445 S. San Joaquin StreetStockton, CA 95203-3537

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Thanksgiving NewsletterFall

When Eddy looks back on his life before the Mission, he

sees chaos. “I wound up losing my kids, my wife, my job, my house and my cars. I hurt everybody I cared about and lost everything I ever worked for. It was really hopeless.”

It’s a tragic story, especially because Eddy knows from personal experience what it’s like to grow up without a dad. “I was in foster care because of neglect. I finally got adopted, but my adoptive mother ended up passing away.” Eddy returned to live with his biological mother, but by that time, it was “too late.”

“I had already started using drugs, and she couldn’t stop me. Drugs came first. It was all I wanted to do.”

Drugs led to jail, and when Eddy was released, he went looking for help. He found it at Gospel Center Rescue Mission. “I told them the truth,” he says. “I told them where I was in my life and that I wanted something different. I didn’t want to do drugs anymore. I couldn’t live with the guilt and the shame.” Eddy’s kids became a big motivation in his recovery. “They help give me strength to keep pushing because I want a better life for me and for them.”

He’s thankful for the staff here at the Mission who “build you up…motivate and inspire you to do better.”

“You learn about yourself when you’re here. Drugs were

overpowering my life. Now I know, I’m not that guy.”

God’s guidance and the classes Eddy’s taking here – anger management, relapse prevention, nutrition – are teaching him valuable lessons he can take with him when he leaves. “One day, I’m going to have to go back out there and face the real world again. This place is going to help me become a productive part of society!”

“My life has changed so much. My son calls me dad again. My daughter - she never stopped loving me, but it is just overwhelming and fulfilling to know that all those people who I hurt, every one of them has forgiven me…just as I need to forgive myself.”

Don’t miss…“I think I’ll be homelesstoday”.............................2

15 Tons of Food!...........…2

“I couldn’t live under a bridge”.........................3

445 S. San Joaquin Street • Stockton, CA 95203-3537 • (209) 320-2311 • GCRMS.org

“The Mission opened my eyes!”

THEvisiono f t h e g o s p e l c e n t e r r e s c u e m i s s i o nF A L L 2 0 1 4

25,750 meals. That’s 30,900 pounds of food – over 15 tons! That’s how much food Gospel Center Rescue Mission will serve to hungry men, women and children this Thanksgiving season.

Wow! That seems impossible. But with your help, it will happen.

It costs just $1.92 to feed one hungry person. Just $1.92 to provide an entire meal of wholesome, home-cooked food…a meal

that could not only help that person end a life of homelessness, but a meal that could be the start of a new and better life.

Your gift today to our 2014 Annual Thanksgiving Campaign will go a long way toward filling the Mission’s pantry and providing the care hungry, homeless men, women and children will need this Thanksgiving season and beyond.

Just a reminder: The Mission receives NO government funding. So we really do need your help to cook and serve

more than 25,750 meals. Please, give generously. Thank you!

15 tons of food!

I don’t think anyone has ever gotten out of bed in the morning and said, “Gee, I think I’ll be homeless today.”

People are here for a reason.Some are simply seeking a

hot meal or a night of shelter. Many more are looking for help and a refuge – a shelter in God that can save and restore lives ruined by alcohol, addiction, abuse and abandonment.

Matthew 7:7 clearly describes the refuge and shelter found here at the Mission: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

All in need are welcome here, just as they have been since our doors were opened nearly 75 years ago.

But it is only with your prayers and your support that we can continue to be a refuge for those who knock. Thank you, and God bless you for all you do.

William R. “Bill” BrownCEO

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A Personal Word from Williamthe CEO Thank you for feeding people who

are hungry.Thank you for making sure

homeless people have safe shelter.Thank you for your prayers on

behalf of those in need.Thank you for offering hope and

new life!

As a tangible way of showing our gratitude, I’d like to send you a very special 2015 calendar.

Please check the box on your reply slip. Your calendar will be mailed at the end of November.

A special gift to thank you for your support.

We all want to end hunger and homelessness.

Here’s your chance to bring together your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, people from your church, school or civic group to lessen the hardships hungry, homeless men, women and children face each day.

» Serve a meal here at the Mission» Organize a drive

° Canned food° Clothing, especially coats and

jackets for cold weather° Hygiene items° Socks and underwear° Sheets & blankets

» Skip lunch and donate the money to the Mission

For more information, contact Uyen at (209) 466-2138.

Hungry for Change?

National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, Nov. 16-22.

E lizabeth had been using drugs on and off since the sixth grade…first

marijuana, then meth. “My parents have been married for 65 years, so it’s not like I came from a broken home,” she says. “It has nothing to do with upbringing.”

Despite her drug use, Elizabeth had always been able to hold down jobs and pay bills. Most recently, she’d been scrapping metal, but when she lost her truck because she couldn’t afford new tags, she also lost her income. “I didn’t have the funds to pay the rent…and it just progressively got worse and worse,” she says.

Elizabeth began couch surfing, but eventually, she ran out of couches. “I couldn’t live under a bridge,” she says. “I called my friend and I said, ‘I give up,’ and he brought me down here.”

