Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64Spiritual “W e define success by measuring how well we stick to our purpose. The primary purpose of the Medford Gospel Mission is to reach people in our community with the saving message of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” says Jason Bull, executive director of the mission in Oregon. No matter what other services you offer, this is the purpose of every rescue mission. Gregory Stetski, executive director of Union Gospel Mission in Winnipeg, adds, “Our top success story each year is the number of adults and children who have made decisions for Christ. Our secondary success story is the number of these new saints who become active members of an evangelical church.” Having a successful mission involves a two-pronged approach to helping people. Chuck Fidroeff, executive director of Good Samaritan Mission in Jackson, Wyoming, explains it this way: “The best defini- tion of success is helping people move forward with their life. The best moving forward is them having a relationship with Jesus as their Lord, Master, and Savior. I love it when He succeeds!” Any time guests leave your mission changed from the way they came, that counts as a win. “Success is beginning a day with prayer and moving, shak- ing, molding, and bending all that needs to be changed with the love of Christ in each situation,” notes Chuck Wingate, who recently retired as exec- utive director of Bethesda Mission in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “At the end of each day, we must look back and see if Jesus was in the midst of what we were able to accomplish. Any time guests leave us in better condition than when they arrived, we have succeeded.” Life Change A long with helping guests change their eternal destinies, Jason says, “Our secondary purpose is to serve our guests, with the abundance of gifts that the Lord has blessed us. It is our desire to not simply provide a hand- out but to provide a ‘hand up,’ giving individuals the ability to make real changes in their lives. So a successful day is a purposeful one, trusting that the Lord will use what we do for His glory and His good purposes. This helps our staff see the bigger picture and not get lost in all the difficult challenges that we are faced with every day, and as a result, the people we serve feel genuinely loved and cared for.” Winnipeg’s Union Gospel Mission sees practical success in the number of people who attain their grade 12 diplomas, the number of people who graduate from the addiction recovery programs, and the number of pro- gram graduates who get jobs. “Our staff members are encouraged by these successes, but we continue to serve here no matter the level 46 WWW.AGRM.ORG MARCH/APRIL 2017 The best definition of success is helping people move forward with their life. The best moving forward is them having a relationship with Jesus as their Lord, Master, and Savior. I love it when He succeeds! —Chuck Fidroeff