The 1231 Plan

The leadership of Cherry Street Mission Ministries is thinking ahead - in this case, we're thinking at least three years ahead and have developed The 1231 Plan. The 1231 focuses on a single day in our future; December 31, 2010.

We have asked, and are now answering through careful planning; What will Cherry Street Mission Ministries be doing on December 31, 2010?

Steven R. Covey says in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People; "Begin with the end in mind". If we know what we will be doing, then we can reverse engineer the steps necessary to reach the goals of that single day.

Here are some of the objectives we'll be working on and developing for 2008:

• Social Service Enterprises that will begin with schools for the culinary arts and construction.
• Serving the Church to be equipped and effective in reaching, training and supporting parents.
• After care programs that will support and connect our Ready For Life Graduates returning to the communities.
• Moving our Administrative Offices from the Monroe Street facility in an effort to provide improved living quarters for men in our program.
• Adopt A Block Programs that will reach into the systemic and rooted issues of neighborhoods.
• And much more ...
  

To receive additional information about The 1231 Plan, contact our office at 419-242-5141 or send me an email at danrogers@cherrystreetmission.org and we'll invite you to one of our quarterly community briefing sessions, held throughout the year.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, The Chairman of the Board Don Weiss, our Staff and our Guests ... Thank you for a wonderful year of service.

Dan

My Friend Ken

Each early November Cherry Street Mission Ministries participates, rather heavily, in Tent City. In November I blogged about 'An Evening with the Cougar' where I write about John 'Cougar' Mellencamp taking a moment from a busy schedule to visit with our homeless and impoverished fellow citizens.

Tent City is a Homeless Awareness Project where we ask our community ... the whole community to slow down for a moment and think about, and to experience, what CAN be done about homelessness and poverty causing homelessness.

Well ... that's Ken. Ken Leslie started Tent City several years ago, and only in the last two years has the project come back from a short hiatus. For the last several years, Ken has been actively engaged in a newly forming group called the Toledo Lucas County Homeless Board, or TLC for short. Since it's inception, going on five years now, the group has met to form a process to address homelessness. Now, it -like so many groups seems enamored with the mundane slowness of talking. This talking has led to more talking which has led to planning, and now there is talking about the planning.

Finally, Ken had enough and resigned from the Board last month. As a matter of fact if you go to You Tube and search for 'TLC' you'll see a five minute video of Ken talking about his experience. I like Ken, he's got a lot of passion for people and in his heart he wants nothing more than frankly .... the same thing I want; to end homelessness - period. You can also go to www.1matters.org to catch up on some recent events.

Tonight however, we will hold a rally at 7:00 in front of One Government Center to memorialize the men and women who have died this year - homeless. While these annual memorial events sadden me to the core, my hope is in Christ and with His hope we will continue to work and serve together for a better day for ALL people.

Merry Christmas everyone,

Dan

The Mayor's Response

Dear Dan:

Thank you for communicating your position on the Domestic Partners Registry ordinance.

The issue of a Toledo-sponsored DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP REGISTRY is controversial on the surface.

As some may know, I am a very strong Christian believer. Strong enough since an early age, that in my 20's I visited the Episcopal Seminary of Virginia seeking entrance. Though I eventually chose not to enter the seminary, my religious faith and practice is deep.

While I do not endorse alternative lifestyles, I believe in minority rights, and champion diversity. Most importantly, America is all about protecting the individual rights of each citizen.

While I champion the sanctity of the traditional American family of husband, wife and children, I also have seen the love and trust and nurturing of some non-traditional relationships. There is no magic guarantee of life-long happiness in either case.

The Domestic Partnership Registry is not about endorsing alternative lifestyles. It is about legal and insurance protection being extended to those considered the partners of any insurance covered employee. And, in this country of tolerance, progressive companies, universities, and cities are extending insurance coverage to such partners.

I respect human beings making free personal decisions regarding their friendships and relationships. That should be their call - not mine.

I believe God blesses all men and women who love Him, and seek to live a life of loving their fellow man - even when you may not agree with that fellow man.

City Council passed this legislation with a vote of 10-2, after hearing public comment on this proposal.

Calls and e-mails to my office have been evenly spilt for and against. I would encourage both sides to take a step back, take a deep breath and cherish the true meaning of Thanksgiving to all who came and come to this country seeking freedom.

Yours from Toledo - a City of the Future!

Carty Finkbeiner
Mayor

Mayor - you can't continue to have it both ways.

Dan Rogers

The Upside of Desperation

The other day I was driving to Columbus with four friends, Glen, Andy and Mary, to visit with Francis Strickland the First Lady of the State of Ohio. On the way we got to talking about why people today don't seem to care about what's going on around them whether locally, nationally or in the world.

My observation, for some time now, is that there is an upside to desperation. If necessity is the Mother of invention, then desperation is the father of necessity. Simply put; desperation creates necessity and necessity creates invention.

If we haven't come up with solutions, creative ideas or manufactured new inventive actions regarding broken families, poverty and homelessness its only because we're not discomforted or desperate enough about it. In fact I'm sure you'll agree that we as human beings don't like discomfort causing desperation, and so we avoid it at all costs - naturally. For example I don't like the discomfort of the cold and so I wear a coat ... and maybe even a sweater if I'm feeling even a little cold making it's way through the coat.

I'm not entirely sure however, in our driven state to eradicate all discomfort from our lives, we've thought much about the upside of discomfort causing desperation.

