February 2009 Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission Newsletter
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Transcript of February 2009 Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission Newsletter
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Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission
A Ministry of
Rescue & Discipleshipa publication of the
Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission Anchorage, Alaska
Larry AldrichOperations Manager
David WilliamsProgram Director
Randy HessMaintenance Supervisor
Larry OConnor
Greg Mann
Roger Klein
John LofquistGuest Supervisors
David McKnightVan Driver
Solomona TalivaaMaintenance
Darlene WhaleyKitchen Manager
Anthony BooneIntern
r
escue
newsest.1
965
februar
2009
BRINGS
THOUGHTS
OF LOVE
Someone said, Love makes
the world go. This is a great
saying but it is put into practice
so little in this day and time.
People are so rude, impatience,
inconsiderate, selfish and self-
centered that there is never a
thought of the other person, it
is just ME or I and what I can
do or get for me without anyconsideration for those that are
in need or less fortunate than
themselves.
I know that the world will
never observe or adhere to the
type of love that was spoken
by Jesus and the other writers
of the Biblebut what about
Christianswhen will we
ever put the principles of thislove that we learn from the
scriptures into practice.
Some examples from the
scriptures that we as Christians
should practice!
John 13:14 A new
commandment I give unto you,
That ye love one another; as
I have loved you, that ye also
love one another.
John 15:12This is my
commandment, That ye love
one another, as I have loved
you.
Matthew 5:44 Love your
enemies, bless them that curse
you, do good to them that hate
you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you, and
persecute you..
Romans 12:9-10 Let love
be without hypocrisy. Abhor
that which is evil; cleave to
that which is good. Be kindly
affectionate one to another
with brotherly love; in honorpreferring one another.
Romans 13:10 Love worketh
no ill to his neighbour:
therefore love is the fulfilling of
the law.
These are only a few of the
many scriptures that could be
used to show our obligations as
Christians to show love.
Back to celebrating Valentiness
Day and love. Doncha just
enjoy all the symbols of love
the hearts, the flowers, Cupid
and his bow and arrow, all of the
red, white and festive colors.It is a great day to celebrate
this time together with your
loved one. My, my a long life
together with the one you truly
love is beyond compare to
anything you can imagine. One
day you may be able to recall
all of the good times and bad
times that the Lord has brought
you through; but they were all
glorious times because yourwere with the one you love.
Happy ValentinesDay
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2
www.anc
horag
erescue.org
www.anchorageresc
eu.
org
www.
anc
horagerescue
.or
g
.a
ceu.
We invite you to visit
us on the web or drop
us an e-mail with
your comments and
suggestions
From the Disciple Dorm
There are many things in Gods Word that shows His
unfailing love for mankind. This is especially true
with music. With music we can worship God, and with
music we can spread Gods word. Sometimes we use
music to speak to God, and sometimes God uses music
to speak to us.
Here at the Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission we have
an evening chapel service every night of the week, 365
days a year, between 7:30 P.M. and 8:30 P.M. In that
evening chapel service our ears welcome a wide range
of music meant to inspire the thoughts and minds of
Anchorages homeless and other guests. No matter
what the reason for the visit to the chapel service, we
are hopeful that all present in the congregation will be
lead to a saving knowledge of, and a closer walk with
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
As a member of the NewLife discipleship training
program, I am, on occasion, called upon to lead the
worship portion of the chapel service. This happens
when the scheduled church cannot show up, or when the
scheduled church did not pre-arrange a worship portion
of their service, and desires to have one. Whatever the
case may be, without notice, I am called to fill this
portion of the service.
Being called upon to lead the worship portion of the
chapel service happens so often, I have called uponothers in the NewLife discipleship training program
to help me with this service. With one thing leading to
another and other disciples stepping up to the plate to
help spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we have now
formed a gospel music band called the Rock Bottom
Boys. We are all honored to be able to serve the
Lord with this ministry. We also have been
blessed to be asked to play at other local
churches.
Some of the instruments we were using in the band were
just temporarily loaned to us and had to be returned to
the owners. Now we find ourselves with an obligation
to play for a local church without the proper equipment.
We also have a desire to continue with this ministry.
We are asking the community for help in this matter.
