A Gift Waiting - 2010 Holiday Issue

My Gifts Are Waiting (Holiday 2010)

My Beloved,

Of all your holiday preparations, I know your greatest joy comes in carefully choosing the special gift that will let each of your loved ones know how much you cherish him or her.  As your Heavenly Father, I have a passion for giving, too. And every second of every day, I offer countless gifts that demonstrate my unconditional love for all of my children and my intimate knowledge of their needs and hearts’ desires.

In the pages of this newsletter, you’ll read about many of the special gifts I’m waiting to share. For the homeless of Kansas City, spiritual and emotional healing and futures filled with hope. For City Union Mission, dedicated and compassionate partners to help carry out their work. For Kansas City, a prosperous community where men and women can fulfill the purposes I intended for them. And for you, the amazing joy you feel as you share the blessings I’ve given you to help your brothers and sisters in need.

But the gift I long to share most is the one you celebrate every year at this time—the birth of my Son, Jesus Christ—who gave His life so those who believe in Him might have eternal life. For those who choose to accept this gift, lives are transformed!

My dear child, I’d be so honored if you’d accept the gifts I have waiting for you today and every day. And remember I love you, always.

Your heavenly Father,
God

A Gift Waiting for Laura . . . (Holiday 2010)

Laura found a gift waiting for her at City Union Mission—the gift of Jesus Christ. “As a kid, all you care about at Christmas are the presents you get. Here, I learned about the blessing God gave us through Jesus’ birth!”

At 28, Laura has a child of her own—an 8-year-old son named Alex. But before she came to the Mission, motherhood was a role she struggled to embrace.

“We lived with my mom and I wasn’t being responsible for myself or my son. I should have been doing things I wasn’t, and I was doing things I shouldn’t.” Eventually she and her mother had a falling out and Laura left with Alex. They came to our Family Center because they had nowhere else to go.

“The staff here is amazing. They prayed with me and let me know everything was going to be OK. We all go through things that put us in situations for a reason. The Mission knew God had a plan for me through them. They helped me grow up and become responsible for myself and my son.”

Laura says she and Alex have received many gifts at the Mission—“A roof over our heads and safe beds to sleep in.” And she accepted the greatest gift of all when she opened her heart to God’s love before Christmas last year. “Now I know I don’t have to rely on anyone except for God,” she says. “All things are possible through Him.” And—with the Mission—Laura gives thanks for friends like you who continue to bless her and others as Jesus has blessed you.

. . . and All Who Come Through Our Doors

Gifts come in all shapes and sizes, and often we have no idea of the treasures that await us inside until we tear open the wrapping. Homeless and working-poor men, women and children may not at first recognize the Mission as a gift. But as they accept the blessings available to them here, their lives become filled with hope and peace.

Love, compassion, understanding—along with life-sustaining essentials—are gifts we offer every day. And this time of year—because of friends like you—we can give the gift of Christmas, too.

Families and individuals staying in our shelters will receive presents chosen especially for them from our Christmas Store. Perhaps a warm coat, sturdy boots or a blanket for a homeless man—or a Bible and body lotion for a woman in our recovery program. Children in our Vanderberg Youth Center will get new school and play clothes and the toys every child wants!

For impoverished families here in the metro area, we’ll give much-needed household items like towels, sheets, small appliances—and encouraging Christian CDs. Little ones will be delighted with baby dolls, board games, sweatshirts and even bicycles. We’ll hold a community Christmas dinner for our less-fortunate neighbors. And we’ll deliver candy, socks, journals and other personal gifts to nursing home residents and men and women in prison, wrapped in the message of Christ’s compassion and love.

With your help, we’ll touch the lives of approximately 1,000 families this Christmas. Please turn to Page 6 to learn how you can be a part of our Mission: Christmas 2010!