The men and women who graduate each year from our Ready For Life Program, did so because they embraced desperation and made it work through necessity and .... WOW, a new life was born. That's transformation.

Our city, and the things we don't like about it, will change just like the transformed lives of Cherry Street Mission Ministries when we as its citizens and particularly its churches, embrace just enough desperation to create something new.

Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.

Dan Rogers

Letter to Mayor Carlton S. Finkbeiner

Dear Mr. Mayor,

Thank you for reading this letter, and also for absorbing its contents.

I know well, that you are concerned about the home. The death of Detective Keith Dressel by the hands of a boy has led you to conclude that something needs to be done. And so you are actively drafting legislation that makes parents more accountable.

This week you will ignore, sign or veto a city ordinance allowing for domestic partnerships to be registered legally in our city. Because you are concerned about the family, and because there is societal temptation to sign such an ordinance, at the end of the day Mr. Mayor, how will you reconcile the difference in opinion?

I implore you to take a moment and think about the obvious lost connection that Robert Jobe has to society. Young Mr. Jobe’s problems started in the home, with his parents.

The data that Cherry Street Mission Ministries has documented over the last several years make it clear that 80% of the hundreds of men and women, who arrive at our doors each day, grew up in a broken home. This must be a clarion call for a caring community to come to the aid of the broken family.

It’s clear to me, and to other community leaders, that approval of this ordinance pulls on the string of the already unraveling home and family environment. Will you be a part of that unraveling Mr. Mayor, or will you lead the community in an honest open discussion regarding the family?

Your veto this week Mayor Finkbeiner would at the very least, allow time for the community to convene meetings for the purpose of debate and discussion.

Along with many other community leaders, I urge you to strongly consider a veto regarding the domestic partnership ordinance.

Sincerely,

Daniel J. Rogers

If you've been following this story in the Toledo Blade and local news outlets, you already know that in the afternoon of Wednesday, November 22nd Mayor Finkbeiner signed into law the ordinance that allows for the legal registration of domestic partnerships.

I personally know several leaders of the faith community who wrote this kind of letter and either mailed it or hand delivered it to the Mayor's Office the week of the 20th. We were NOT HEARD - why?? The answer I believe is simple; because we haven't used our voice in the last several years, it seems to be unrecognizable to the Mayor.

It's time we find our voice once more - and perhaps the next time the faith community speaks we'll be heard.

Mayor Finkbeiner - I won't forget this.

Dan Rogers

Where are the parents?

Recently Robert Jobe, a 15 year old who shot and killed a Toledo Police Officer, was convicted of murder and will soon be sentenced to 18 years to life.

I'm not sure much more needs to be said, except to try and answer the prevailing question of our community since that fog filled early morning when Detective Dressel's life was swiftly taken from him.

Where were the parents?

Make no mistake, parents are the head waters of our society - what flows from these headwaters and how it flows through the tributaries of our communities determine whether we have a high productive community or a high risk community.

I think there's a bigger question; Who is out there for the parent?

Dan Rogers

A moment with the "Cougar"

For the last two years, Cherry Street Mission Ministries has been one of the driving supporters of the Homeless Awareness Project called Tent City. Tent City is held the first full weekend in November, beginning Friday and ending on Sunday.

Doni Miller who is the host of the weekly Bridges show on TV channel 13 asked Ken Leslie, Richard Langford and myself, as we were being interviewed in preparation for the event; "What are you hoping to fix with Tent City?" The short answer is 'Nothing'. For those of us who serve the community in need throughout the year, we know that a weekend of awareness won't solve or fix any problems the least, last and lost experience each day.

There is a problem though that can be fixed with such an awareness project - AWARENESS. In Toledo the problems of incarceration and poverty causing homelessness are mostly ignored by the key members of government and the media. There are far too many 'drive by conversations' about the systemic causing problems that are plaguing real people and fostering a generation of disenfranchised and disconnected citizenry.

So - the once a year Tent City is designed to put both the problem and the solution visibly in the public eye. We desire for all people to slow down for a moment and realize that with just a little more effort, we can actually change as a city. We can change from being 'sad' about the problems people are facing and actually join in on the solution.

With a few (hundred) phone calls, mostly driven by Ken Leslie, John 'Cougar' Mellencamp who was in town on Friday for a concert, took a moment before the concert and came down to Tent City with his wife and son. I was happily tagged as the one who would chauffeur them to and from Tent City. Upon arriving at Tent City John and his family spent several minutes of private time talking with a few folks who have been homeless and have been restored. He then accepted the key of the City from Mayor Carty Finkbeiner, made a few remarks to all who were in attendance and then to the surprise and delight of the crowd, invited them all to the concert as his guest.

Knowing I would maybe have a total of 15 - 20 minutes 'car' time with John Mellencamp, we talked openly about his own addictions earlier in life and how he overcame them. We talked about the systemic issues of incarceration, poverty and homelessness and how his own problems started very early in his life - it was a great conversation.

By understanding the deep rooted (systemic) dynamics of our community, we can plot a different course than we've been on as a community. I know a lot of people talk this way - especially today, because it's election day here in Toledo. HOWEVER, let's not relegate our responsibility to the politicians and levies.

We've had several decades of this approach and it's not working. Rather, let's rise up as citizens, as volunteers and convene our own meetings and think tanks and produce our own solutions that will solve these problems once and for all - for all!

