News of lives transformed—thanks to you!

MARCH 2013buffalocitymission.org(716) 854-8181

4

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: BUFFALO CITY MISSIONP.O. Box 1748Buffalo, NY 14240-1748

THANK YOU!To give a gift by credit card, visit us online at buffalocitymission.org or call (716) 854-8181, ext. 429.

m $15 m $30 m $50 m $150 m $__________

NAME

ADDRESS APT.

CITY STATE ZIP

EMAIL

Sharon was a mother of four and a nanny for 20 years, but in 2008 the children she cared for started school. Typically, Sharon would not have had trouble finding another position with a nice family, but the blow to the economy left many families without the means for a nanny, and left Sharon without a job. To add to her difficulties she was estranged from her children.

Eventually Sharon lost her home, and was forced to live in her car. Without a place to call her own, she was unable to get the medication she needed for the bipolar disorder she’d been diagnosed with several years earlier.

“I was looking for a place to... stay, grow and be a new person”

Sharon was about to lose her car, and felt she’d run out of options. She lined up a collection of pills on her dashboard and was ready to take them all at once when a still, small voice inside stopped her. It said, “Crisis Services.”

“I didn’t even know what Crisis Services was,” she says. But she called, and they found a temporary place for her to stay that night.

From there she was ultimately directed to Cornerstone Manor, Buffalo City Mission’s Women and Children’s Shelter. “I was looking for a place to stay and a place to grow and to be a new person,” Sharon says.

Cornerstone proved to be just that place. “Cornerstone has saved my life! Cornerstone has given me a new beginning. I have a relationship with Jesus Christ!” Sharon exclaims.

“You’re ready!”

The staff surrounded Sharon with love and nursed her back to health, getting

her the medical care she needed. Because of Cornerstone, Sharon has had time to heal spiritually, psychologically and emotionally. She’s found a deep and abiding relationship with God, and has begun to reunite with her children. Now Sharon sees her grandchildren regularly. For now, Sharon says she’ll stay at Cornerstone. “When God says,

‘You’re ready!’—then I will look for a place. But I’ve been in transition for six months. I’m not

ready now.”

If homelessness happened to her, it could happen to anyone, but thanks to friends like you, people like Sharon are getting the

opportunity for a new life.

BY THE NUMBERS

As you can see “by the numbers,” your gifts made a tremendous difference in 2012 for men, women and children in the Buffalo area who are going through tough times. Thank you for helping us provide:

Thank you for helping to ease the burdens of hungry, homeless and hurting men, women and children in 2012. May God bless you for caring!

More than 173,596 meals

More than 83,043 nights of shelter

Over 2,143 bags of groceries supplied to poor and needy families

He needed a father...he found much more

What if it happened to you?

Stuart’s Letter: It could happen to anyone

Visit us at any of the following websites for up-to-date information about the work you support. Sign up here: buffalocitymission.org

Yes! I want to provide meals and more to hurting and homeless people:

2 2 3

January–December 2012

Sharon didn’t want to live anymore, but a still, small voice inside pointed her toward Cornerstone.

A Second ChanceBecause of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross, we know we are

not bound to the mistakes of our past. At Easter we have the opportunity to remember this and be renewed. But no one feels it more profoundly than the guests enrolled in our recovery programs. When you have spent so much time in darkness, the light looks that much brighter. This poem by Joanna Fuchs describes God’s gift at Easter beautifully. May its words lift your spirit.

God always wants the best for us,But in Eden we sinned; we really blew it.We disobeyed God’s direct decree;We separated from Him, and we knew it.

Jesus came and changed all that;He paid the price for all our sins;When we repent and believe in Him,We change, and a better life begins.

Easter stands for a second chanceFor us to choose to put things right;If we repent, and really believe,Our record is polished clean and bright.

Easter ensures paradiseFor all of us, for you and me;We’re reconciled to our Lord and KingFor now and all eternity.

Cornerstone saved my life!

Get connected!This Easter, see how your gifts are changing lives at the Mission!

NN3AWHT

RUSS REID JOB SPECS

JOB NUMBER MIS22523-1 SIZE 11x17

TITLE BUFFALO NEWSLETTER FOLDS TO 8.5 x 11 to 8.5 x 3.667

ELEMENT Newsletter INKS Black, PMS VIOLET

STOCK TBD

DO NOT PRINT RGB KEYLINES OR TYPE

HR IN PLACE

From the Executive Directorbuffalocitymission.org (716) 854-8181

2 3

He needed a father...he found so much moreThe new face of homelessnessIt could happen to anyone

I love the Easter season because it’s a time of reflection and renewal. As that wonderful old hymn points out, “At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light. And the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day.”