Mission: Christmas 2010 (Holiday 2010)

One of the best gifts parents receive at Christmas is the joy and excitement in their children’s eyes as they open their presents and understand how much their moms and dads love them. But homeless parents who are residents and guests in our shelter—or moms and dads whose meager budgets are used up on food and housing—miss out on that precious gift when they can’t provide a special Christmas for their kids.

We invite you to “adopt a family” that represents the men, women and children we’ll serve this holiday season. Then simply purchase items from our gift lists or make a donation toward their purchase. Call Dena at (816) 754-9992, ext. 1423, to select a representative family. To contribute funds, send your gift in the envelope provided or donate online at www.cityunionmission.org.

Through Mission: Christmas 2010, you’ll help ensure income-qualified children and adults in our community—and homeless guests at our facilities— have a holiday filled with the joy of knowing Jesus loves them, the comfort of knowing people care about them and the happiness that comes from opening brightly wrapped gifts from their loved ones.

Gifts a Family Receives

• One item from the household list and a food basket

• Adult—two gifts and three stocking stuffers

• Teenager—two gifts and three stocking stuffers

• Children—three gifts and three stocking stuffers

Gift Lists (Holiday 2010)

Please provide items that are new and not gift-wrapped.

Household:  Small appliances; full-and queen-size sheet sets, blankets and comforters; bath and towel sets; dinnerware, flatware and glassware or plastic drinking-glass sets; throw rugs

Men:  Cologne and aftershave sets; socks, underwear and T-shirts; dress shirts, blue jeans and belts (all sizes); wristwatches and wallets; hand and power tools

Women:  Bath and body gift sets; perfume; manicure sets; wristwatches, jewelry and purses; journals and stationery sets; clothing of all sizes, including pajamas, robes, sweatshirts and pants

Teenagers:  CD, MP3 and DVD players; hand-held electronic games; bath and body sets; wristwatches; clothing (all kinds and sizes); footballs, basketballs and soccer balls

Children:  Ethnic dolls for girls and action figures for boys; hand-held electronic games; art sets, bicycles and toys; clothing (sizes 6-20)

Simply deliver your gifts November 1 through December 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thank you for your help—your love and compassion are the best gifts of all!

Our Guests Say Thanks (Holiday 2010)

“I would just like to say thank you for your contribution to the Mission. Because of your kindness, my son had a wonderful holiday. Again, thank you and God bless.”

“Because of your giving to the Mission, I have come to know and understand God’s Word is a guide for my life. I have been so blessed by all the caring, all the wonderful people here at the Mission. Thank you!”

Touching The Lives of Kansas City’s Most Vulnerable Citizens (Holiday 2010)

A Gift of Hope for the Future

Where hunger ends, hope begins. Where fear ends, hope begins. Where loneliness ends . . . hope begins. Hope for a bright future begins right here in Your City, at Your Mission!

A plate of nutritious food quells the hunger pangs of a man dependent on dumpsters or a child who has too little to eat when school’s not in session. A loving word brings relief to a struggling mother who thinks she’s all alone. With your faithful support, City Union Mission serves the hungry, the homeless and the hurting of Kansas City, 365 days a year, through programs like these:

• Food, shelter, clothing and medical services
• Counseling, case management and spiritual guidance
• Long-term Christian recovery
• Career-development and job placement assistance
• Summer camp and wholesome year-round activities for impoverished children
• And so much more!

A significant portion of our annual gift income to provide these services is received in the final quarter of the year. With your help, City Union Mission will reach our CELEBRATE HOPE: Reach Out to K.C.’s Poor and Homeless goal—to raise $4 million between October 1 and January 31, 2011—to ensure we’re prepared to meet the anticipated growing needs of our community in 2011.

October 1, 2010 — January 31, 2011 - Campaign Goal: $4 Million

Here’s how you can help the Mission reach this financial milestone.