What do you think?

Dan Rogers

Where did September go?

The other day my assistant Maren Kurtz, who manages our web site among a host of other things, came into my office asking me; "Will you please post something on your blog soon." Of course I thought; "What? It's only been a few weeks!" A few weeks? - more like 8 weeks.

What's been going on for the last 8 weeks at Cherry Street Mission Ministries? Here's a sampling:

Monroe Street Facility

• Our Gift in Kind operations moved to the Madison Street facility to make room for additional beds for men this winter
• Last year during the winter, our high water mark for men staying over night was 167 which meant that more than 50 guys were sleeping on the floor.
• This year, we've moved some walls, bought some beds and will start the winter season with 152 beds and 40 emergency mats - our hope is that we will have enough this year.
• Plans are being made to move our administrative offices from the second floor of the Monroe Street facility some time in January so that Larry Robinson (Men's Director) can utilize all three floors.
• Welcome to Charles Allen who has taken over for Matthew Clapp as the Men's Ministries Lead Case Manager.
  
• The Northwest Ohio Dental mobile van comes once a month to our Monroe Street parking lot and offers free dental services.
  

Sparrow's Nest

• We are looking for a new Director for the Sparrow's Nest - wait a minute, what happened to Avis Files? (you might be asking)
  
• We're happy to announce that Avis has accepted a promotion to be the Program Director for Cherry Street - so the answer is; "She's still here."
  
• Kazonte Miller has become the new Lead Case Manager for the Sparrow's Nest taking over for Yolanda Bailey who has accepted a promotion to be the Director of the Community Services department.
  

Madison Street Facility

• Yvette Hall, our Food Services Director, continues to operate excellently as her team of staff and volunteers turn out more than 750 meals a day at two different locations.
• The team is gearing up for Thanksgiving where we plan on serving close to 700 wonderfully prepared and served turkey dinners.
• Dave Moore has signed on from the Men's Ministries to be our very first Information and Referral Case Manager. Dave's responsibilities are to connect our guests to community wide services.
  
• We have completely updated and remodeled the Medical Clinic at this location. The clinic now has three exam rooms and an office with nursing and chiropractic services offered three times a week.

Whew!

We've been busy. If you haven't come for a tour lately, give us a call at 419-242-5141 and ask for Yolanda Bailey at extension 241.

Dan Rogers

The Sparrow's Nest

This is the Sparrow's Nest. This is one of our 24/7 facilities where we serve women who come to us at all hours of the day for help. Avis Files is our Director of the Sparrow's Nest.

Did you know the Cherry Street Mission Ministries has a 'No Wrong Door' philosophy? What that literally means is that you'll never hear us say; "I'm sorry, you've come to the wrong place." or "I'm sorry, we don't offer that here." The reality is, we serve all who come to us, because fundamentally we believe they have been sent by God for us to serve. It's not that we claim to do everything, in fact we don't - but who can.

If someone comes to one of our seven ministry sites, and needed a particular service we don't offer, we say; "Have a seat, while we connect you with the provider that will help you." In fact, there are several services we now offer simply because we have this philosophy of service.

The Sparrow's Nest is a 54 bed facility. The first floor is primarily used in service to those who are in emergency need or are candidates for our Ready For Life (RFL) Program. The second floor is used for the women in our RFL.

As a matter of fact, if you'll go back to the home page of our web site; cherrystreetmission.org and click of "The Voice of Compassion" you'll be able to read many stories of women and men who have been served Christ in a way that has transformed their lives.

If you are a supporter of our work - thank you. These many lives are changed because of your foresight and hope that transformation of the human condition is indeed possible.

Dan Rogers

Bob

One of the great things about working with people is, if you're observant, you will see them transform right before your eyes. Now, I know that sounds like it's an instantaneous thing, but in fact the 'right before your eyes' statement is in fact a process. Which is why you need to be observant.

I'm always amazed when occasionally I'll encounter, within the service community, a provider who can't tell a recent good story about someone they saw transform. Honestly, I don't know what the motivation would be to even go into work if the transformation of people being served wasn't visual. But maybe that's the problem - it's not visual in some organizations because it's not visualized.

Anyway, what about Bob?

Bob is one of our guests, as he's been in the Ready for Life program for most of this year. Bob's a good hearted individual with a ready smile and a decent attitude towards others. He's helpful to our staff, and usually has a ready word of encouragement for the men in the program.

The other day he stopped me in the parking lot - smiling ear to ear he told me that Matt Clapp, our Lead Case Manager, helped him get a job at a local meat store. Happy? That wouldn't quite describe or capture Bob's outlook or attitude. No - I would say, deeply optimistic about his life and future.

Even as I write this, I'm full of joy for Bob. It's more than 'It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy' thing - it's AMAZING! It is the ultimate in; "once I was lost and now I'm found." Bob has a job - but Bob also has Jesus ... he's allowed God to be bigger and smaller than anything he had experienced before hand. I'm so glad he received Christ before receiving a job - life will make much more sense now because of that order.

There are many more Bob's in our program; searching, waiting, hoping. There are also many more potential Bob's who don't know, or haven't accepted hope yet. Pray for them ... won't you?

Next week ... The Sparrow's Nest.

Dan Rogers

The Invisible Bridge

As you know, on Wednesday August 1st the 35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis Minnesota collapsed. As of this date, there are still people missing. The subsequent news reports on the many bridges across America in trouble, has caused many of us to consider or be suspicious of the bridges we cross to and from work or school. A new anxiety is creeping into everyday life.