Elizabeth entered Gospel Center Rescue Mission’s New Life Program and began to heal. “I’ve had a problem with my mom since I was about 18,” she says. “I got to know myself a little better, and I figured out what my mom’s problem is with me, which takes a big load off. It was nice to understand where my mom is coming

from.” Elizabeth is now planning a visit to her family--the first in many years.

The program has also helped rekindle Elizabeth’s relationship with God. “I’ve always had my own spirituality,” she says. “I had left it alone for a while, but the Mission brought it back.”

Elizabeth has now graduated from the program, works at the Stockton Arena, and is looking for a second job which will allow her to afford rent. She also hopes to attend college to study archaeology.

In the meantime, Elizabeth lives at the Mission and works in the front office of the New Hope Family Shelter. “I answer the phones, pass out the medications, log everything that happens during the day,” she says.

Elizabeth is grateful to the Mission for keeping her from hunger and homelessness, and for giving her hope. “It’s nice to know I don’t have to worry about where I’m going to sleep tomorrow. It’s nice to know that there’s food, and that there’s always somebody to talk to,” she says. “I don’t know what would have happened if it wasn’t here. I really don’t.”

25,750 meals14,750 nights of shelter

Our guests may not know you, but your presence is felt each and every day!

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“I couldn’t live under a bridge”

Join us for these Mission events.

September20 - “Jazz to the Rescue” Benefit

Performance26 - Booth at the “Homeless

Veteran Stand Down”

October4 - Booth at “Celebrate Stockton

Is Magnificent”10 - Booth at City of Stockton

“Movies at the Point” Family Movie Series

XX - “Arts to the Rescue” Event SeriesXX - 74th Annual Fundraising

Banquet16 - World Food Day Food

Supply Drive OpportunityXX - Red Ribbon Week Drug Awareness & Prevention

“Homeless Video Project”XX - Benjamin Holt College Prep Academy/Campus Life “Kids-In-A-Box” Annual Fundraiser

November16 - Weberstown Mall’s “Magical Night of Giving”XX - National Homeless Persons Memorial Day Photo ExhibitXX - National Homeless & Hunger Month Food Drive Opportunity27 - Thanksgiving Day

Save the Date

2014 Annual Thanksgiving Campaign

Please return this completed form with your donation. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law. You will receive a receipt.

Please help us fill our pantry and stock our

shelves for Thanksgiving season meals.

Gospel Center Rescue Mission445 S. San Joaquin St.Stockton, CA 95203-3537

m Check enclosed m Bill my credit card

m m m m

FALL14

CREDIT CARD # CIV/SEC #

EXP. DATE PHONE #

m $15.36 to feed and care for 8 peoplem $24.96 to feed and care for 13 peoplem $51.84 to feed and care for 27 peoplem $_________ to help as much as possiblem Send me my FREE 2015 Mission Calendar.

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NAME

ADDRESS

CITY / STATE/ ZIP

E-MAIL

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Donate online at www.GCRMS.org, or call (209) 320-2311.

Here’s my 2014Annual Thanksgiving Campaign gift:

Thanksgiving

Shopping List

Vehicles Wanted

Want to keep up with all the great work and

community activities here at Gospel Center Rescue Mission? Visit our Facebook page, click on the “Like” button and then click on “Get Notifications.” You’ll get all the latest news as it happens, and you can post your comments or inspirational messages too!

Do you have a car or a van in good working condition that

you no longer need and would like to receive a tax deduction for?

Donate it to the Mission!Immediate Need: Our vans

that are used to take guests to appointments and pick up medications are wearing out.

For more information, contact Mike Viss at (209) 320-2309.

TurkeysHamsPotatoesYams or sweet potatoes

Green beans

LettuceTomatoesCucumbersSalad dressing

Rolls

CoffeeJuiceWhole milkPiesCookiesWhipping cream

SugarBrown sugar

Butter

Donations can be dropped off at the Mission at

445 S. San Joaquin St. from 8 a.m. to noon and

1p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For

more information, call Erick at (209) 320-2316.

Gospel Center Rescue Mission445 S. San Joaquin St.Stockton, CA 95203-3537

CREDIT CARD # CIV/SEC #

EXP. DATE PHONE #

m Check enclosed m Bill my credit card

m m m m Here’s my 2014Annual Thanksgiving Campaign gift:

Donate online at www.GCRMS.org.

XXXXXXXX(Scan line)XXXXXXXX

m $AA.AA to feed and care for AA people m $BB.BB to feed and care for BB people m $CC.CC to feed and care for CC people m $_______ to feed and care for as many as possible m Send me my FREE 2015 Mission Calendar.

Sample A. Sample1234 Main StreetP.O. Box 12345Anytown, ST 12345

THANK YOUFOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

Donate online atwww.GCRMS.org,

or call (209) 320-2311

m Please tell me how I can make a gift to the Mission through my will, a bequest or a planned giving program.

m Please let me know how my gifts are making a difference.

E-mail Address: ______________________________________

Phone Number: ________________________

Prayer Request: ________________________

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To ensure privacy, we do not sell or rent our donors’names, addresses, e-mails or phone numbers.

All donations are fully tax-deductible.

Your gifts are used to care for people in need all year long!