• Respond to our mailings from now until January 31, 2011, with generous gifts or donate online at www.cityunionmission.org.
• Send a holiday gift in honor or memory of a friend or loved one.
• Become a campaign ambassador, encouraging others to get involved.
• Bring your church for a service project or tour, or invite a friend to an Awareness Luncheon.
• Ask coworkers to make a holiday gift in honor of a client, vendor or associate.
• Contact Dennis Chapman, Associate Executive Director, Development, to discuss “challenge” or “matching” gift opportunities. Or ask how a donation of stock and collectibles such as coins, artwork or antiques could benefit the Mission, as well.

Your faithful partnership with City Union Mission has made a difference in the lives of countless individuals who needed hope. Please continue to give as God leads—and know every dollar makes a difference! Thank you.

Andrew’s Gift of Inspiration (Holiday 2010)

Last year we introduced you to Andrew—a drifter and drug abuser who dedicated his life to the Lord at City Union Mission and planned to go into the ministry. But after he graduated from our Christian Life Program in February 2010, he learned he had a fast-growing cancer . . . and his doctors said there was nothing they could do. This daunting news only caused the flame Andrew holds for Jesus to burn brighter, and he has become an inspiration to other men at the Mission as they witness his grace, spiritual strength and total trust in the Lord.

“I do a lot of encouraging to new Christians toward the goals God has for them,” Andrew says. “God has a message He wants to send through me.”

Andrew remains at the Mission while he continues his medical tests and treatments, and he has no fear about what the future holds. He shares this message with anyone who is going through the trials he experienced before coming to the Mission and the battle for his life he’s facing now: “Stick to Jesus, and He will guide you and help you. He wants to be involved in your life. You don’t have to clean yourself up for Him—He wants you real, just as you are. I have this peace you can only get through Jesus Christ.”

Thanks for Giving (Holiday 2010)

City Union Mission is grateful to the devoted friends and partners who will help us provide traditional Thanksgiving meals for approximately 600 men, women and children during Thanksgiving week.

Kindhearted volunteers from Church of the Resurrection will prepare and serve plates with turkey and all the trimmings to the men in our emergency shelter, residents of our Christian Life Program and women and families in our New Life Center. To ensure everyone has an opportunity for holiday fellowship and food, representatives from Royals Charities will serve an additional dinner during the week.

Volunteers will also join forces to pack Thanksgiving food boxes—filled with turkey, dressing mixes, fresh produce and pastries—to distribute to qualified working-poor and low-income households so families can prepare and enjoy their own Thanksgiving meals together.

To all the individuals, churches, businesses and organizations who make activities like these possible through their donations of funds, food and time from their busy schedules, we say Thanks for Giving this Thanksgiving season and all year long.

We’re grateful to Honeysuckle White and its 'More to Share program' for providing turkeys each holiday season—for many years in a row—to make our Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and special times of fellowship possible.

Gifts that Make a Difference (Holiday 2010)

City Union Mission relies on the gifts of helping hands— from individuals, churches and businesses all across the metro area—to carry out the many tasks involved in bringing hope to the poor and downtrodden. Here are some of our partners who are turning their compassion into action and some ways you can, too!

It’s a Wrap!

Enthusiastic employees from State Street will team up to wrap more than 15,000 gifts selected by near-homeless and working-poor parents for their families at our Christmas Store. For several holiday seasons State Street has shared their talent for creating beautiful packages that bring big smiles to the faces of their recipients, and it makes us smile, too, to have them on board once again!

Learning to Work and Working to Learn

Three students from Cristo Rey’s Corporate Work Study Program spend one day a week and one Monday per month at City Union Mission helping with clerical tasks including filing, data entry and managing inventory. Money earned by the students—from the 9th, 10th and 11th grades—goes toward their costs of education at Cristo Ray, which provides college-prep education for culturally diverse students with economic needs. A generous friend who wishes to remain anonymous is sponsoring the students’ “salaries” from the Mission.