We all know about the other bridges in our lives - the ones we cross everyday. The bridge of relationship to family, friends and coworkers. Relationships like bridges need to be looked at and inspected constantly and when we don't, when we travel heavily across them without regard to sustainability - they too collapse eventually under the weight of it all.

The fact is, even with the best care and inspection of our relationship bridges they collapse anyway. Because they're supported by fragile material - people.

So. If we can't truly trust the steel and concrete bridges and we can't truly trust the relational bridges - where's the hope? Where's the security? What's the barrier that keeps anxiety from creeping into our heart and paralyzing our lives?

Good question.

What about the Invisible Bridge? Art Erickson, also of Minneapolis, calls the Invisible Bridge the; "Ultimate bridge not made by human hands." That's it isn't it? We can only trust the bridge that is Christ Jesus. He is the only one who can bear the weight of our 'travels'.

When Jesus is the only bridge we travel, He ends up being the only bridge we trust. But when we build a relationship bridge to anyone or anything else and we've not built it on Christ - it won't matter how careful we are or how often we inspect it. A bridge made by you or me is under a constant state of deterioration.

Conversely, a bridge that is Christ isn't subject to such environmental erosion and will not collapse. That's the message of the Gospel and it's the message to the hundreds of men, women and families who are served each day at Cherry Street Mission Ministries.

Dan Rogers

Last Night

This is my son Caleb. He is entering his second year at Mount Zion in Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Mount Zion was started by David Wilkerson and is a school of ministry that equips young people to be Missionaries, then sends them to the far reaches of the world.

This summer Caleb has been interning at Family Christian Center in Sylvania where he has been assisting Pastor Mark Mylek in an outreach to Woodside Terrace in Holland on Monday nights.

He's also been an intern at Cherry Street Mission Ministries this summer on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. He's been assisting Chaplain Ernest Jackson, learning how to serve and minister at the same time.

Last night Caleb was scheduled to speak at the Ministry Hour at our Madison Street facility and asked if I would be there - I'm thinking wild horses couldn't keep me from going. What a wonderful message he presented! One of the cool things he said to the one hundred or so men and women assembled that night was; "When I come back here next summer, I don't want to see any of you still here." WOW! What a powerful statement of faith.

I'll tell you what else that statement does - it inspires faith to the rest of us. What must we do to complete his statement of faith? Can we see what this young man sees as possible? What attitude does this level of faith foster in our work and service towards others?

Thanks Caleb!

Dan Rogers

All In A Week's Service

At the beginning of each week, the Departments of Cherry Street Mission Ministries report their previous weeks statistics. We then publish an internal memo to all the staff called; "The Hot Sheet".

Cherry Street Mission Ministries humbly stands behind it's 60 year record of being the only service to the Least, Last and Lost of our communities that NEVER closes it's doors. Thanks to God, and to you, the Light of Jesus Christ burns bright in the darkness for so many of your fellow citizens.

THANK YOU!

Hot Sheet For July 15-21, 2007

Men’s Ministries
Total number of overnight stays for the week: 764
Nightly census averages
Bunk Room – 67
3rd Floor/Ready for Life – 16
Mats – 18
Foyer – 9
Average nightly census: 110

Women’s Ministries
Total number of overnight stays for the week: 277
Nightly census averages
Emergency Shelter – 28
Ready for Life – 12
Average nightly census: 40

Food Services
Total number of meals served for the week: 5286
Madison (includes Sparrow’s Nest)
Breakfast – 1152
Lunch – 1262
Dinner – 1469
Good Samaritan
Breakfast – 663
Dinner – 740
Daily meal averages
Breakfast – 259
Lunch – 180
Dinner – 316
Average daily meals served: 755

Community Services
Total pounds of donated clothing: 2809
Volunteers oriented: 4
Total volunteer hours (community service dept): 299
Number of families who received furniture/household items: 9
Number of people served with clothing: 66

Walking on the Other Side of The Road [part two]

Last week I posted the parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke chapter 10. [you may want to read last week's post first]

I wrote;

Why are we prone to be selective when it comes to deciding who we will help and when? Is it fear? Is it lack of concern, or compassion? Is it spiritual or social blindness? Is it a blatant or subtle prejudice? Is it a lack of justice, or mercy? Is it a clear disregard for anyone other than yourself .. selfishness?

Actually, while many of these traits or tendencies are present in many people, for those of you who 'get' this parable - you already know it's none of these things. But .. there is something, isn't there? There is something inside you that makes you walk on the other side of people's problems just like the Levite and Priest in Jesus' parable.

If it's not lack of love, compassion, justice or mercy - then what is it?

Skill and competence!

The fact is, we're found walking on the other side of the road because we have concluded we don't know what else to do. Oh we want to help, and in the past we've tried to help but we've also consistently failed or felt like a failure because what we tried either wasn't enough or didn't work.

If this is a reality - and for far too many it is - then your only other recourse is to keep walking.

The Good Samaritan had both skill and competence. He had a donkey, wine, oil and cash resources and he was prepared to use them because he knew how to use them.

At Cherry Street Mission Ministries we call this Rescue Competence and Biblical Skill.

