Gospel Rescue Mission
PO Box 190
Grants Pass, OR 97528
MissionView Village is moving forward!
We had a fantastic evening of fun, food, and fundraising Saturday the 28th at the future home of MissionView Village! If you were able to attend then we want to begin by saying “Thank You!” and let you know that we were able to raise a grand total of $130,000! If you weren’t able to make it or this is your first time hearing about it that’s ok, I’ll fill you in… MissionView Village will be a group of 19 tiny studios designed for seniors who have been struggling with homelessness due to having a fixed low income to survive on. These homes will operate as an extended program of the Gospel Rescue Mission (keeping the Mission in View). This means that sober living, financial responsibility and church participation will still be a critical part of this new addition to the neighborhood.
Speaking of the neighborhood
, what an amazing location for seniors!! From being right next door to a great fitness center, to nearby pharmacies, grocery stores, health care providers, restaurants, coffee shops, and of course great churches, MissionView Village is situated perfectly for its residents. Of course the sooner we build it the sooner we can get seniors in need off the streets and into a place to call home. This means that we could really use your help! Our prayer is that we can collect all of the funds necessary, approximately $3million in total, to make this dream a reality as soon as possible, so if you’re able would you prayerfully consider a gift of any size today?
If you would like to learn more about this project, please check out our website https://gospelrescuemissiongp.org/village/
A note to the passing of some great men of God.
We have had the awesome privilege of working with some amazing men who have gone on to Glory recently.
Pastor Jay Milojevich passed away on August 24th of this year. He served as the lead staff Bible teacher, staff counselor and program director for six years (2010-2016). His kindness, faithful service and warm counsel will be missed by many.
Still more recently, we have also lost a giant in the work of the Gospel Rescue Mission with the passing of Jack Straw. Jack was invited to serve on the board of directors of the Mission by Walt Fikso and has subsequently worn many hats under the Mission banner. Not only has he been a faithful Bible teacher, but he helped explore our neighborhood door hanging projects, our community clothing barrel pickup and delivery, general donation pickups, the delivery of household items purchased at our thrift
stores, and running our clothing recycling program. Over this last year he served primarily as a Mission Chaplain giving counsel and encouragement to each new member of our program. What he did best of all was share the joy of Christ with every Mission resident who got the pleasure of working alongside of him. We made a tribute video of Jack a couple of years ago that can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDBvaVIBMHw.
Please pray for God’s continuing favor and blessing upon the families of these men as they will be deeply missed.
The Problem With Solving Homelessness
Over the last 15 years of working with the Gospel Rescue Mission I think the most common question I get has to do with my take on the “solution” for homelessness. “What would you say is the solution for homelessness?” they ask. I might respond, “Well how many people are we talking about?” and if they are clever they already begin to see where I’m going. After 15 years in the trenches, I think the real path to making a genuine dent in the homeless population is to stop trying to “solve homelessness” and just focus on helping individual people.
Why, just this week, I have gotten to work with two different men, both of whom were recently released from jail. One is trying to work with the Veterans Administration for housing while he looks to build an income that he can use to help support a family member. The other is working hard to remain sober, acquire a job, and pay down debt in order to eventually be able to start a family. At the same time, we have two Mission graduates who are struggling to keep their heads above water both mentally and emotionally. One has recently had a serious cancer diagnosis and the other may very well need a mental health check related to past trauma and grief. Four very different individuals, each working very hard at being or becoming homeful, with very little chance that a solution for one will be helpful for the others. Each one needing a loving and caring ear from a patient friend.
These problems aren’t solved by increasing the quantity of tents or cheap houses, but by a combination of the hard work of each individual along with the counsel of people skilled in network development and saturated in the word of God. The solution to homelessness is to focus on one person at a time and solve it for them. Once a path to independence is discovered and agreed upon, we can turn our attention to the next person. It is here that the successes of the Gospel Rescue Mission really shine as each year lives are set free from the tyranny of poverty to a path towards hope.
Brian Bouteller
Executive Director