News of IUGM & It's Member Missions
December 1997

    HOMELESS VETS: A Story That Needed to be Told and Acted Upon 

    Did you hear the report? That two-thirds of the Veterans seeking shelter in rescue missions served in Korea, Vietnam, or the Persian Gulf, with 42% of the homeless veterans being Vietnam vets. 32% of the homeless are veterans. 

    These were the messages from our Veteran's Survey that we did this year, after we learned that one-third of homeless men last year were veterans. A number of media, veteran leaders and mission directors wanted to know more. So, we added the entire survey with the statistical breakdown to our web site.

    ABC, CBS, AP, UPI, CNN, USA Radio all carried the story on their news broadcasts, with a number of them using interviews that they had with Steve Burger or Phil Rydman. Family News in Focus did two programs from an interview with Steve, and Charles Osgood did his Osgood File on CBS using the survey information. AP did a news release that was picked up all over the country on Sunday, November 10 and Monday, November 11, Veteran's Day (Remembrance Day in Canada)

    Local radio and television stations from coast to coast picked up the story and interviewed local mission directors and homeless veterans. Those who participated in the veteran's survey had local information, which many had shared with their local press. 

    I think the community needs to know about homeless veterans, but I think that we in mission work need to read the statistics, put faces on them and look at how well we are doing to meet the needs of the veterans in our midst. It is obvious that the Vietnam veterans in our midst are, in the most part, a tragic story. They have burned all their bridges, broken family relationships, and have fallen to the bottom of the safety net. Emotional problems, addiction and duel additions are just some of the issues. The issue of guilt and the need for forgiveness is often present. This is an area of real opportunity, but also of difficulty, for the Gospel needs to penetrate through brokenness and emotional stress, and the "love" that only comes from Christ can and must be presented and accepted. 

    Support groups like Point Man Ministries, where Vietnam veterans minister to Vietnam veterans, as well as discipleship and other support groups can be very effective. There are so many opportunities, but we must be patient, for many of these vets are not easy to work with. 

    The first thing that we have to do is understand the issues, the needs, and the individuals, and then take the time to figure out how to minister to them, and do it. What an opportunity to bring in stable Christian vets to help. As I shared with the media, "these men and women served us, now we must serve them." 

    Stephen E. Burger 

  • THE TOP SUPPORTED CHARITIES - The top 15 charities in relationship to public support according to the NonProfit Times are: 
    • 1996 1995
    1. Salvation Army  $815,916,460  $741,742,236 
    2. American Red Cross  471,929,00 465,632,000
    3. American Cancer Socity  426,695,000  381,674,000 
    4. United Jewish Appeal  359,488,000 346,650,000
    5. Second Harvest  351,376,162  369,123,575 
    6. YMCAs of the USA  340,337,000 333,596,712
    7. Catholic Charities  335,587,140 334,073,673 
    8. Habitat For Humanity  325,000,000 203,911,516 
    9. American Heart Association  273,989,000  256,512,000 
    10. World Vision  251,903,000  240,239,000
    11. Boys & Girls Clubs of America  248,650,446  202,416,364 
    12. Boy Scouts of America  233,230,000  225,013,000 
    13. Gifts-in-Kind International  223,871,836  176,651,322 
    14. Shriners Hospitals 217,453,000 198,301,000 
    15. Campus Crusade For Christ  212,794,000  184,755,000
    If Rescue Missions were counted together, we would be right around $350 million, which would make us sixth in donated income. 
  • SPEAKER GINGRICH LAUDS RESCUE MISSIONS Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich (R-GA), spoke before the House lauding the the work of gospel rescue missions on October 10, 1997, and followed it up with a letter to all his colleagues suggesting they visit their local rescue mission. He shared his experience in visiting the Atlanta Union Mission. His speech is as follows: 

    • "I want to encourage my colleagues to read the following article from Policy Review by Reverend Stephen Burger. 

    "On May 30, I had the opportunity to visit the Atlantic Union Mission, a private, faith-based rescue mission. The Atlanta Union Mission serves men, women, and children throughout the city and is part of a 250-member International Union of Gospel Missions (IUGM). 

    "During my visit, I listened to participants of the Mission's program, who talked about their experiences. Many of them stressed that they had been through other programs in the past, and eventually relapsed, but that the Union Mission had been effective in dramatically changing their lives for good. The key to this effectiveness, was that the mission stressed a Higher power, and recognized the benefits of faith in counseling and rehabilitation programs. 

    "Collectively, the International Union of Gospel Missions represents the sixth largest charity in the United States. Last year, IUGM missions provided more than 30 million meals, 22 million pieces of clothing and 11 million beds to homeless men, women and children. 

    "I would encourage you to visit a rescue mission in your district area in the near future. Although most of these missions receive very little, if any, government funding, they have proven to be the most cost-effective, dollar for dollar, and most importantly, they have the highest success rate in drug treatment and rehabilitation. As Reverend Stephen Burger has written, 'the approach that rescue missions take toward helping the homeless become productive members of our society deserves our attention.'" 

  • SUNSHINE MISSION, St. Louis, MO, reopened fully on December 1, after a gala celebration and a large Thanksgiving program. The new shelter will hold, initially, 40 beds, with new showers. The dining room and kitchen will take up the majority of the first floor. The second floor houses a learning center and kids club facility. The fourth floor is used for a Community Closet for clothing and household goods distribution. 
  • The Famly Life Center is in construction at the ORLANDO (FL) UNION RESCUE MISSION. The center will have a computer learning center, a gymnasium, three classrooms, a library, a nursery, child care center, and medical and dental offices. It is located on the property of the mission's women and family center, OUR Home. It will be completed in the spring of 1998 at the cost of $1.4 million. 
  • The outside of the Restoration Center is nearly done. This new 18,000 square foot facility of the ALBUQUERQUE (NM) RESCUE MISSION will contain a dining room and kitchen, learning and study center, clothing distribution center, medical facility, employment placement offices, and guest lobby. The Mabel Foundation of Tulsa has committed $238,000 which must be matched by the mission, raising $1,305,000 by June 30, 1998. The mission needs to raise an additional $608,000 at this time. 
  • Monday, December 1st, was a special day in the life of the GRAND FORKS (ND) MISSION. Their brand new kitchen and dining room, located in what had been their annex building, was formally dedicated, thus putting them back in full operation. The new heating systems arrived just in time for winter, which was areal answer to prayer, according to Marie Rose, Executive Director. IUGMers have contributed over $75,000 through the IUGM toward rebuilding the mission, after the devastation caused by the great flood. 
  • * Bill Roscoe has resigned as Executive Director of the GOOD NEWS RESCUE MISSION, Redding, CA, and will become Farm Director for the DENVER (CO) RESCUE MISSION. He formerly was on the staff of the Denver Mission. 
  • U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) was a recent visitor at the CITY MISSION, Erie, PA. The staff presented him with a t-shirt that read "Erie City Mission/New Life Center is praying for me!" 
    Expansion - New Ministries 

    MOUNT GRACE, Dodson, LA, a Christian Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service has announced that they have land, and will soon be building Mount Grace Women's Home in Winnfield, LA. Mike Barton, Executive Director reports that the new dining hall at the men's facility is under construction and will be open in a short time. This new ministry just continues to grow. They covet your prayers.