“Through this partnership with Cristo Rey, the Mission is reaching out to disadvantaged young people and helping them learn responsibility, accountability and sound work ethics,” says Executive Director Dan Doty. “These are the attributes that lead to independent living and that we work to instill in our residents, as well.”

The Mission applauds the Cristo Rey program and appreciates the fine work that is being done at the Mission by the students. We’re grateful also to the thoughtful donor who makes this partnership possible.

Share the Word

You can help God’s children of all ages grow in their relationship with Christ. Ask your church congregation or Sunday school class to donate new Bibles that the Mission can give to our residents, students and guests. The translations below are preferred, in both large-print and youth versions. Please deliver your Bible donations to 1100 E. 11th Street, Kansas City, Missouri, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

• New King James
• New International Version
• New American

Share a Meal

You and your congregation or work group can enjoy fellowship together as you play a personal, hands-on role in helping City Union Mission care for those who are hungry and homeless. You’re invited to sponsor a meal for guests at the Men’s Center, Christian Life Center or Family Center. On the day you choose to participate, you’ll provide the meal, serve, clean up, hear the testimony of a guest in our program and adopt that individual in prayer.

Volunteer Today ... A New, Simpler Way

When you’re ready to Share a Meal or participate in any of our volunteer opportunities, visit us online at www.cityunionmission.org and click Get Involved and then Volunteer Center. You’ll find available volunteer opportunities, a link to the online application and a process that will allow you to set your own volunteer schedule for times that are convenient for you!

Gifts of All Shapes and Sizes (Holiday 2010)

At City Union Mission, we continue to be surprised and amazed by businesses, churches and other organizations that find new ways to meet our needs and extend our budget—and bring joy to our residents and guests—by donating their goods and services. Here are just a few of our valued partners.

Oklahoma Joe’s Barbecue has been bringing 50 pounds of ribs to the Mission every month or more often for over a year, and our kitchen staff prepares them in a number of creative ways—from rib stew to biscuits and rib-sausage gravy. Not only does this contribution help ease our food budget, it’s a much-anticipated and delicious treat for all of our dining-room guests.

Grace Community Church seized the opportunity to sponsor for the Mission a nationally recognized speaker who was in Kansas City for a church event. Star Parker, founder and president of CURE—the Center for Urban Renewal & Education— shared her views on the role of institutions such as the Mission in the war on poverty as the featured presenter at the Mission’s second in a series CEO Conversations in August.

Frito-Lay donates products including potato chips, Fritos, Cheetos and Doritos

that may otherwise not be used, and the Mission serves them with meals and snacks and packs them in sack lunches for our residents and guests. And youngsters at this year’s Camp CUMCITO were thrilled to find them on their plates at lunchtime. “We want to help anyone we can. The kids getting the benefit is a good thing, and we were happy to be part of summer camp!” says Linda Hill, Frito Lay site lead.

Holiday Inn donated $10,000 worth of furniture along with dozens of air-conditioning units as they remodeled one of their local hotels. The connection between the two organizations was made by Dennis Reynolds, a contractor involved with the hotel project as well as the renovation of the Mission’s Men’s Center. “The Mission is helping others and we felt we could help them . . . a-pay-it-forward kind of thing.” The furniture will be used by the Mission’s Community Assistance Program, given to residents as they transition into their own homes or sold through our Thrift Stores at affordable prices, providing low-cost quality items for the community as well as funds for the Mission. The heating and air-conditioning units will be installed in the cabins at Camp CUMCITO.

Parisi Artisan Coffee is providing warehouse space where the Mission is storing nearly three large truckloads of paper plates, cups and other products we receive in bulk and use daily. Without this important gift of space, the Mission would have to pay to store the items.

Does your company have goods or services that could be donated to support the Mission’s programs and services? If you’d like to learn more, call Cara Madden, Corporate Relations Specialist, at 816-754-9992, ext. 1497. We’d love to hear from you!