Rescue Competence causes you to walk on the side of trouble. For too long we've been told as a church to stay out of trouble. Concerned with purity, wholeness and sanctification we no longer know how to demonstrate in tangible ways these very attributes of God in us. We've become and sadly remain, 'temple dwellers' - unable to effect change and insert Christ into the trouble of the battered and broken people living all around us.

Regarding the battered and broken, if you continue to think it's the lack of love, mercy or compassion that keeps you walking on the other side of the road - then you are doomed to it. Because God's work in you is complete - He didn't give you a little bit of anything. So if you continue to pursue more, you'll never find it.

Add to your love, mercy and compassion Rescue Competence and Biblical Skill and you'll quickly see just how powerful God really is when you and He walk on the side of trouble.

If you're interested in being equipped in Rescue Competence a Rescue Class is available as an eight week course or as a three day Rescue Intensive. Call my assistant Maren Kurtz for more details at 419-242-5141 ex. 225.

Dan Rogers

Walking on the Other Side of The Road

Luke 10:29-37
But he, willing to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor?
And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said to him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor to him that fell among the thieves?
And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus to him, Go, and do thou likewise.

In this parable and in an attempt to explain what 'neighbor' meant, Jesus uses the Priest and the Levite as an example of what a 'neighbor' is not - clearly a neighbor, which is defined as; "The one who is the nearest" does NOT walk around the problems of others.

Ever wonder about this?

Why??

Why are we prone to be selective when it comes to deciding who we will help and when? Is it fear? Is it lack of concern, or compassion? Is it spiritual or social blindness? Is it a blatant or subtle prejudice? Is it a lack of justice, or mercy? Is it a clear disregard for anyone other than yourself .. selfishness?

Unfortunately, many people I talk to about this parable believe that their selectivity is because they don't love God enough, or don't love their fellow man enough.

Experience tells me it's none of these things!

Oh, don't get me wrong, ALL of these things may be present in different measure and forms. But I'm talking to those of you who 'get' this parable. You understand what Jesus is talking about, and you know what's required of you as a follower of Him. And yet your frustration is realized in the fact that you do not consistently do what you believe.

Next week - I'll share with you why.

Dan Rogers

The Obvious

Recently while teaching a Rescue Class at New Life Church of God in Christ on Oakwood in Toledo's urban core, I drew a box on the flip chart and inside the box wrote the letters BS and said to the class, "Everyone is full of this".

Belief System!

Our Belief System is created by three predominant components; History, Experience and Environment. Our Belief System is our paradigm - it's not a 'seeing is believing' thing as much as it's a 'seeing what I believe' thing. Our Belief System determines how we see life. For example if you believe all homeless men are alcoholics and lazy that's the way you see homeless men. However, when you come to Cherry Street Mission Ministries and have a tour of one or all of our ministry sites and interact with actual homeless men you realize that not all homeless men are drunk and lazy.

What happened? Your Belief System was challenged and you begin to experience a Paradigm Shift in the way you think.

It is in fact our Belief System that creates our Culture. For example, if you grew up in a home where both parents were alcoholics, you grew up in a culture of drinking. That Culture of drinking in your home was there because a Belief System not only created it, but supported it. If you grew up and became an alcoholic, it is largely because the presence of a hidden Belief System created a very visible Culture of drinking.

It is our Culture that becomes the obvious of our lives. Our Culture always creates the 'obvious'. Unfortunately for many who desire to effect change in the lives of those we care for, it is only the 'Obvious' that we end up caring about. If someone is an alcoholic we want them to stop drinking [the obvious]. We then become frustrated because they remain unresponsive to our logic and ultimately we begin to give up on them all together.

If you want to effect change in the culture of a person or a community, you must first deal with their Belief System. You must care more for the person [Belief System], than what the person is doing [Culture].

What do you think?

Dan Rogers

Happy Anniversary!!

This month Cherry Street Mission Ministries turned 60 years old!

We began our ministry on June 14, 1947. Jesse and Bertha Fleck who were, by their own admission in a letter dated June 17, 1951, had lived in relative comfort most of their lives not feeling as though they had done much for God. Having decided to live out the balance of their lives serving God by serving others, they and a handful of friends began to serve food to men on skid row a few nights a week. Their first building was on Cherry Street and before too long they were serving meals every night of the week. By the first anniversary of Cherry Street Mission, they were putting men up in a nearby motel so they wouldn't have to sleep on the streets.

On June 29, 1949 they bought several cots and put them up in the back room behind where they served meals - there wasn't money enough for mattresses, so the men slept on cardboard on top of the springs of the cot.

The rest, as we say, is history. 60 years later, from our humble beginnings on Cherry Street we now serve more than 700 meals a day, shelter on average 180 men and women each night, and serve the community through five different ministry sites.

Today, June 30 2007, we celebrated our anniversary with a community picnic. I'm not sure how many people came out to help us celebrate, but we served hamburgers and hot dogs four hours straight with no gap in the serving line. What a great picnic it was, Tom Clappsaddle from the Toledo Gospel Rescue Mission brought his 'weenie wagon' and cooked up the hot dogs all day long, while dancers from Foundation Stone Christian Center worshipped God in style. Then there was a drummer and dance corp that entertained and excited the crowd and of course a few members of our staff sang and gave testimony to God's greatness.

There were games, face painting, inflatables for the kids, great music and a chance for everyone to connect and have a good time.

I thank God every time I think about the humility of the Flecks and the tremendous risk they took and sacrifice they made just so someone had a place to eat and sleep.

