Monday, September 28, 2015

On the Cutting Edge


Well, not really. But the new Marshall’s Department Store in Boardman invited Executive Director Jim Echement and Board President Marisa Volpini to cut the ribbon for their newest store’s grand opening. As part of the event, Marshall’s donated $5000.00 to the Rescue Mission.

Thank you, Marshall’s and TJX  Companies, Inc. for being a part of the Valley’s economy and partnering with the Mission to reach out to those who experience homelessness in our community.


 

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Yes, I See that Hand...


Today’s post is courtesy of Brad Weber, our Volunteer Coordinator:

It’s hard to summarize what our volunteers mean to us.  From driving clients, to helping with resumes, to serving meals, we have a volunteer to help with just about any task here at the mission.  And the great thing about the amount of volunteers we have?  It keeps growing.

Currently, we have approx. 800-900 volunteers that serve at the Mission.  This consists of individuals, church groups, students from YSU, and local business employees.  The most common area for volunteering is in the dining hall.  Numerous churches in the area have specific days that they serve a meal during the course of a month, and some of the churches even prepare and cook the meal for our clients!  Most of these church groups have been serving for many years, and come in so often that they have really grown close to the clients and other staff members.  We also look for larger groups to help with our Super Saturday event, which is a morning of spring cleaning around the mission designed to accommodate groups of 10 or more.

Right now, we have a large number of students from area high schools and from YSU serving at the mission.  Most are doing hours for national honor society, some are doing hours working towards completing their major.  We are happy to welcome them!

We are always looking for additional volunteers.  We would love to meet with you and show you around the Mission and talk to you about the opportunities we have here!!  If you are interested in serving here at the mission, please contact Brad Weber, our Volunteer Coordinator, at 330-744-5485 x212.  He would be happy to setup a tour and meeting with you to discuss more about volunteering!

 

 

Friday, September 18, 2015

Rock the Hair Net


It’s not just a matter of cleanliness; it’s entertainment. Thanks to these meal serving volunteers for joining in the fun.
Astellas Pharmaceuticals



Canfield Presbyterian



Wednesday, September 16, 2015

I Was Born-Again Lazy


My name is Josh Avery, and until 2007, I was born-again lazy. It's a strange sounding term, but it's one that my friend J.R. created for the kinds of people who accept and profess Jesus but do nothing about it. From a young age, I had accepted the sacrifice of Christ and had become "born again," but beyond that Christianity had very little impact in my everyday life.
 
 I attended Church every single Sunday morning, helped with my local youth group, and was even taking Bible classes at Geneva College to achieve a Bachelor's degree in Student Ministry-- but I was still lazy when it came to actually doing something about my faith. Faith was something I talked about on Sunday morning and within my classes, not something that transformed day to day interactions.
 
 This boring state of existence was forever altered on one late and snowy February night on the streets of Pittsburgh in that fateful year of 2007. Getting back late to a hotel conference I was attending and finding no open seats, I decided to hit the streets to hand out a free Bible I had acquired earlier that day. It was dark, cold, and every road was populated by countless homeless people attempting to keep warm in the winter winds. I eventually met a man with a pillowcase full of belongings slung over his shoulder named Clayton-- a man who asked an inevitable question I was expecting from the homeless: "Do you have any change for some food?"
 
 Instead of handing over cash and walking back to the warmth of my hotel, I decided to walk with him to a Chinese restaurant several blocks away and buy his meal. As they prepared the food, I gave him the Bible and he placed it inside his pillowcase next to the other items he had collected over the years. Since the place was closing down for the night, Clayton grabbed his meal and we headed back onto the icy streets once more. As we walked, he pointed out a group of people sitting across the street-- young and old of both genders-- who were huddled together in a pile. Clayton explained that it was highly likely that the members of the huddle didn't even know each other but were simply gathering for warmth, and that this phenomena happened often to avoid people freezing to death on the February city streets. When survival is at stake, he explained, you don't worry about who you're snuggled up next to for the night.
 
 It's been over eight years since I met Clayton in Pittsburgh and quit being born-again lazy, because I simply couldn't live in complacency knowing there were people starving and freezing on the streets. I now work at the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley as a Men's Client Advisor, and I meet face to face with the homeless each and every day I go to my job. While most people (including my past self) assume that homeless people are uneducated and aren't interested in getting a job, I have come to find out that those thoughts simply aren't true. I've met countless people with GEDs who have an incredible work ethic and will take any job thrown at them, and I've also met others who have Master Degrees but have absolutely nothing to their name, nowhere to stay, and nothing to eat.
 
 Being born-again lazy is easy, but it's an incredibly boring story to tell with your life. Trust me, I used to be the laziest Christian you could ever meet. When I started to get involved in the lives of the poor, the destitute, and the needy, it changed my life forever. I'm no longer living the kind of story that revolves around me-- I'm constantly learning from the people that I'm tasked with helping at the Mission.
 
 If you've realized that you might be born-again lazy like I was, consider introducing an interesting plotline into your life story. If you feel God's prodding, come join in on the stories we've been telling here at the Mission: volunteer to serve during a meal, come take a tour; get involved in the life changing processes that occur here every single day. As you attempt to change the lives of others through your help, you'll find your life being transformed as well.
 
 My name is Josh Avery, and I was born-again lazy... but now I'm alive, past the monotony of simple existence, in the transformational work of Christ.
 
 

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Fellowship Doesn't Always Mean Food - Just Sometimes


This is a group of Pastors, wives and church leaders of the Bethany Fellowship of Northeast Ohio. This group represents about a dozen Baptist churches in Trumbull and Mahoning Counties. Here they are at lunch at MVR in Smokey Hollow in Youngstown after having spent the morning at the Rescue Mission. The group held their monthly meeting at the Mission where they were treated to breakfast, a tour, and helpful information.

Thank you, Bethany Fellowship churches for your interest in the Rescue Mission and thank you for your faithfulness to the gospel.

Friday, September 4, 2015

Nothing Deep Fried or on a Stick


If you stop by the Commercial Building at the Canfield Fair and visit the Rescue Mission’s display, these are a few of the items that you will not find:
  • Anything to eat on a stick
  • Deep fried _________ (fill in the blank)
  • Free chair massage
  • Tractors
  • Hot sausage sandwiches
  • Award winning pumpkins
But if you stop by for a visit, you just may find:
  • Smiling staff who can answer your questions about the Mission
  • Information about current programs and upcoming events
  • Volunteers to who love to serve at the Rescue Mission
  • And, depending upon when you come, you may meet some of the men who are enrolled in the Discipleship Academy and who are anxious to tell you how their lives have been changed since coming to the Mission.
  • Above all, you will find people who want to personally thank you for your support of the Mission. Without you, this good work cannot continue.