Annual Awards Recipients (Holiday 2010)

Each year we recognize and honor special Mission friends who relieve the burdens of the homeless and hopeless through their involvement in our ministry. We thank each one of our 2010 Service Award recipients for their faithful partnership.

Matthew 25 Award for Outstanding Corporate Involvment

Cricket Communications

In 2007, Cricket Communications launched “Ring Home for the Holidays,” providing cell phones that enabled the homeless to call their families, and phones and service for use by our residents and staff. Cricket volunteers have served meals in our Family Center and joined Christmas in October to remodel the Center’s common area and playground.

Northland Sonic

Since 2005, employees of Northland Sonic have served meals at our Family Center and hosted “Breakfast with Santa” for homeless children. They’ve provided food for Bikers with a Mission and collected a six-month supply of toilet paper. An annual supporter of our capital campaign, they also sponsored a table at the Mission’s Women Who’ve Changed the Heart of the City luncheon.

Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue

In 2008, Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue sponsored the first bi-annual City Union Mission Golf Classic to raise funds for our programs and services. The event was repeated in August and is fast becoming a respected and popular competition among local golf enthusiasts. The restaurant also donates in-kind gifts and provides meals for our Awareness Luncheons.

VML

This full-service digital marketing agency and its corporate foundation are dedicated supporters of our Women Who’ve Changed the Heart of the City event and our CELEBRATE HOPE fundraising campaign. VML also donated countless hours of employee time and expertise in developing our new Web site.

CEO Award for Outstanding Philanthropic Leadership

Greg Smith, Owner—GS Enterprises

The owner of a respected transportation provider, Greg Smith goes the extra mile for his clients and also for those he’s never even met. Greg has provided financial support for the Mission’s general fund and Camp CUMCITO, and he donates food on a monthly basis. From turkeys at the holidays to a variety of meat and produce throughout the year, Greg goes above and beyond to meet the Mission’s needs.

A Cup in His Name Award for Exemplary Church Involvement

Kansas City Baptist Temple

This generous congregation donated the materials, heavy equipment and labor to create a brick sidewalk outside the Mission’s Christian Life Center. Volunteers worked tirelessly for nearly six weeks to create this beautiful walkway so our residents, guests, staff and fellow volunteers would have safe and easy access around our complex.

First Baptist Church of Dearborn

Youth Director Stephanie Hensley and her students collected Bibles and hymnals for our Men’s Chapel, blessed our Family Center with a meal and provided Easter lilies for our Easter SonRise service. The boys and girls participated in the organization’s first “My Night in a Box” campaign, sleeping outdoors in cold weather to experience homelessness. They also collected canned goods and cash donations for the Mission and challenged other young people to get involved through a “High School for the Homeless” promotion.

Covenant Chapel Evangelical Presbyterian Church

This congregation—with the direction of church ambassador Shawna Ketter—meets the needs of the Mission by conducting drives, raising money and recruiting volunteers. Recently groups in the church sent disadvantaged children to Camp CUMCITO, and VBS students collected pool toys, sunscreen and beach towels for camp swimmers. VBS youngsters and their families also prayed daily for children attending camp.

AGRM Rescuer Award for Outstanding Volunteerism

David Baldwin

David Baldwin served the Mission for more than two decades in ways that profoundly touched the lives of our residents, staff and volunteers. He brought to life the principles of Christian living. He encouraged deep relationships between godly men and their brothers in the Christian Life Program. And he offered patient guidance for students in their journeys toward stability. David took his place beside the Lord in August, leaving a legacy of outstanding servant leadership.

Ways to Give (Holiday 2010)

... Choose the One that’s Right for You!

Often men and women who desire to support the Mission financially are unaware of their many giving options—and that they can choose those that best fit their personal, business and sometimes changing financial situations.