Jesse and Bertha passed on their Heritage and have honored us with the responsibility to live the Legacy of service!

Dan Rogers

Compassion and Rescue

This is our Monroe Street Facility on the corner of Monroe and 17th Street in the Uptown District of Toledo, Ohio. The first and third floors comprise our 165 bed unit for men in both our transitional and program services. The second floor houses our administration offices and conference facilities.

The men who arrive here each day represent a wide range of problems; ex-felons, addicts, mental health, physical health, no families, jobless, no high school diploma and the list goes on. But all of these men share something in common beyond the fact they're all homeless - none of their problems began today.

Ask yourself this question; "How long would it take me to become homeless if I started working on it right now?" Would it take a week, a month .. a year? While the time it takes a homeless person to reach one of the facilities of Cherry Street Mission Ministries, is going to vary from person to person, the reality is you have to imagine how many family and friends you will need to cycle through until there literally is no where else to go.

Think of it this way, how many moms, dads, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, friends, co-workers and friends of friends told you that you were no longer welcome in their home? That's how long it takes to become homeless - for some it's a matter of months, and for others the reality of homelessness has taken years.

This is what I mean when I say, Cherry Street Mission Ministries is a downstream ministry - we are the receiver of the many who have been floating ever-so steadily down the river of humanity for some time. Can you see that they've all come from another place?? A place way upstream of where they are now.

Compassion for the least, last and lost must begin with rescue! Rescue is defined by going after the upstream of a person's life - and here's the kicker for most would be or wanna be rescuers, you must be willing to put aside the downstream realities of a person's life first. In other words, if a person is an alcoholic you will put that aside to discover what cataclysmic event occurred in his or her life for the purpose of rescue.

More on this in July - stay tuned!

Dan Rogers

The Upstream / Downstream way of looking at things

Nearly 24 months ago, a good friend of Cherry Street Mission Ministries asked me a thought provoking question; "Dan, what is Cherry Street's responsibility to the church?" As odd as it seems now - at the time I had never thought about it.

But my what a personal and organizational quest we've been on since then.

If you've read any of the past posts, you've seen me briefly talk about the upstream and downstream model. Let me explain further. The next time you're near a blank piece of paper, a chalk board or a white board, draw a straight line from left to right ... now step back and look at it for a moment.

Looking at the start of the line on the far left, call that the upstream. The far right, or the end of the line is the downstream. Now, mark an X on the line, just before it ends [to the right] - that's Cherry Street Mission Ministries. We are a downstream ministry, receiving the human condition flowing down the river. We're a receiver ministry.

As you may know God has made us, as His hands to those in need, very good at what we do. For 60 years we have been receiving the stream of people flowing to one of our ministry sites and for 60 years through rescue and restoration, we've been able to return them to their families and communities. This is what we refer to as downstream service.

Now, please look once again at the line you've drawn ... mark an X at the beginning of the line - that's the church. Using the upstream / downstream model, what my friend was asking me nearly two years ago was; "Dan what responsibility does the downstream have to the upstream? As it turns out, quite a bit.

Perhaps the most asked question at Cherry Street Mission Ministries of those on our tours, is; "Can we end poverty and homelessness?" The only way to get your hands around the answer is to use this model of thinking.

Think about this for a moment; Immediate downstream problems can be solved with downstream solutions but systemic downstream problems can only be solved with upstream solutions.

We'll develop this model over the course of the next several posts. If you would like to join in the conversation, you can post your comments or email me your thoughts.

Dan Rogers

The Seeing and the Weeping of it. [part two]

Micah 6:8 says;
He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

The church over the past several generations has become good at mercy ministries and in some cases we've even become great at being merciful to those around us; donating to others our provisions, serving the less fortunate, sharing the Gospel with the down and out and demonstrating genuine compassion for the least, last and lost among us.

But are we great, or even good at providing justice?

God said through Micah; "do justly..." Do we weep over the injustice of a neighborhood that no longer can be afforded by it's residents? Are we concerned with the plight of our brothers and sisters, who attend our services but return to the drug infested neighborhood in which they live?

In short, could it be that the Great Commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself" means that we must do more than the mere spiritual transformation of a person? Mercy causes me to share Christ for the purpose of Spiritual Transformation but justice causes me to share Christ for the purpose of Social Transformation.

Please remember that as the Church in your City, you are the most powerful certainty on the planet! No other entity has God said "Jesus is the Head of you." But also please know my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, if we're not careful we're going to lose the right all together to be heard in our communities.

Love mercy - please. But while we're at it, let's add justice to our plans, action steps, strategic sessions and yes ... to our prayer for one another. Then I think we can be like Nehemiah, who when after the weeping went to work to bring justice to a troubled city.

What do you think?

Dan Rogers

The Seeing and the Weeping of it [part 1]

Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned.
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven.
Nehemiah 1:2-4

The gates and the walls of his beloved city were in ruins, and his fellow citizens were in harms way - now that's worth crying about!

You get the idea, walls and gates were very important to a city because of the protection and safe harbor they provided and represented. When the gates and walls are in ruins, it's very indicative of the overall condition of the city and it's citizenry.

If Toledo had walls and gates, what would be their condition?

You guessed it - "it's crying time."

