Thank You for Joining Us!
We’re so thankful for everyone who joined us for Gather. It was such a joy to share a meal and our heart for MissionView Village. Because of your partnership we were able to place another $20,000 on the books towards funding this amazing $3.3 million project.
That brings our current total to roughly $1.8 million raised and pushing over the halfway mark! A special thank you to our Event Sponsors: Farmers Building Supply, Rogue Solutions Accounting, Oregon Pacific Financial, Grants Pass Toyota, Ellie George Crew, Pacific Power, Hendersons Lineup, and Tailholt Coffee. Your partnership, encouragement, and prayers help bring this vision to life—providing safe, affordable housing and a supportive community for
seniors in need.
When the Church Rises
Seizing the Moment to Lead Again
Have you ever sat in darkness during a storm, when lightning briefly illuminates everything hidden? For a moment, you see what the darkness concealed before it swallows the light again.
Our time in history feels much the same. The elections, lockdowns, and even the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk have come like flashes of lightning—revealing both the depth of darkness and the path toward light. My hope is that Charlie’s loss ignites a fire we will continue to stoke, inspiring a nation where government shrinks and the Church rises again to her rightful place in America.
For this audience, “This is a job the Church should be doing, not the government,” isn’t a radical statement. You already support the Gospel Rescue Mission because you’ve seen the results—lives changed from dependence to freedom, from handouts to hand-ups. You’ve heard the testimonies, witnessed the transformations, and may even know some of our graduates. Life lived God’s way produces flourishing, which is why this moment is so critical.
For years, we’ve lamented how government funding has embedded DEI and socialist ideologies into public institutions. Now, as this administration retracts those funds, it leaves gaps in support for many whose ability to provide for themselves has been stunted. In Oregon, this is especially visible in education, health care, and social services. This correction isn’t bad—it’s an opportunity. But I’m not sure the Church is ready.
The poor have long been influenced by political promises of “help” funded by taxpayers, and taxpayers are then labeled heartless when they ask for accountability. But what if the Church used its influence to fill those gaps? What if we poured our treasure into our own communities and let our hearts follow, just as Jesus said they would? Isn’t it here, in Southern Oregon, that God has placed us? Shouldn’t the largest share of our missionary effort begin right here at home?
If the Body of Christ focused its resources locally, the Church would have all the influence she could imagine. Our pews would be full. Civic leaders would seek our counsel. We wouldn’t fear government shutdowns or failed tax levies, because we’d already be investing strategically in ways that produce strong outcomes and lasting stability.
Now is the time to turn our hearts toward home—our nation, state, and city need us. The Lord told His people in exile, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you…for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”
Those words weren’t for Babylon’s government but for God’s people who were in exile. We are not a people in exile but those tasked with building God’s Kingdom. That same King calls us today to recognize the times, see the gaps our government never should have carried, and prayerfully ask how we might fill them—bringing help to the hurting and glory to the King.
Brian Bouteller
Executive Director
How a Bag of Coffee Became a Beacon of Hope
If you live in Southern Oregon you are likely to know the folks at Kelly’s Automotive. Dave and Lisa Kelly, along with their entire staff, are truly great friends of the Gospel Rescue Mission. You may not know that Lisa runs several incredible business networking groups across our region called Networking In Action and we attend one in Grants Pass. It was in a collaborative session of one of those meetings that Homeless Joe® was developed, and of course the Kelly’s have been a fan ever since. They purchase it for their staff coffee and purchase extra bags to sell at both their Grants Pass and Medford locations. Not only does the entire staff love it, but they recently sent us a story about something remarkable that happened, and we are excited to share it with all of you.
“It was a warm summer morning when I returned to the shop at Kelly’s Automotive Service after dropping a customer off at home. Sitting on our front step was a young woman wearing a sun dress, with some papers and a cell phone. I assumed she was a customer and asked if she needed a ride. She responded that she was okay for now but maybe later, as she remained seated on the front step to the office.
