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ACRescueMission.org
Casino closures have left many in need This past year has been devastating for the work force in our community. The closing of several Atlantic City casinos has resulted in more than 8,000 casino employees losing their jobs. Overall, 9,900 jobs were lost in Atlantic City, resulting in an unemployment rate of almost 14 percent. As people’s employment benefits run out, we know they will have to turn somewhere to get help. In recent months the Atlantic City Rescue Mission has seen more and more people coming to us in need of food and shelter, including many who are using our food pantry to provide for their families. “We’re going to have an opportunity to help a whole lot of people,” says Dan Brown, president and CEO of Atlantic City Rescue Mission. “Thankfully, God has placed us here to be a source of comfort—a source of spiritual and physical renewal.” We expect to see many more people turning to the Mission in the weeks ahead. Your support is helping us get ready to provide food, shelter and care to those who need help this Easter season and throughout the year. Thank you for your generosity, and for caring about those who are struggling in our midst.
Top 5 reasons not to have a Will Everyone knows it’s good to have an up-to-date Will, right? You may be surprised to learn that a whopping 70% of Americans don’t have one. That number represents millions of families who will discover an unfortunate surprise at the end of their loved one’s life. Proverbs 29:11 says “...the wise bring calm in the end.” Wouldn’t you rather leave your family and the ministries you care about— like Atlantic City Rescue Mission—with peace, blessing and “calm in the end”? Or you could consider the alternative. Here are the top 5 (tongue-in-cheek) reasons not to have a Will:
1. I like to see my family fight. 2. My elected officials can handle this better than I can. 3. My minor children will be in good hands with a State agency. 4. My spouse and children can handle large sums of money. 5. I’m not alive, why should I care?
News of hope and healing from Atlantic City Rescue Mission
For the full version of this article, ask for a FREE copy of “The Ultimate Way to Love Your Family” by simply checking the box on the enclosed reply card or by contacting our Development team at 609-345-5517, ext. 116 or hollyjennings@acrescuemission.org—or bless your family today with a God-honoring Will at www.christianwill.org/acrescue
Support our newly opened thrift store!
Thank you for your generous commitment to caring for those who are hurting in our city. Your gifts made 2014 a year of help and hope by providing:
We recently opened our new thrift store, called “Mission Thrift,” located at 1923 Bacharach Blvd. We’re open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 1 to 5 pm and have free, secure parking. Come by to shop and support the Mission, or sign up to volunteer by visiting ACRescueMission.org/volunteer
January-December 2014
March 2015
Help and healing in a time of crisis
Will your Estate Plan leave “calm in the end”?
By the Numbers—
• 21,275 food baskets • 63,000 meals • 27,250 nights of shelter • 7,500 classroom hours for Work Readiness and Overcomer’s programs
MISSION UPDATE
Late one night, Paul came to the Atlantic City Rescue Mission for shelter. But it was life-saving help he received when the Mission supported him through an early detection of cancer and the medical treatment to fight it.
“ Coming here to Atlantic City, it’s God’s work. If I had stayed in New Mexico, I never would’ve found out I have cancer.” —PAUL
Read the rest of Paul’s inspiring story on page 2.
Stay connected.
Yes, Dan, I want to help! Please use my Easter gift to provide food, shelter and care to those who need new life. m $15 m $30 m $50 m $150 m $__________ m I would like to be a Samaritan Club monthly giver. My first gift of $____________ is enclosed. m Please send me a FREE copy of “The Ultimate Way to Love Your Family”
ATLANTIC CITY RESCUE MISSION 2009 Bacharach Blvd. Atlantic City, NJ 08401
To give a gift by credit card, visit us online at ACRescueMission.org or call 609-345-5517, ext. 116.
inside
NAME
THANK YOU!
ADDRESS APT CITY
STATE ZIP
26095-1 NL315
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:
Scott:
Easter meals:
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A time for renewal
A place to grieve
Planting seeds of hope
2
MISSION UPDATE
Message from our President and CEO
Establishing a relationship with God (continued from page 1)
A time for renewal Easter is a time of hope and renewal here at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission. Remembering the death and resurrection of our Savior renews us spiritually. And after a harsh winter, it’s also a renewal of life for people who have been struggling with homelessness, joblessness or despair. Dan Brown President and CEO
The winter months can be a difficult time for finding housing or a job. In the spring, our programs hit high gear helping people like Paul and Scott get back out into the community to find work and a place to live. We want those who are completing our programs to have every opportunity for success in supporting themselves and their families.