Maybe it's time for us to step up and step back from our daily grind for a minute. What do we see? No, not just the obvious - what do we see? What is the condition of our people? Does it break your heart to see the hungry and the homeless? Does it mess you up to see thousands return to our city each year from incarceration? Do you weep over the victims of domestic violence? Are you crying?

First cry - then serve. That's Nehemiah's story. He allowed himself a moment to get messed up over the bad news of his home town, then he went to work to fix it. Perhaps in some cases we get too busy in the service and work of others, we forget to let something of ourselves break first.

When we follow Nehemiah's example and first weep over what we first see, then our action plans, and to-do lists, and economic development plans, and educational plans, and regional growth plans become better organized and better implemented, because we've seen the beginning from the end.

What do you think?

Dan Rogers

Do we 'Nehemiah' our City?

Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me,
The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned.
And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven.
Nehemiah 1:2-4

Toledo, like many mid-west cities, is in trouble.

Toledo is in fact the 13th fastest shrinking city in America, we have an entrenched political climate, a failing public school system, and a community of civic leaders who seem to have an endless penchant toward examining the fuzz in their navel while the city we love teeters somewhere between broken and busted.

In the course of the next several posts I would like to develop with you the following, regarding Nehemiah's responsiveness to bad news concerning his home town.

Nehemiah;

• Received those who knew the condition of the city,
• Asked questions regarding the cities condition,
• Heard the news
• Sat down - stopped his normal and daily routine,
• Wept - openly expressing the pain of the news,
• Mourned the reality,
• Turned to God with fasting and prayer concerning the cities condition.

Do we 'Nehemiah' our city?

What do you think?

Dan Rogers

A Mark on their Soul

Psalms 130:2-4

Out of the depths I cry to Thee, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

Recently on a Saturday morning and while making breakfast for friends, I foolishly reached for something on the stove without looking first. The result, you guessed it ... a burn on my hand.

For the next several days that rather sizable red mark was a constant reminder of the careless action that created it. In the same way, all of us can be careless with our lives by "reaching" for something without looking first. The results can range from a slight reprimand to loss of job or family .. or even death.

Unintended consequences.

The verse above is key to understanding God's role; (psalm 130:3), “if You Lord would mark me, or keep in mind the things I have done wrong, how will I be able to stand it?” It’s a good question with a great answer supplied also by the psalmist in verse 4; “But with you, there is forgiveness.”

Every day, hundreds of men, women and families arrive at one of the ministry sites of Cherry Street Mission Ministries living out the unintended consequence of homelessness due to careless actions. They bear a kind of mark on their souls. Just like my burn, their mark is a constant reminder of things gone wrong, decisions which have gone badly and families left in disaster.

Like the Psalmist, they're crying out from the depths of their soul. The weight of incarceration, addiction, abandonment and homelessness crashes in on them every day. Can you imagine with me the joy and relief that comes on a person, when they begin to realize and accept that ‘In Him (God), there is forgiveness’, that our God has not marked them but rather desires to remove the mark of failure and addiction that's on their soul?

I hope, this is true for all of us today as we cry out to God for relief from our own failures and the weight of consequences we didn't intend - may we all find Him faithful in forgiveness.

What do you think?

Dan Rogers

Can we end poverty and poverty causing homelessness for an entire community?

WOW!

Can we end poverty and homelessness for an entire community??

As you may know, Cherry Street Mission Ministries has been ending poverty and poverty causing homelessness for individuals for 60 years. I think we've proven again and again, with staggering accuracy, that it's more than possible to end the chronic cycles of destruction in a person's life.

But that's not the question for today is it? Can we bring an end to the nightmare reality that thousands of our fellow citizens and their children are in fact without a home in Toledo and the surrounding region?

If you can only see the obvious, the answer is NO!!

HOWEVER - if you're willing to work, serve and intention yourself beyond the obvious and are willing to spend and be spent without a consideration for time, then the answer is an overwhelming YES!!

Poverty, incarceration, homelessness and addiction (just to name a few) are downstream issues, created way upstream of today's reality. When we end homelessness for a single individual, we do that in the downstream reality - they come to one of our facilities, we serve them and minister the life of Christ to them and they become restored and return to our communities.

But in order to solve the downstream realities for an entire community, we need an upstream solution. We are only experiencing the plight of poverty and homelessness as a community because there is a "factory", if you will, that's creating it.

We must also come to terms that the ultimate upstream reality begins with the parent. It's often been said that it takes a village to raise a child, meaning that it takes all of us to ensure the child's success. After several years of thinking this way as a community, I think we can say with relative certainty that not only is this line of thinking not working, it's failing miserably.

Don't you think the more accurate statement is, it takes a village to raise and support a parent and it takes a parent to raise a child? I do - the parent is the beginning of the stream and they need our overwhelming support.

At Cherry Street we always say; "Time is not a factor when the inevitable is being pursued". I guess, the biggest question we must answer is; Are we willing to take time off the table so that a better day for Toledo may emerge?

What do you think?

Dan Rogers

What does the lack of affordable housing have to do with Homelessness?

Gentrification. I'm one of those guys who love to see old areas of the city revitalize - especially abandoned areas where commerce is once again thriving and people are returning to live and raise their families. Bringing a community back to life establishes fair market housing and that attracts other people and businesses to the area, which leads to more revitalization and so on it goes.

Of course without a carefully thought out development plan, there's a down side to gentrifying an area - lack of affordable housing. The ugly side of bringing "life" back to an area, is that little or no thought is given to the life (people) already living in that area. Again without a careful plan that benefits all people, for every block that is revitalized affordable housing gets pushed out or down to the next block until it vanishes completely.