One of the simplest forms of giving—and most beneficial for the Mission— is a cash donation, which you can make by sending a check or credit card information in response to our mailings like this one, or by donating online at www.cityunionmission.org. Cash can be used by the Mission immediately to buy goods to meet the daily needs of our guests and residents.

Some of our friends prefer the consistency of making a gift of a certain amount on a regular basis and choose to become members of our BED & BREAD CLUB. Members pledge to send gifts of $15 or more each month to help provide one day’s worth of food, shelter and care for one man, woman or child. This allows the Mission to count on a consistent flow of donated income all year-round.

City Union Mission’s Builders for Life is a core group of loyal and faithful donors who share their means at a very honorable level on a regular or one-time basis during the year. Their bountiful giving creates a solid financial foundation for the Mission’s ministry and outreach.

Many donors wish to plan now to continue their legacy of giving beyond their lifetimes. Through estate planning, including gifts of securities or real estate or life-income tools such as charitable gift annuities, you can ensure your charitable wishes are honored.

Often local companies have the opportunity to share products they manufacture or distribute—like paper goods, food items or computer equipment. While not direct financial gifts, these contributions provide the same benefit to the Mission by offsetting our budget so that funds that would normally be spent on these goods can be used to touch more lives with our Christ-centered programs and services.

For more information on giving options, contact Dennis Chapman, Associate Executive Director, Development, at dennis.chapman@cityunionmission.org or 816-754-9992, ext. 1476.

Dear Friends,

One of my very favorite Christmas hymns is “Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne” by Emily Elizabeth Steele Elliott. I love the words of this old hymn. The refrain reminds me of our theme for this issue of The Light: “O come to my heart, Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for Thee.” There is no shortage of shelter space with our loving God. There is always room with Him.

Jesus Christ is called God’s “indescribable gift” (2 Cor. 9:15) to all of mankind, and He is waiting for each of us to personally accept that gift. That’s the passion of City Union Mission—seeing men, women and children cared for physically with food and shelter, and to share with each of them this gift of a personal relationship with Jesus, who is waiting for them to open their hearts to Him.

To witness the miraculous changes in a once fully dysfunctional and hopeless life over a period of weeks is one of the most amazing events to experience. Jesus Christ truly makes a lifelong difference in a person’s life—both in this life and for all eternity. As men and women are taught how to live victorious and productive lives by our staff and volunteers, they have renewed hope for themselves and their families. Nothing compares to seeing God restore meaning and happiness to a life.

The Mission continues to see more and more of “God’s human sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31) coming to us in desperate need. Unemployment is higher in Kansas City than the national average. The lack of job opportunities often leads to panic and poor decision-making, and ultimately for some, to the need of a Christ-centered and Biblically based shelter.

Kansas City is also one of the most generous cities in the country. We thank God for each of you and pray you all will be able to continue helping us “lift up the fallen.” We want Kansas City to be Your City and City Union Mission to be Your Mission.

For His glory,

Rev. Daniel J. Doty Executive Director

Our Holiday Commitments to You (Holiday 2010)

This Thanksgiving and Christmas, we will:

1. Honor and thank God for His provisions.
2. Celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
3. Share the Gospel with all whom we serve.
4. Provide a family environment for our homeless guests.
5. Help our clients and guests experience Christ’s compassion and love through our actions and words.
6. Not practice overindulgence.
7. Be content with what we have; not ask for anything we do not need.
8. Give our donors ample opportunity to share God’s love with Kansas City’s homeless and poor.
9. Encourage our supporters to meet the needs of impoverished men, women and children throughout the year.

Stats/Financial Update

FY 2010 Budget (Oct. 1 - Sept. 30) $7,177,000

Amount Raised as of 9/30/10 $7,658,454

Because You Gave

• January-August 2010
• Daily average of homeless sleeping overnight 399
• Daily average of meals served 946
• Approx. number of patients seen for medical issues 6,036
• Daily average of homeless attending chapel services 238
• Approx. number of salvations and rededications 335