A Place of Compassion

“Paul” came to the Mission when he suddenly became homeless. “I had no choice other than sleeping in the street of the city or under a bridge.” Unfamiliar with shelters, he was expecting a difficult environment. He felt under a lot of pressure, but, “The pressure I felt was overtaken by a feeling of peace in that this was a Christian-based organization and that I could trust my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

In time, Paul found the Mission to be a safe haven. “It had given me a place of comfort in that the weight of life had been lifted off my back and that I could now focus on getting back on my own feet and be closer to being more effective in my spiritual walk with Jesus Christ.”

When Paul adjusted to the Mission, he soon offered to help other guests. His hardworking and helpful attitude was greatly appreciated by staff, and Paul was asked if he was willing to serve as a guest intern. Guest interns are paid for their work, in addition to receiving room and board at the Mission. In return, they assist staff, utilize their skills, learn new things, and build or add to their resumes.

We are so grateful for Paul and his willingness to help as he has been helped, and we are grateful to you for enabling us to provide a safe haven to many people, like Paul, who find themselves with nowhere else to turn. For Paul, “The Mission is a place of compassion, and it is the one place a person can go to find a place of peace and comfort.”

To you, Paul says, “May the Lord Jesus bless you in all that you do...from a new heart given to me from God...thank you.”

Truly, you are making an eternal impact in our community today, and we are at work already to expand our services to be able to reach a hand of help to more men and women in Michigan’s capital area. For more information on our Mission Expansion Project, please visit our website at BEaRESCUER.org.

On behalf of Paul and so many others impacted every day by your faithfulness, thank you for your compassion in action. Thank you for being a rescuer.

God Sends a Helper

“For He delivers the needy when He calls, the poor and him who has no helper.” Psalms 72:12

It is interesting to think that God provides a deliverer for the needy and the weak, the one without a helper. I know that seems obvious, but take a moment to contemplate “how” does He do this? Without God’s intervention, we are all left in our shame and sorrow. However, God sends a helper! In accordance with God’s mercy, He sent His son to reconcile us to Himself. This same pattern is reasonably applied to Psalms 72 as well. Not only is the spiritual condition of a person important but also the physical condition of a person reflects this exchange between deliverer and “needy,” the soul that needs help. The needy who calls is met by a deliver who was sent by God. Wow! Am I alone in my amazement here? I do believe that it is wondrous to contemplate how God uses so many people to help “deliver the needy when he calls.” Every time a precious soul walks into one of our shelters, they will meet people who care about them because God has already provided a way through rescuers like you! What a marvelous algorithm that reflects God’s design and heart.

Your financial support and prayers enable our guests to have not only their physical needs for food and shelter met but also their spiritual needs, through the hope that is found in Jesus Christ. That hope continues through generous people like you, who care to give their talents for this cause. There is no wavering when it comes to meeting needs. The need continues to grow, but God continues to provide through His children, delivering the needy when they call. The poor have a helper in downtown Lansing…right behind that “Jesus Saves” cross. Thank you for helping us help others. Thank you for being a rescuer!

*Peter Scholtes

To God Be the Glory,
Mark Criss
Executive Director

Project Progress

Demolition has progressed rapidly on the 415 building, including the discovery of water issues in the lower level. This required additional cutting into the concrete floor, to create space for a new sump pump. Rainfall in early October also caused a slight delay in installing the footings for the addition, which will hold the entrance and shower rooms for the new facility. We are working with our general contractor at Laux Construction and our architect at the Mayotte Group to deal with issues as they arise, to keep to our projected timeline of completion in late Spring or early Summer 2025. We are also still raising funds to pay off the construction loan on the project. Estimated cost for Phase One is 9.6 million dollars. Please continue to pray for funding and consider how you can be a part of this next chapter of hope.

Staffing Need

Position: Evening Shelter Supervisor, Men’s Shelter

This is one of the current positions available as staff of the City Rescue Mission. If you have ever wanted to serve as the hands and feet of Christ in our community, please consider the position below or visit BEaRESCUER.org/employment.html to see what other options might work for you.

The evening supervisor oversees the intake of new and returning guests, ensures a safe and secure environment, guides the working of staff and guests through the evening, and manages required forms and data entry into Microsoft Office programs and our data tracking software. Requirements include spiritual maturity, excellent people skills, strong discernment skills, and above average computer skills. Full-time. Hours: 5 PM to 1 AM.

Thanksgiving at the Mission

If you have ever wondered how the Mission handles Thanksgiving dinner, one of our cooks shares information on the work necessary to prepare turkeys for the traditional holiday meal we offer to guests for Thanksgiving dinner.

“We pull 12 medium/large turkeys from frozen which takes approximately four days to fully thaw. After pulling the neck and giblets out, we fill the cavity with a salt brine and rub the skin with oil and poultry seasoning. We put them on grill plates in our Combi oven which fits all 12 turkeys at once. We use a preset Turkey cooking option on the Combi and stick the temperature probe in the largest portion of the breast. The Combi uses five sensors to constantly monitor, adjust, and recalculate during the cooking process. Because of the added steam injection of the oven, the 12 turkeys are usually done in about 2 hours and 45 minutes. After this, the fun begins, as CRM kitchen staff gets to pull all the hot meat off the bones. The meat from the 12 turkeys is usually enough to feed around 175 guests.”

As you can imagine, there is much good accomplished, as staff and volunteers work together to transform the generous gifts of supporters into a delicious, holiday meal. Thank you for being part of blessing our guests during the holidays and every day of the year.