Many of the women and men, especially the men, who come to our facilities for shelter or transitional living are caught in what we refer to as the "Housing Sandwich." With more than 8,000 men and women coming from our correction facilities into Lucas County each year, many of them do not have a home to return to. Incarceration isn't the only contributor to the housing sandwich. If a person who has been without a home for an extended period of time, gets back of their feet, they to will be unable to move from our care to their own home. So for many, the sad reality is, lack of affordable housing brings them to us and lack of affordable housing keeps them with us - that's how the lack of affordable housing contributes to the homelessness of our fellow citizens.

Here's today's question; "What happens when we merge a ready labor force (homeless men and women), with all the abandoned houses in our city (between 400-500 conservatively) and education in the building trades (plumbing, electrical construction)?

The return of affordable housing! Simple, yet complex - what do you think?

Dan Rogers

What's the number one cause of homelessness?

Let's get the familiar and obvious answers out of the way:

1. Alcoholism?
2. Illegal or prescription drug use?
3. Incarceration?
4. Pornography?
5. Gambling?
6. Economics?
7. Lack of affordable housing?
8. Illiteracy?

If you said yes to any of the above, you've certainly identified a number of contributors to homelessness. In fact the number one contributor of homelessness among men in the United States is alcoholism and the number one contributor of homelessness among women in the U.S. is crack cocain. Incarceration - huge! We have more than 8,000 men and women coming into Lucas County every year from our corrections centers. Gambling? No one wants to talk much about the down sides of something so fun and"innocent" as gambling. Economics? Ohio still hasn't seen the economic recovery of most states, so our state and region wide economic woes definetly contribute to homelessness. What about pornography? This is the number one contributor to sex crimes and the making of sexual predators - I know, shocking isn't it?

But what about the number one cause of homelessness? Ready? It's the lack of knowledge!! That's right, the Bible says people perish because of it. The reason why the ministries of Cherry Street have been widely successful is because we know that the obvious (the list above) is simply the product of something else.

You can prove this by thinking about all the times you've failed, or made a bad choice or decision. You can track the wrong done to the lack of knowledge; either you didn't know, or you did know and chose to ignore it anyway. Either way, it was the lack of knowledge applied that brought about the negative outcome. How have you corrected these bad decisions moving forward? You've made sure you've got knowledge working for you.

When we introduce knowledge into the lives of the men and women we serve, their lives begin to change - from the inside out. Of course, the knowledge that we unashamedly apply is that of God through Christ Jesus.

Dan Rogers

Faces of Poverty

There are just over 11 million people living in Ohio. Of the 11 million, 147,000 of our fellow Ohioans experience homelessness each year. Think about this for a moment; over 13% of our state population each year is homeless - without a home.
Here are a few questions for us to consider over the next few weeks;

1. What is the number one cause of a person or persons becoming homeless?
2. What contribution to homelessness does lack of affordable housing cause?
3. If we can end homelessness for a single individual or family, can we end it for an entire community?

Dan Rogers

Ohio Homelessness Statistics

The statistics of homelessness can be such a daunting realization, particularly when you realize the following stats are from our own great state of Ohio. As you read through the following statistics, keep in mind that there are real people behind each number.

In the next few weeks, we’ll explore both solutions and preventative measures to homelessness and discuss the root causes of men, women and families who have become or are without a home.

I’ll look forward to your comments and observations as we dialogue through critical issues of our community, as well as learn from one another.

Homelessness in Ohio

147,000 Ohioans are homeless annually.

Women comprise 57% of homeless adults in rural Ohio and more than one-third in urban areas.

The median age of homeless people in urban areas is 33; in rural areas it is 29.

As many as 30,000 veterans experience homelessness annually. 35,000 children are homeless annually; two-thirds are school age.

Homelessness in rural Ohio has increased by 300% between 1985 and 1990.

20% of homeless Ohioans report drinking often, while 30% suffer from mental illness. These groups significantly overlap.

Young families no longer able to close the gap between housing cost and total household income.

Individuals currently employed full- or part-time but with too little income to afford housing.

Women unable to work due to child care responsibilities or limited skills to meet the demands of a changing labor market.

Men unable to work due to disability, limited skills and education with minimal social support.

Disabled persons without the social networks and supports to live independently in the community.

Patterns of Rural Homelessness in Ohio

Average length of time homeless was 49 days (79.7% six months or less).

Nearly one-half were living temporarily with family of friends.

39.2% were living in shelters or missions.

14.6% were living in cars, abandoned building and other unsheltered conditions

Over one-half (52.4%) were residents of the county more than one year, 48.6% of the non- residents had moved from another Ohio county.

Economic factors were identified by 45.1% as the most important reasons for their homelessness; family problems were cited by 30.4% of respondents.

Almost one-third (3 1.2%) had worked for pay in the prior month; 43.2% of those working, were working full-time.

Major sources of income were earnings: 26.2%; welfare: 26.1%; disability (SSI or pension): 9.2%; and family and friends: 3.5%.

Homeless families (26.8% of he interviews) included an average of 2 children per family; and 67.9% of the families were single parent households (99% headed by women).

Major changes in the characteristics of rural homeless persons are a greater proportion women, younger, better educated, and less likely to have history of psychiatric hospitalization.