Easter offers each of us the opportunity to pause and consider the ways we can live more like Christ. For most of us that may mean making small changes, but for our guests, Easter offers them the opportunity to change completely. They have endured hard times and come to us with broken hearts. Like Sharon and Ezekiel, two guests you’ll meet in this issue of Buffalo Cares.

Sharon is a kind and good-hearted mother of four who ended up on the street after the recession hit and she couldn’t find a job. Her story reminds us that homelessness isn’t just affecting those struggling with addiction.

Ezekiel was a teenager whose parents hurt him so much he felt he’d rather live on the street than reach out to them for help. One day, with nowhere else to go, Ezekiel got on the train without a ticket. When he saw the conductor he told her his story. Moved, she told him about the Mission and let him ride the train until he arrived. This random act of kindness was just what he needed to start him on the path to life change. At the Mission he found a home and people who treated him with kindness.

Homelessness has changed in the last few years. Entire families have lost their homes, and many others are just one paycheck away from homelessness. In the article, “What if it happened to you?” you’ll learn more about who is homeless. The answers may surprise you.

I hope you’re inspired by this issue of Buffalo Cares. May God bless you this Easter and always!

Stuart L. HarperExecutive Director

The recession impacted many individuals and families who had never been unemployed or homeless before. So many people lost so much, and without a job or a home, getting their lives back on track seemed improbable, if not impossible.

Like Sharon, it’s not just addiction that brings people to the Mission, but job loss, illness or an accident. And many people today are just one paycheck away from living on the streets.

Joblessness and homelessness create a cycle that is difficult to break. Many people living in poverty are forced to decide between buying food and paying rent.

When you support the Buffalo City Mission you are providing comprehensive care that addresses the ever-changing problem of homelessness. By teaching adults and children new ways to cope and live, the Mission can help prevent future homelessness. And doesn’t that benefit everyone? Thank you for your generosity!

Who is homeless in the Buffalo City area...• Fifty-eight percent of our homeless neighbors are

experiencing homelessness for the first time.

• Forty percent of homeless children are under the age of five.

• Thirty percent have been homeless once or twice in the past.

• Seven percent are veterans, who gave so much and now need help to go on.

They all need help to make it through the night and the power of hope to change their lives. Your gifts provide that and so much more.

What if it happened to you?

Growing up, Ezekiel felt loved. His parents never fought, or never seemed to. However, when he was seven they divorced, leaving him at loose ends. He bounced around a lot with his father, and they fought a lot. He was also estranged from his mother. When he was 18 Ezekiel moved out on his own. He was hurting and he felt lost, and without more than a high school education, he was unable to find enough work to sustain rent and was soon living on the streets.

One night, with nowhere left to go, he stepped onto the train without a ticket. When the conductor approached him, he told her his story. Moved, she pointed him to the Buffalo City Mission and let him ride the train all the way there.

Slowing down, taking time, seeking God

Ezekiel had been self-reliant for so long he’d forgotten how to trust. Coming to the Mission changed all that. He entered the Discipleship program and began studying the Bible. “Pastor gave me instruction from God, from

the bottom of his heart and let me know to have patience and to take things slower,” he says.

Proverbs 3:5 is his personal journey verse: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding...” Ezekiel loves this verse because it reminds him that he is not alone and that the most important thing he can have is faith.

The change in his eyesAs his relationship with God deepens

and his knowledge of the Bible grows, he’s forgiven his parents for causing him pain. He has even reunited with his mother. During a recent visit Ezekiel comforted her with scripture he had stored in his heart. “I was able to give her confirmation from the Word without even having the Bible on

me! And without me even having to tell her, she said she’s seen a change in my

eyes because God is working,” Ezekiel shares.

He’d like to attend college and get a degree in technology, but right now Ezekiel is trusting in God to show him the path. Ezekiel’s biggest challenge is patience, but he’s loving it because God and the Mission are with him every step of the way.

Ezekiel wandered like an orphan in the streets, until he came to the Buffalo City Mission and found a family.

“ You have been a refuge for the poor, and a refuge for the needy in their distress...” ~Isaiah 25:4

This Easter, our guests need these items!

Thank you for caring!

Always on our Wish List:• Furniture• All sizes of new and gently

used clothing for men, women and children

• Non-perishable food items such as canned fruit, vegetables and spices

Urgent Basic Needs:• Deodorant

(men’s and women’s)• Razors (women’s)• Baby shampoo• Baby wipes• Men’s socks• Men’s clothes (XL/XXL)

It happens every year. After the holidays, donations fall off, but demand for meals and services does not. Our guests are in constant need of things you and I take for granted every day. Please, give today. Your prayers and support mean so much to us.