In a half hour or so she came into the building talking on her phone and standing by the customer’s coffee area. On the counter where the coffee pot is, there are also several bright blue bags of the Gospel Rescue Mission’s Homeless Joe® Coffee. I learned from the staff that she was not actually a customer but had just showed up there that morning. When I walked by her after she had finished her call, she told me that she would like the ride I had offered earlier. When I asked her where she would like to go, she paused for a few moments and then looking at the bags of coffee said to me that she would like to go there. I responded, “you want to go to the mission?” She told me she would, and I agreed to take her there.
As we got into the shuttle van, she told me her name was Sarah and asked if we could first stop at Motel 6 because she thinks she had left her phone charger there. I was surprised because she had no bags or anything else with her besides her papers and her phone. I took her there and parked outside the office. She went inside and came out a few minutes later with a phone charger. We were now on our way to the Mission. As we talked, I began to realize that she did have some mental health issues.
When we arrived at the Mission, she asked me to wait to see if they’d let her in. I waited in the van as she went inside. She came back a few minutes later and told me that the lady there was very nice, and she felt comfortable staying there. I was relieved because I knew she needed more help than I could give and that I was leaving her in a place where they would know how to help her or help her get to a place where someone would.
The hero in this story was the bag of “Homeless Joe®” coffee which guided her to a place of help that she needed.”
Frankly, we could not have dreamt up a better outcome from a bag of coffee, and we are so grateful to the Kelly’s for doing what they do in a way that helps the Gospel Rescue Mission do what it does! If you haven’t purchased your bag of Homeless Joe® from our Second Chance Thrift or Booth Street Thrift, swing by and find out what all the buzz is about. And if you’d like to follow Dave and Lisa’s example and offer Homeless Joe® in your place of business send us an email at order@grmgp.org and we’ll be happy to make that happen.
A Fresh Cup of Collaboration
The Mission Meets Oasis House
On Tuesday October 28th, the Mission was visited by Pastor Glenn Blankenship along with Kylie & Dave Schroeder from the Oasis House day shelter in Ontario, Oregon. As they have been on a quest to learn more about what is working to actually help those experiencing homelessness to find their way out and to become independent, we were very high on their list.
In trying to understand what has exploded the homeless problem across the state, they began their journey at the Boise Rescue Mission to talk with Reverend Bill Roscoe who is the president of the BRM in Idaho. He walked them through the Martin vs Boise case and shared how their Mission has been impacted and how that case set the stage for the Blake vs Grants Pass suit, later to become known as Johnson vs Grants Pass. Of course this made us the next logical step on the way.
“What a delight to meet you and your whole team! We left the Mission feeling like a part of a greater whole, as though we gained a new family, as though we received 40 years of experience and education, and with tools to make a better start with the work God has commissioned us to do! Thank you for sharing your team with us! Thank you for the coffee!! We thank the Lord for the work He is doing in the Gospel Rescue Mission of Grants Pass and for all of you. Thank you for the time you invested in our team and taking the time to introduce us to the Mission in Grants Pass! Thank you for the delicious coffee and the work being done with it! We commit to keeping in touch and to praying for all of you. And we will take advantage of the offer for continued guidance and direction.
Thank you for being our Brothers and Sisters in Christ!”
Before sending them off they were able to discuss with us the possibility of implementing our Pathway to Independence program in the new Mission they are looking to build in Ontario. We shared how we might be able to not only offer the successful program, but also help them measure and monitor their successes from right here in Grants Pass. So please pray for us as we explore extending Christ’s influence wherever God calls us!
We spent the morning sharing about our role in the process, the challenges our city now faces, and an actual day in the life of Mission residents. They met with our entire staff and walked through our beautiful facilities, made all the more striking by the contrast of stunning fall colors. Of course, we treated them to some Homeless Joe® Coffee and sent them home with some to share (apparently the coffee was a hit).
