I recently read an article about a computer being stolen at a campus location and as a result thousands of students facing the potential of identity theft. The mere thought of someone securing my personal information and then using it to enrich themselves (at my expense) is deeply unsettling. As a result, I’ve gone to great lengths to ensure this never happens. Even though I have very little to lose.

What a contrast to my real identity – my identity in Christ. Reflecting on Paul’s description in Ephesians Chapter 1 – I have been chosen in Him before the creation of the world, God has predetermined to place me as a full grown adult child into His family, I’m redeemed by His blood, all my sins are forgiven, His grace has been lavished upon me, the mystery of His will has been revealed to me, and His unwavering plan is to so work in and through me that He is glorified! And that’s just the beginning. Paul goes on to state in I Corinthians Chapter 1 that I am enriched in Christ in every way, I possess spiritual gifts – imparted to me by the Spirit and I am kept strong to the end. Did you catch that? Kept strong (by God) to the end!

You see, Christians also have identity problems. The issue though is not one of protecting as much as neglecting. I think many Christians don’t understand who they are in Christ, the security they have in Christ, and therefore; the spiritual potential they possess as members of the body of Christ. In fact, I believe this problem is of epidemic proportions today. The truth is, if we don’t understand who we are in Christ we will never live a consistent life in Christ.

Our identity is a big deal. The fact that in Christ I am secure and safe is a liberating and energizing truth. I am free, without fear, to serve unreservedly the one I love. I am not worried about protecting something I did not earn as much as fully understanding something I do not deserve.

Every Christian should be grounded in these truths. Knowing and resting in who you are in Christ is life transforming. For the Christian, the concern is not identity theft – its identity neglect!

by Denise Eaddy, staff member of The City Mission

He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written:  ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?”  - Mark 11:17 

You’ve only begun to reveal Your magnificent purpose for the earth.  Keep on teaching us so that we blaze with bright hope for the destiny of all peoples.  Make us to be a people so diverse and numerous that we could never fit in our church buildings.  Summon people from every culture, language and race that You have brought to our city.  Call us all to worship You in the Spirit and in the truth as You have so long desired.  Gather us and make Your home with us.* 

Father, we pray that the City-Wide Prayer Gatherings at The City Mission will bring the community together in festive praise and that the body of Christ will find unity in worshiping You together. 

If you are in agreement with us, please join us and other local area pastors and ministries of Ohio Partners for Transformation as we petition the Lord.

*This is an excerpt from Seek God For The City 2010, published by WayMakers, Austin, Texas. www.waymakers.org Used with permission.

by Deborah Phillips, Grant Manager at The City Mission

          Such stories make me wonder how such value can be so easily overlooked and discarded. More importantly, don’t we often underestimate the value of the people around us, especially those whose outward appearance and behavior hides their intrinsic worth?

          For 100 years The City Mission has been a beacon of light and hope to thousands upon thousands of men and women who have lost sight of their own value, overtaken by the consequences of all the wrong turns they’ve taken in life, and finding themselves among the outcasts of our society.

          Former Executive Director Clifford Gregory wrote in a 1978 report, “Preaching and witnessing in a rescue mission service is not the easiest or most encouraging form of Christian service, yet … we are … in search of the diamonds in the rough among the men (and sometimes women).”

          Now, as then our staff and volunteers remain committed to this ministry of redemption, for “…it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”  1 Peter 1:17-19 NIV.

          It is this timeless message of redemption and forgiveness that has brought hope to countless thousands who have been raised to new life through the ministry of The City Mission.

          On this Good Friday as we reflect on the high price that Jesus paid for our redemption, we gratefully and humbly acknowledge that “…he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5: 19b -21 NIV.

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.

By Rev. Rich Trickel, CEO of The City Mission

I’ve been anticipating 2010 for a long time. In fact, it has been the primary focus for many of my thoughts for the last several years. At The City Mission, we’ve been praying, planning, preparing and eagerly anticipating this year – after all, it’s the 100^th anniversary year of the Mission!

The City Mission began in 1910 as a result of a growing immigrant population in Cleveland that was desperately in need of help. Through a collaboration of churches, businesses and the city, the Mission was started and has been serving the poor and those in need ever since. At first, the focus was to provide basic necessities for those without. And of course, the ministry of the Gospel was preeminent in everything the Mission did. In time, other ministries were added as the need demanded. Looking back in Mission archives I was amused to see that the annual budget for the year 1915 was the staggering amount of $5,590.61! Comparing that to the present budget of $5,234,609 gives a good indication of how God has blessed and the Mission has grown over the years.

Today, The City Mission continues to serve the most desperate in Cleveland by providing food, shelter, clothing, and residential programming to men, women and children in crisis. For 100 years, The City Mission has remained true and faithful to the intentions of its founders by providing help and hope to those in need and at the same time proclaiming the gospel of grace to all who come through its doors. I remain deeply humbled that for the entire 100 year history of The City Mission all its funding comes through private donations. The Mission never has taken one dollar in Federal or State money. God continues to provide through His people.

This is going to be a great year! We are planning numerous centennial activities culminating in a “Celebration of Hope” on October 2, 2010 at the Wolstein Center in downtown Cleveland. Mark your calendars and plan to join us as we celebrate God’s faithfulness for 100 years!

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Added by moderator:

For more information about the 100th annivesary, visit us at www.thecitymission.org and click on the 100 Years tab.

Several evenings ago I made a late night pickup at the Greyhound station. As I was waiting for my friend to arrive on the bus, a woman approached my car. It was 1 am so I wasn’t real happy about opening my window to a stranger. The woman came to my car, put her face up to my partially rolled down window and asked me for some money.

I hesitated and she continued talking. She and several of her friends were sleeping in a parking garage.  She was banned from the community women’s shelter for another week because she was fighting with a resident. She had a variety of needs, all of which she seemed confident I was capable of meeting and continued to wait and talk. She wanted me to give her something.

I talked with her, through the crack in my window and listened. She knew about Laura’s Home, The City Mission’s facility for women and children but didn’t seem too interested in pursuing that option. In fact, she didn’t seem too concerned that she was sleeping in a parking garage at all. She just wanted me to give her something. 

She seemed to know her way around the Greyhound station. She even greeted the cab driver who pulled in shortly after I did – they knew each other. I had the feeling that she knew the schedule and probably showed up with each incoming bus. 

I was troubled by how comfortable she seemed in the situation. It was 1 am, she was alone on the streets, sleeping in a garage and all she wanted was for me to give her something. Finally, I reached into my pocket, pulled out a handful of change and gave it to her. She got what she wanted and left.

It is estimated that there are approximately 2,500 people on the streets of Cleveland each and every night. Some sleep in parking garages, some under bridges, some in shelters, and others in abandoned houses. To help provide what these dear people really need, contact The City Mission at http://www.thecitymission.org/.