by Brent Richards, Inmate Outreach Services Manager at The City Mission

Walk down the halls of the jail or correctional facility and as you pass by folks and as you speak to men and women who are incarcerated, you are struck by this dynamic. Other than their dress, they appear so normal. In many ways, most of them are “normal” people with talents and gifts, living on the edge not uncommon in our society that just got caught.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some locked up that live out a criminal lifestyle in or out of jail. I don’t get to see many of them except from a distance unless they decide, “Maybe I’ll talk to that guy. What could it hurt?” Decisions like that have brought even hardened criminals to know the same Savior Jesus I came to know years ago. Still, many in jail are “normal” people that have committed crimes and just got caught.

They need to find a new direction and those on the outside who, while not shielding them from their consequences or excusing their behaviors, will stand with them to do right and give them a helping hand to get back up. That’s why Inmate Outreach Services goes to jails and prisons, so that men and women will perhaps turn to God and find forgiveness with Him. We help aim them in the right direction, but at some point they have to choose the journey to Christ on their own.

The word “arrest” means “to bring to a stop”. Not everybody gets caught, few actually. Whether “normal’ or “hardcore” criminals, I’m convinced that God’s hand is involved in everyone that gets arrested; that it is Him bringing them or their crime to a stop. Perhaps He is protecting them or others from something even worse so they might have a chance to start anew in the right direction. That they might turn to Him. Some ignore the warning – we may see them again… and again… Others listen, and now maybe you’ll see them – you just may not know it. They live productive lives, living peacefully, taking part in your church and your community.

When we see that happen, we’re glad we obeyed and went to them with His message of hope, acceptance, and redemption. Most of the people, “normal” people, I knew on the other side of the cross, myself included, could have been caught at some time or another. We got caught in other ways that brought us to a stop. We, too, needed redeemed. We, too, need a Savior. Thank God we “normal” people have One.

Visit www.thecitymission.com to learn more about Inmate Outreach Services and all the services offered at The City Mission .

By Dale Matthias, Crossroads Men’s Crisis Center Manager at The City Mission

Many of us in Northeast Ohio are very glad to see the snow and winter storms say goodbye. February ranked in the top six months for snow fall on record in Cleveland.

But now, on the flip side, we are facing some of the worst chuckholes we have ever seen. Maybe you have had a personal encounter with a few. Not to mention all the grunge and debris that is exposed, left by the mounds of plowed snow piles.

When we had snow, everything looked fresh and clean and uniform. Even the chuckholes were smoothed over with the packed in snow. Now, things look dingy and grey and we are constantly dodging and weaving those pesky chuckholes.

In many ways I can relate this image to my old way of life, before accepting Christ. I use to put on an image for people that I was always alright (let’s call this my personal snow pile), I don’t have problems, I am strong and able, even to the point that I am invincible!

But over the years, as my personal snow pile melted, all my junk and debris was exposed (let’s call it what it is …sin). Even then I thought I could handle it and tried in vain to keep the surface as smooth as possible, only to discover that I was dodging one hole after another with each one getting wider and deeper. I became exhausted trying to patch one hole after another. I had a choice to make because eventually I knew I would fall into one that I could not get myself out of.

I will close with two question and two passages from scripture. What will be exposed as your personal snow pile melts? How long do you think you can keep patching the holes in your road? Hmmm……..

Psalm 51:7 “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” [NLT]

Proverbs 4:26,27 “Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.” [NLT]

By Pam Glicker, Women’s Program Manager at The City Mission

January 2003. The days leading up to the grand opening of Laura’s Home Women’s Crisis Center, were fast approaching.  I was on pins and needles as I anticipated what that would be like. I wondered how, and if, my close to 30 years in the restaurant business had prepared me for the direction the Lord had led me to. Preparation and training were well under way for all the staff who only weeks before had just met one another. None of us had worked together before, and no one had come with a background in rescue missions! So it was a little scary.

February 14, 2003. The Activity Room was filled to standing room only with dignitaries, media, and other invited guests from Cleveland and the surrounding areas. Many were recognized for the part they had, whether great or small, in having finally reached this long anticipated day.  The beginning of help and hope found in the form of a better solution for the many women and children with nowhere to go on the streets of the city. Mothers with families who needed more than the 14 to 28 days that emergency shelters offered would have an opportunity to step back, slow down, and shift gears, maybe for the first time in their lives. Everything under one roof and the price was right, too!

March 3, 2003. The furniture was in place. The beds were all made. The kitchen was stocked and ready for business. The staff and volunteers were prepped and eager to begin. And the doors were opened to receive the first 5 families at Laura’s Home Women’s Crisis Center! The much prayed for dream was now a reality!

March 5, 2010. Laura’s Home is seven years old now. Like those men and women who started The City Mission in 1910, our focus is still on providing help and hope to those in need. What has changed is the number of women and children.  On any given day there can be as many as 65 women and 45 children at Laura’s Home, each with the chance to take the tools that are available here and move forward with their lives!

Psalm 72: 12-13: “He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them. He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them.”

Is there something you remember from the seven years and counting of Laura’s Home Women’s Crisis Center?  Please click on the comment section below to share it.

Watch the Laura’s Home Video

by Jon Van Oss, staff member of The City Mission

As part of our centennial celebration, during the month of March we are airing radio spots on several of the Cleveland area stations.   To produce these, we interviewed a number of men and women who are currently residents of either our Crossroads Men’s or Laura’s Home Women’s Crisis Centers.  These are people who have experienced a remarkable turnaround in their lives.  Often, before finding their way to The City Mission, they were literally at the brink of death and now they are experiencing new life.

 It is fun to watch these men and women as we put them in front of a microphone.  At first they are nervous and a bit unsure of themselves.  As they begin to tell their story, however, they open up with great gusto.  You can see the joy on their faces as they begin to tell the story of how God has literally transformed their lives.  Sometimes it is hard to get them to stop talking.

There is something uniquely powerful in a story.  Pastors and teachers can tell us how to think or behave but it is not until we hear from someone who is not too different from ourselves that we really begin to see the truth found in what they are sharing with us.  That is when the Holy Spirit usually reminds us that if God can change this person’s life, he can certainly do the same with us.

As you prepare for Easter, take a few moments to listen to one of these stories.  You can hear them on a number of our local radio stations (WCRF, WHKW and The Fish) or by going directly to our web site (www.thecitymission.org).  I hope that listening to them will remind you of the amazing love that God showed to us by sending His son to earth to die on a cross.