Rescue Class Schedule

Good Friday to you all!

Many of you have asked about the Rescue Class schedule for 2008. We have secured the April and May dates and locations. If this if your first time hearing about the Rescue Class, it is a Biblically formed curriculum designed to both instruct and train members of the faith community as well as those in the social services field, who work with and serve people in crisis, to become effective in rescuing others.

Here are the locations and dates for April and May:

(all classes are held in the evening unless otherwise noted)

New Life Church of God in Christ
1215 Oakwood
Toledo, Ohio 43607

Monday April 7^th 6:00 – 8:30
Wednesday April 9^th 6:00 – 8:30
Monday April 14^th 6:00 – 8:30
Wednesday April 16^th 6:00 – 8:30
Monday April 21^st 6:00 – 8:30
Wednesday April 23^rd 6:00 – 8:30

New Harvest
3540 Seaman
Oregon, Ohio 43616

3 Day Intensive
Thursday May 15^th 6:00 – 9:00
Friday May 16^th 6:00 – 9:00
Saturday May 17^th 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

To register for the Rescue Class, contact Ashely Hall at 419-242-5141 or by email at ahall@cherrystreetmission.org. If you would like additional information about the Rescue Class you may contact me directly via email at danrogers@cherrystreetmission.org. To schedule a Rescue Class with your organization or church contact Liz Simon at lsimon@cherrystreetmission.org.

Happy Resurrection Sunday!
Dan

Record Numbers being served!

The record number of men and women reaching the doors of one of our facilities of service, continue to increase. Monday evening, we set a new 61 year record of men and women staying overnight at 232. Last night (Tuesday evening) we broke that record again for a total overnight stay of 239. Our Food Service meal count remains at just over 750 meals each day.

This is wild when you consider that just six years ago the average overnight stay for men and women was 62 and the average daily meal count was 125.

We thank God for the supporting and generous communities of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan toward the least, last and lost. Your support is demonstrated in giving your time to volunteer, the donations of food, clothing and furniture, your prayers for those in need and of course your monetary support.

So - if you or your family, your place of business or church, your organization or club is one of the many stepping up to help out this winter - THANK YOU. Your love and outstanding care for those in need is both greatly appreciated and accepted.

Seriously - because we operate 100% through private donations, corporate, church and foundation support, we couldn't do it without you.

Can I encourage you to stop by for a tour some time? It would be great to see you.

Dan

It's Time for Rescue

We will be presenting the Rescue Curriculum at New Life Church of God in Christ at 1215 Oakwood. New Life is near the Oakwood and Detroit intersection.

Here's the schedule:
February 21st. - 23rd.
Thursday 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Friday 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Rescue Class is being offered free of charge and open to anyone who desires a greater level of success in working with others through rescue. This three day intensive includes course instruction, a rescue assessment, material handouts and an opportunity to become a Rescue Intern upon completing the course.

To register or if you have any questions, email me at danrogers@cherrystreetmission.org or call my assistant Maren Kurtz at 419-242-5141. Registration is required to attend the class.

Hope to see you there,

Dan

Graves without bodies

Arlington National Cemetery looking out over the Potomac and Washington DC







I was honored recently to spend a few days in our nations capitol. While I've been there many times, I've never had a chance to visit Arlington Cemetery - this time I got my wish. There were a few things I wanted to see for sure;

• Tomb of the Unknowns and the changing of the guard
• President Kennedy's burial place, and
• Robert E. Lees estate

Definitely the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns is worth the trip all by itself - the obvious dedication of the 'Old Guard' along with the tradition of military precision leaves you with a sense of pride and honor.

Arlington is a quiet place as you can imagine. The white grave markers carefully placed in straight diagonal rows and the rolling hills along with the beautiful sunny day, really made my day.

Theres a large section of grave markers at Arlington, that are closely placed next to each other - noticeably too close for anyone to have been buried there. Curious, I looked around for an explanation and found a marker which stated these were the graves of men and women who died in combat but their bodies had never been recovered. You may remember big band legend Glen Miller whose plane went down during WWII - his grave marker is in this section.

Do you know what this section of the cemetery reminded me of?