Bringing 50 years of experience The big challenge of the year ahead is serving the men and women who have lost jobs due to casino closures and haven’t been able to find other work. We believe God has placed us here at this time, with 50 years of experience, to be a source of comfort and help for those who are hurting from these drastic closures. The needs are so great in our city right now, and we know that so many are struggling. That’s why your support means so much. To give something from your heart to somebody else—I don’t believe there’s any greater gift. Thank you for giving from your heart so we can be the means of bringing help and renewal to our hurting neighbors.
Dan Brown, President and CEO
Over a year ago, Paul moved to Atlantic City to re-connect with a woman he was supposed to have married over 25 years ago. But Paul soon discovered it was not a relationship that was going to work. Kicked out of the house at 3 am, Paul had no place to go, until he found himself at the Mission. After the continued failure of the relationship, Paul’s chaplain suggested he enter our Work Readiness Program to help himself get back on his feet. Paul completed that program and then joined the Overcomer’s Program, which he says was spiritually nourishing. “They gave us great insights on everything,” he says. “It’s not just reading the Bible. You’re really establishing a relationship with God.”
A surprising discovery While he was in the Overcomer’s Program, Paul began to get sick often. His supervisor encouraged him to get medical help, and Paul ended up in the hospital. Paul’s doctors discovered he had cancer. “Talk about crazy news in your life,” remembers Paul. “I was just in shock. They told me they had to do everything right away. It was very critical.” Paul believes God led him to the Mission. “Coming here to Atlantic City, it’s God’s work,” he says. “If I had stayed in New Mexico, I never would’ve found out I have cancer.” Paul’s chaplain took him for his surgery and stayed with him. Other volunteers from the Mission have taken him to doctor’s appointments. “It’s been wonderful, the people I’ve met here,” he says gratefully. “The pastor and all the staff members pray for me, and it’s a real blessing.” Paul doesn’t know what his future holds, but for now, he’s being treated and is doing well. “Easter will always be, to me, about the resurrection of Christ,” says Paul. And this year, Paul is especially grateful that he’s here to celebrate it. He’s also profuse in his thanks to those who support the Mission. “God bless them for being generous! They’re really helping a lot of people,” he says enthusiastically. “Their generosity, that’s what keeps this place running!” Your caring gifts are making a life-changing difference to people like Paul, who found out he needed so much more than a warm bed. We agree with Paul when he says,“We’re so happy that [you] have a big, open heart!”
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ACRescueMission.org
Finding a safe place to grieve and grow Scott grew up as an Air Force kid, moving from place to place. In high school, Scott got involved with a crowd that introduced him to alcohol. “The drinking was just a gateway to other things,” remembers Scott. “And those other things got me in trouble with the law.” Scott was working in construction and had met a girl who was a positive influence in his life. Despite this, he continued to use drugs until one day “the beast came out,” Scott says. His girlfriend got help and brought Scott to the Mission. Although he appreciated what he learned here, Scott really wasn’t ready to change.
A change of heart It would take ten more years, a job layoff and some stints with sobriety before Scott was ready to turn his life around. The Mission sent him to a cooking school where he learned
a new skill, and Scott went through the Overcomer’s Program with a changed heart. Sadly, it was during this time that Scott’s girlfriend of 20 years lost her life to cancer. For Scott, being at the Mission gave him a safe place to grieve. “If I’d been out there, I don’t know what I would have done,” says Scott. Scott is now working at the Mission while looking for other work. “There’s a peace and a joy just dealing with the people here,” he says. And he values the way the staff has encouraged him. “To be wanted or even appreciated. It’s an overwhelming feeling,” Scott says.
“ To be wanted or even appreciated. It’s an overwhelming feeling.” —SCOTT
Scott is also thankful to those who support the Mission. “I appreciate everything they do,” he says. “With the casinos closing, it’s been really rough here.” Thank you for caring for people like Scott and providing him with a safe place to grieve and grow.
Easter meals—a nourishing meal plants seeds of hope Easter is a time of hope, both physically and spiritually. At the Atlantic City Rescue Mission we celebrate the hope of new life in Christ as we serve the men and women who come through our doors every day seeking help from hunger, homelessness, addiction and despair. With your support, this Easter season we’ll be providing 63,000 meals to hurting men, women and children in our community. Just as we anticipate the buds of springtime, we pray that each of those meals will plant a seed of help and hope that will result in changed lives. Will you join us in planting seeds of new life in our hurting and homeless neighbors? Your caring generosity will help us provide nourishing meals, warm shelter and the programs and care that can help transform lives. For more tangible ways to care, please see our wish list. To donate any of these items—or find out about more ways to help—please call 609-345-5517. Your gifts and prayers are greatly appreciated!
