A staggering drunk, 55 years old and white, and a preacher with a Bible and a bowl of soup has been the stereotype which often comes to mind when the word rescue mission is mentioned. But if it ever were the truth, it certainly is not today in the 250 rescue missions of the United States, Canada and six other countries affiliated with the International Union of Gospel Missions.

In Aurora, Illinois, the Wayside Cross Rescue Mission is working with the public schools in tutoring potential dropouts.

In Buffalo, New York, City Mission has a public school classroom in Cornerstone, their facility for homeless women and children.

Wayside Christian Mission in Louisville operates daily child care programs for all the city's shelters.

The New Castle, Pennsylvania, City Rescue Mission just dedicated a new $1.4 million youth center aimed at housing projects and low income neighborhoods. Youth centers and neighborhood outreach programs are a growing part of rescue ministries.

Rescue Mission of Syracuse, New York, has both day and long-term programs for the mentally ill.

Long-term rehabilitation programs, transitional housing, after-care, employment training, mobile outreaches to the elderly, jail and prison ministries, special housing for AIDS victims, etc.--today these are all part of rescue.

The client has changed and rescue mission programs have changed to meet the client base. Today, up to 40 percent of those seeking help are women, and women with children. Seventy-nine percent are under 45 years of age and 71 percent are local people.

In many cities, the skid row areas are gone, and homeless and other needy people are in "pockets of poverty," often miles from center city. In 1995, only 37 percent of those coming to rescue missions were white. In 1989, 51 percent were white. The fastest-growing homeless population is children, and this is a drastic change for those working with the poor.

City Mission outreach began in 1826 in Glasgow, Scotland, to reach out to the poor and broken whom the church was not reaching. In 1872, Jerry McAuley opened what today is the McAuley Water Street Mission in New York City.

In the early days, missions dealt with a great variety of needs: immigrants, pregnant girls, orphans, widows, as well as those who became involved with drugs and alcohol. Emma Whittemore, who with her husband founded the International Union of Gospel Missions in 1913, founded over 100 Doors of Hope ministries for pregnant young women. As times and neighborhoods changed, the rescue mission's ministry changed. More emphasis was placed on work with alcoholic men and ministry through building-based programs, even though many other outreaches were continued.

Today, with the changes affecting the client base, cities and welfare policies, rescue missions are again changing programs and methods to preach the unchanging gospel. Rescue missions are moving beyond their buildings to offer programs to people in need throughout their cities.

In Seattle, Washington, the Union Gospel Mission reaches out to seniors living in low income high-rises. CityTeam of San Jose, California, has purchased a former low income housing project to offer safe housing along with Christian programs. The Union Gospel Mission of Vancouver, British Columbia built a low income housing project. Missions are committed to "doing what works" to reach those unreached by the church.

Many people still hold a stereotype, but as I recently shared with Congressman Robert Walker of Pennsylvania, go down to your local rescue mission. See the fuzzy-faced kids, the 23-year-old mother with two children and the responsibility-based program that is leading them back into the community as changed individuals. We have the answer--our programs work!