HR IN PLACE

News of lives transformed—thanks to you!

MARCH 2013buffalocitymission.org(716) 854-8181

4

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: BUFFALO CITY MISSIONP.O. Box 1748Buffalo, NY 14240-1748

THANK YOU!To give a gift by credit card, visit us online at buffalocitymission.org or call (716) 854-8181, ext. 429.

m $15 m $30 m $50 m $150 m $__________

NAME

ADDRESS APT.

CITY STATE ZIP

EMAIL

Sharon was a mother of four and a nanny for 20 years, but in 2008 the children she cared for started school. Typically, Sharon would not have had trouble finding another position with a nice family, but the blow to the economy left many families without the means for a nanny, and left Sharon without a job. To add to her difficulties she was estranged from her children.

Eventually Sharon lost her home, and was forced to live in her car. Without a place to call her own, she was unable to get the medication she needed for the bipolar disorder she’d been diagnosed with several years earlier.

“I was looking for a place to... stay, grow and be a new person”

Sharon was about to lose her car, and felt she’d run out of options. She lined up a collection of pills on her dashboard and was ready to take them all at once when a still, small voice inside stopped her. It said, “Crisis Services.”

“I didn’t even know what Crisis Services was,” she says. But she called, and they found a temporary place for her to stay that night.

From there she was ultimately directed to Cornerstone Manor, Buffalo City Mission’s Women and Children’s Shelter. “I was looking for a place to stay and a place to grow and to be a new person,” Sharon says.

Cornerstone proved to be just that place. “Cornerstone has saved my life! Cornerstone has given me a new beginning. I have a relationship with Jesus Christ!” Sharon exclaims.

“You’re ready!”

The staff surrounded Sharon with love and nursed her back to health, getting

her the medical care she needed. Because of Cornerstone, Sharon has had time to heal spiritually, psychologically and emotionally. She’s found a deep and abiding relationship with God, and has begun to reunite with her children. Now Sharon sees her grandchildren regularly. For now, Sharon says she’ll stay at Cornerstone. “When God says,

‘You’re ready!’—then I will look for a place. But I’ve been in transition for six months. I’m not

ready now.”

If homelessness happened to her, it could happen to anyone, but thanks to friends like you, people like Sharon are getting the

opportunity for a new life.

BY THE NUMBERS

As you can see “by the numbers,” your gifts made a tremendous difference in 2012 for men, women and children in the Buffalo area who are going through tough times. Thank you for helping us provide:

Thank you for helping to ease the burdens of hungry, homeless and hurting men, women and children in 2012. May God bless you for caring!

More than 173,596 meals

More than 83,043 nights of shelter

Over 2,143 bags of groceries supplied to poor and needy families

He needed a father...he found much more

What if it happened to you?

Stuart’s Letter: It could happen to anyone

Visit us at any of the following websites for up-to-date information about the work you support. Sign up here: buffalocitymission.org

Yes! I want to provide meals and more to hurting and homeless people:

2 2 3

January–December 2012

Sharon didn’t want to live anymore, but a still, small voice inside pointed her toward Cornerstone.

A Second ChanceBecause of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross, we know we are

not bound to the mistakes of our past. At Easter we have the opportunity to remember this and be renewed. But no one feels it more profoundly than the guests enrolled in our recovery programs. When you have spent so much time in darkness, the light looks that much brighter. This poem by Joanna Fuchs describes God’s gift at Easter beautifully. May its words lift your spirit.

God always wants the best for us,But in Eden we sinned; we really blew it.We disobeyed God’s direct decree;We separated from Him, and we knew it.

Jesus came and changed all that;He paid the price for all our sins;When we repent and believe in Him,We change, and a better life begins.

Easter stands for a second chanceFor us to choose to put things right;If we repent, and really believe,Our record is polished clean and bright.

Easter ensures paradiseFor all of us, for you and me;We’re reconciled to our Lord and KingFor now and all eternity.

Cornerstone saved my life!

Get connected!This Easter, see how your gifts are changing lives at the Mission!

NN3AWHT

RUSS REID JOB SPECS

JOB NUMBER MIS22523-1 SIZE 11x17

TITLE BUFFALO NEWSLETTER FOLDS TO 8.5 x 11 to 8.5 x 3.667

ELEMENT Newsletter INKS Black, PMS VIOLET

STOCK TBD

DO NOT PRINT RGB KEYLINES OR TYPE

HR IN PLACE