The impoverished, incarcerated, homeless and addicted brothers and sisters of our communities - our neighbors.

They're very much like this section of graves without bodies. These men and women have experienced death. Death of hope, joy, a meaningful life - death of family or future. Now they are so forgotten and faceless, we seem to already have placed a marker in the ground and said to each other, and of them; 'you're dead'.

It doesn't have to be this way - there's still time and if there's time, there's hope. When you get involved in the systemic issues of the life a person, bring about real solution and offer your support in their recovery - you remove a marker from the ground of our community. You say by your actions and your behavior; 'The body has been found, they're not dead'.

To be involved, or to learn how you can be involved - contact us. We'll train you, support you and help you realize the joy of life transformation.

Dan

Martin Luther King Jr.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., graduated from Morehouse College in 1948, Crozer Theological Seminary in 1951, and Boston University earning a Ph.D. in 1955. The son of the pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, King was ordained in 1947. In 1955 he led the black boycott of segregated city bus lines and in 1956 gained a major victory and prestige as a civil-rights leader when Montgomery buses began to operate on a desegregated basis.

King organized the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which gave him a base to pursue further civil-rights activities, first in the South and later nationwide. His philosophy of nonviolent resistance led to his arrest on numerous occasions in the 1950s and 60s. His campaigns had mixed success, but the protest he led in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963 brought him worldwide attention. He spearheaded the August 1963, March on Washington, which brought together more than 200,000 people. In 1964 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

King's leadership in the civil-rights movement was challenged in the mid-1960s as others grew more militant. His interests, however, widened from civil rights to include criticism of the Vietnam War and a deeper concern over poverty. His plans for a Poor People's March to Washington were interrupted in 1968 for a trip to Memphis, Tenn., in support of striking sanitation workers. On April 4, 1968, he was shot and killed as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. The Lorraine Motel was established in 1991 as a civil-rights museum.

Here is an excerpt from his acceptance speech of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.

I accept this award today with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind. I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the "isness" of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal "oughtness" that forever confronts him. I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsom and jetsom in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events which surround him. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.

I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant. I believe that even amid today's mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow. I believe that wounded justice, lying prostrate on the blood-flowing streets of our nations, can be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men. I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive good will proclaim the rule of the land. "And the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid." I still believe that We Shall overcome!

Enjoy the Holiday.

Dan Rogers

The Golden Rule

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Its fairly simple, isn't it? If you want it done to you - do it to someone else ... and if you don't want it to happen to you, don't 'happen' to someone else.

Steven R. Covey in his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People asks this question; "How would life be different if everyone on the planet observed this simple rule?" My guess is the world we all live in (and complain about) can change and experience transformation, if not out right reform, when we all decide a different take on our actions.

This is Samuel 'Golden Rule' Jones.

Samuel Milton "Golden Rule" Jones became Mayor of the great City of Toledo on February 25, 1897. That day would usher in a nearly two decade period of reform government in the city and would propel Mayor Jones to national and even international fame.

As mayor Jones aligned himself with the progressive forces of Toledo who had long championed greater municipal regulation of the economy. With their help Jones succeeded in securing the city's first civil service system, fostered the growth of the city's park system, cracked down on police brutality, and expanded relief programs for the indigent and poor. Unlike other progressives, Jones did not believe in using the city's police power to enforce morality. He refused to prosecute prostitutes or shut down beer halls. Whenever he could, Jones presided over the city's police court and dismissed most of the cases brought before him out of sympathy for the poor. The poor, Jones said, "have no money, they have no council and for petty offenses that are not offenses at all when committed by the rich, they are fined, imprisoned, disgraced and degraded."

Helen Beach Jones, Samuel M. Jones's second wife, was born in Toledo on April 28, 1857. She was his helpmate during the years he made national history as the mayor of Toledo. She composed music, gave lessons, and was active in the Toledo Women's club, the Samagama Club, and laid the groundwork for Beach house, a homeless women's shelter named for her mother.

The Beach House continues to this day as a shelter for women and children to experience life transformation.

The Golden Rule people .... what do you think?

Dan

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