Praying for Grants Pass
As my team and I network throughout the community, we hear the overwhelming frustration and heartbreak caused by the homeless crisis here in Grants Pass. We speak with business owners who have their entire livelihood tied to tourism and downtown foot traffic.
The anxiety in their voices as they wonder how to change their return on investment from red to black, while criminal mischief plagues our fair city. Worse yet is the price paid by local neighborhoods whose homes are robbed and whose parks intended for family gatherings are reduced to dens of terror and insanity. Our laws no longer protect those who keep the law, but only prevent criminals from being stopped. What in the world can we do?
In Psalm 56 the psalmist writes,
“Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;
my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many attack me proudly.
When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.[1]”
Now is the time for prayer and the psalmist offers us a vocabulary that is often outside of our 21st century evangelical Christian comfort zone. We should learn to sing prayers of praise to almighty God and trust in the only one who can save us.
This is the time for us to remind each other that Gods word never fails. We can praise the very words of the only one who can and will deliver justice to our enemies and mercy to His people.
May the prayers of the psalmists be our prayers in these challenging times.
Brian Bouteller – Executive Director
MissionView Update
While things are moving forward, they are just moving slowly for the moment. We are currently negotiating a way to solve the surface water drainage that our project will create, and these things just take time. Please pray that God will clear the way for us to get started with the groundwork so that these much-needed homes can begin. Also, pray that all potential opportunities to enlarge this project will become available as we know the need is great. We are so excited to see how the Lord will provide for our seniors through His people!
“Partner Sips”
There are very few venues in our area more beautiful than those of the small, regional vineyards of the Rogue Valley. Partner Sips was developed as a relaxing way to enjoy some warm, personal conversations with the Mission leadership team to discuss the long-term vision of the Mission and discover why partnering with us has been so important to our donors.
There are 4 events planned this summer with very limited seating. Each event is complementary to our donors and participants will receive custom, hand-crafted wine glasses from the Glass Forge. If you haven’t already received your invitation and would like to attend, please contact Laura Smithwick at laura@grmgp.org to secure your seat.
You don’t have to enjoy wine to enjoy the beauty of community (but if you do it’s even better!). Come share in the discussion as we talk about the opportunities for advancing Gods Kingdom in Southern Oregon through the work of the Gospel Rescue Mission.
Why we do what we do!
A young man named Danny checked into the Mission recently. He is an intelligent and able-bodied young man who was just getting ready to start a job at ESAM. It was his first time really living on his own, so he and his mom were both fairly nervous. Danny had gone to church when he was younger but had a traumatic experience that made him never want to go to church again and so for the next 10 years… he didn’t. He said he did not feel like he would ever want to be a part of religion again.
However, here at the Mission he had to go to Chapels as well as Church on Sunday, which he was not thrilled about at first. However, on only his second week here one of our Saturday night chaplains, Chaplain Craig said somethings that hit home to Danny, enough to have him stay after to talk more and accept his invitation to go to Church with him the next day. At the end of the church service Craig was able to lead Danny in a prayer to give his life to Jesus.
Danny is growing, has a Bible and a Bible app on his phone that he says gives him verses of the day that he reads on his break at work. He is concerned that his friends might think he is weird, and he doesn’t want to be the “Religious” one in the group. Craig confidently and rightly told him, “Don’t worry about that, because very soon you will want to tell them about the one who saved you and forgave you.”
This young man’s life is changed, and he says that there was no way any of this would have happened if he had not come to the Mission and been a part of the program. He says that he loves that he has a place to be, and he feels safe here at the Grants Pass Gospel Rescue Mission.
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
That is why we do what we do!
Bobby Galli – Men’s Coordinator
[1] Psalm 56:1-4