Help provide much-needed items! • Baby formula • Diapers • Socks • New undergarments • Shoes for men, women and children (all sizes) • Food items, such as hams, canned fruits and vegetables, soups and pasta
A gift to count on Join our Samaritan Club by becoming a sustaining monthly giver to the Atlantic City Rescue Mission. Your faithful monthly gift is a way to deepen your spiritual commitment to caring for the least among us, and helps us keep our doors open to nourish and care for those in need. For details on how to join, visit ACRescueMission.org/ samaritanclub
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ACRescueMission.org
Casino closures have left many in need This past year has been devastating for the work force in our community. The closing of several Atlantic City casinos has resulted in more than 8,000 casino employees losing their jobs. Overall, 9,900 jobs were lost in Atlantic City, resulting in an unemployment rate of almost 14 percent. As people’s employment benefits run out, we know they will have to turn somewhere to get help. In recent months the Atlantic City Rescue Mission has seen more and more people coming to us in need of food and shelter, including many who are using our food pantry to provide for their families. “We’re going to have an opportunity to help a whole lot of people,” says Dan Brown, president and CEO of Atlantic City Rescue Mission. “Thankfully, God has placed us here to be a source of comfort—a source of spiritual and physical renewal.” We expect to see many more people turning to the Mission in the weeks ahead. Your support is helping us get ready to provide food, shelter and care to those who need help this Easter season and throughout the year. Thank you for your generosity, and for caring about those who are struggling in our midst.
Top 5 reasons not to have a Will Everyone knows it’s good to have an up-to-date Will, right? You may be surprised to learn that a whopping 70% of Americans don’t have one. That number represents millions of families who will discover an unfortunate surprise at the end of their loved one’s life. Proverbs 29:11 says “...the wise bring calm in the end.” Wouldn’t you rather leave your family and the ministries you care about— like Atlantic City Rescue Mission—with peace, blessing and “calm in the end”? Or you could consider the alternative. Here are the top 5 (tongue-in-cheek) reasons not to have a Will:
1. I like to see my family fight. 2. My elected officials can handle this better than I can. 3. My minor children will be in good hands with a State agency. 4. My spouse and children can handle large sums of money. 5. I’m not alive, why should I care?
News of hope and healing from Atlantic City Rescue Mission
For the full version of this article, ask for a FREE copy of “The Ultimate Way to Love Your Family” by simply checking the box on the enclosed reply card or by contacting our Development team at 609-345-5517, ext. 116 or hollyjennings@acrescuemission.org—or bless your family today with a God-honoring Will at www.christianwill.org/acrescue
Support our newly opened thrift store!
Thank you for your generous commitment to caring for those who are hurting in our city. Your gifts made 2014 a year of help and hope by providing:
We recently opened our new thrift store, called “Mission Thrift,” located at 1923 Bacharach Blvd. We’re open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 1 to 5 pm and have free, secure parking. Come by to shop and support the Mission, or sign up to volunteer by visiting ACRescueMission.org/volunteer
January-December 2014
March 2015
Help and healing in a time of crisis
Will your Estate Plan leave “calm in the end”?
By the Numbers—
• 21,275 food baskets • 63,000 meals • 27,250 nights of shelter • 7,500 classroom hours for Work Readiness and Overcomer’s programs
MISSION UPDATE
Late one night, Paul came to the Atlantic City Rescue Mission for shelter. But it was life-saving help he received when the Mission supported him through an early detection of cancer and the medical treatment to fight it.
“ Coming here to Atlantic City, it’s God’s work. If I had stayed in New Mexico, I never would’ve found out I have cancer.” —PAUL
Read the rest of Paul’s inspiring story on page 2.
Stay connected.
Yes, Dan, I want to help! Please use my Easter gift to provide food, shelter and care to those who need new life. m $15 m $30 m $50 m $150 m $__________ m I would like to be a Samaritan Club monthly giver. My first gift of $____________ is enclosed. m Please send me a FREE copy of “The Ultimate Way to Love Your Family”
ATLANTIC CITY RESCUE MISSION 2009 Bacharach Blvd. Atlantic City, NJ 08401
To give a gift by credit card, visit us online at ACRescueMission.org or call 609-345-5517, ext. 116.
inside
NAME
THANK YOU!
ADDRESS APT CITY
STATE ZIP
26095-1 NL315
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:
Scott:
Easter meals:
Page 2
Page 3
Page 3
A time for renewal
A place to grieve
Planting seeds of hope