Tom Davidson from Atlantic City Rescue Mission at 609-345-5517 or tomdavidson@ ACRescueMission.org—or bless your family today with a God-honoring Will at www.christianwill.org/acrescue
Easter every month We celebrate new life and hope on Easter, but every day has life-changing “Easter potential.” If you would like to help provide meals and hope month after month, consider joining the Samaritan Club— a special group of individuals who have made a spiritual commitment to support the needs of the hungry and homeless as part of their faith walk. Their consistent, monthly giving helps provide a predictable income so we can be good stewards in our planning—and be ready to help change lives whenever someone comes to us. To join this group of special donors, call Tom Davidson at 609-345-5517 or email him at tomdavidson@ACRescueMission.org
Read “He has my back” on page 2 to find out!
Get connected. Get involved. Follow us on these websites to learn more about the important work you support: Facebook.com/ACRescueMission Twitter.com/ACRescueMission Pinterest.com/ACRescueMission
“ N ow choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God...”
Yes, I’ll help provide meals and transform lives this spring! I’m enclosing: m $15
March 2014
— D EUTERONOMY 30:19-20
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 “Your Family’s Ultimate Safety Net” To give a gift by credit card, visit us online at ACRescueMission.org/newsletter or call 609-345-5517, ext. 113.
ATLANTIC CITY RESCUE MISSION 2009 Bacharach Blvd. Atlantic City, NJ 08401
inside
NAME
THANK YOU!
ADDRESS APT CITY
STATE ZIP
MIS24187-1_NEWSLETTER_FA.indd 1
24187-1 NL314
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
Message from Dan Brown:
Life is not perfect,
Bruised Reed Farm:
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
50 years of changing lives
but at least we have hope
Providing food for our Mission table
RUSS REID JOB SPECS
3/3/14 8:49 AM
JOB NUMBER
MIS24187-1
SIZE
17 x 11
TITLE
ATLANTIC CITY NEWSLETTER
FOLDS TO
8.5 x 11 then 8.5 x 3.66
ELEMENT
NEWSLETTER OUTSIDE
INKS
4C
STOCK
70# SOMERSET SATIN
DO NOT PRINT RGB KEYLINES OR TYPE