Take Out Team

A new initiative is underway at the Rescue Mission. We are enlisting local restaurant owners and managers to become part of the Take Out Team. We are asking team members to commit to providing lunch once each month, each quarter, or whatever schedule works best. Participating restaurants can either prepare the meal for take out and we will pick it up or even better, bring it to the Mission with a team of coworkers. There are volunteer opportunities to serve the meal alongside our clients and staff. It's a great team building experience and really will provide a sense that everyone involved has made a difference.

As a Take Out Team Restaurant:

• Your food donation is 100% tax deductible and we can provide you with a receipt.
• We will feature your restaurant name in our dining hall, on our website, and in social media.
• You'll get to know our volunteers, staff, and clients and see firsthand how God is working in Youngstown.

For more information contact our Food Services manager, Rodney Stevens at 330-744-5485.

Seeking the City

Jeremiah 29 gives the text of a letter that the prophet sent to the Jewish people who had been deported to Babylon. Rather than bemoaning their captivity, Jeremiah tells them to “seek the welfare of the city where I sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jer. 29:7).  Add to this Jonah’s commission to go to Nineveh, “that great city” (Jonah 1:2, 3: 2-3), and it becomes clear that God has a concern for cities. While modern American Christians think that God works best in the suburbs (hence the proliferation of suburban churches), we neglect the cities to our hurt.

Tim Keller is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in the heart of Manhattan. He has written a blog post called “The Difference Christianity Could Make in the City.” I think what he says could apply to Youngstown, Akron, or any other city.

The Rescue Mission serves the entire Mahoning Valley, but we are located in the city of Youngstown and we are invested here. Will you join us in praying for the welfare of the city?

Lent

Many Christians the world over are making preparations for the Lenten season. Essentially, Lent is observed as a time of fasting in preparation for Easter Sunday. The 40 days before Easter is said to correspond to the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness where, according to the Gospel accounts, He fasted for 40 days. Some Christians fast on Ash Wednesday and on every Friday of the season. Many define fasting as forgoing meat on those days.

One wonders if this practice is at all relevant in secularized 21^st century America. It appears as if the idea of “fasting” has become trivialized in our culture. According to Christianity Today, the top five items that people listed in 2015 to give up for Lent were: school, chocolate, Twitter, alcohol, and social networking.

On a more serious note, Pope Francis remarked, in the online edition of Time Magazine, that “fasting must never become superficial.” Francis frequently quotes John Chrysostom who said, “No act of virtue can be great if it is not followed by advantage for others. So, no matter how much time you spend fasting, no matter how much you sleep on a hard floor and eat ashes and sigh continually, if you do no good to others, you do nothing great.” The point of this article is expressed in the next sentence; “so, if we’re going to fast from anything this Lent, Francis suggests that even more than candy or alcohol, we fast from indifference toward others.”

Thus the motivation behind this post: it is surprising to learn of the things from which people will vow to abstain, almost as a joke, but neglect paying attention to the things that matter. This is reminiscent of the word of Jesus to the Pharisees; “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done without neglecting the others (Matthew 23:23).

Here’s the reality: while some are voluntarily abstaining from chocolate, Twitter, Facebook, donuts, or what have you, others are going without adequate food, appropriate clothing, or habitable shelter. This is not voluntary. This is called homelessness. Instead of making a game out of a serious season, why not vow to make a difference in someone’s life. Contact the Rescue Mission and we can show you how.