If you have any used equipment that you could donate
to the Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission, it would be
greatly appreciated. We are mostly in need of a drum
set. We also could use sound equipment such as a pre-
amp and microphones. We are always open to more
musical instruments such as bass guitars and other
stringed instruments. All donations to the Mission are
tax-deductible. And most important, we make sure that
all donations are directed to where they are needed
most.
Thank you and may God bless you,
Jerome Estes
Rock bottom boys
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Living Memorials.touch lives as they honor the memory
of loved ones and friends
In Memory of
Elise Marcia Carmichael
by Kevin and Melissa Breeland
Gale Dulack
Mr. and Mrs. Oliver M. CarmichaelJames and Marcia Whitcomb
Nutels and Gwen Fournet
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Carmichael
Ronald and Janet Fales
Boo and Rachel Jeyusi
Mr. and Mrs. Ted Carmichael
Joseph and Maria Zajacz
Michael and Nancy Carmichael
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Davidson
Louise Santangelo
Ralph and Shirley NobregaIn Memory of
Ann Cavanagh
by Charles and Susan Casper
In Memory of
Eugene T. Harrison
by Nathan Harrison
In Memory of
Edna Lucille Loudon
by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mac Donald
In Memory of
Kerrie and Danielle Marlowby Truman and Carolyn Woods
In Honor of
Linda Harrison
by Nathan Harrison
In Honor of
Jim and Sally Copen
Pat and Laurie Marifjeren
Larry and Bette Ross
John and Tammy Reading
Zig and Muff ZellmerThom and Elaine Hathaway
Ken and Sharman Collins
by Vickie Turner
Your WillPlease include the Anchorage
Gospel Rescue Mission !
Down Memory Lane
This old hymn has been one of my favorites ever since
I have been saved. When I was a music director and
could carry a tune I would sing it as my testimony
whenever I had the opportunity.
The Haven of RestMy soul in sad exile was out on lifes sea,
So burdened with sin and distress,
Till I heard a sweet voice saying,
Make Me your choice,
And I entered the haven of rest.
I yielded myself to His tender embrace,
And, faith taking hold of the Word,
My fetters fell off,
And I anchored my soul:
The Haven of Rest is my Lord.
The song of my soul,
Since the Lord made me whole,
Has been the old story of blest,
Of Jesus, wholl save whosoever will have
A home in the Haven of Rest.
Oh, come to the Savior, He patiently waits,
To save by His power divine;
Come anchor your soul
In the Haven of Rest,
And say, My Beloved is mine.Chorus: repeat after each verse.
Ive anchored my soul, In the Haven of Rest,
Ill sail the wild seas no more;
The Tempest may sweep
Oer the wild stormy deep,
In Jesus Im safe evermore.
UNBELIEVABLE!A Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life surveyshowed that 65 percent of the people thatidentified themselves as religious believethere is more than one way to heaven. Also,52 percent of Christians said those of otherfaithsJews, Hindus, Muslims and those of nofaith may very well find eternal life.What a challenge for Evangelical Christians.
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Hello America,
Im a 38 year old recovering alcoholic and recovering
drug addict who is currently in my fifth month as a
member of the Anchorage Gospel Rescue Missions
NewLife Discipleship Training Program. I would
like to take this opportunity to tell you a little about
myself.
I started getting into trouble early in life. I
was fighting other students as far back
as the third grade. This continued until I
was taken out of public school in the tenth grade and
placed in the Forestry Department program for troubled
Youth. I liked being in this program but was kicked out
for fighting a kid who blamed me for drinking his soda.
The school officials had warned my mother if I got into
anymore trouble I would be kicked out of school. They
were true to their word I was kicked out nine months
before I graduated. I felt life was forcing me between
a rock and a hard place. At the time I was lost in a
forest of lies right out of the twilight zone. The only
voice I felt I had in this wilderness was violence. The
insecurity, deceit, and fears, brought to the surface in
this forest, consumed me like a forest fire being driven
by the wind. It grows stronger consuming everything
in its path respecting neither life nor property. I felt
controlled by this fire forced to move in directions I
never wanted to travel in. I found myself taking on
the personality of the very fire that threatened me. The
flames of hate and anger lashed out leaving a path of
destruction in its wake.
In 1989 I was arrested and sent to the California
Department of Corrections where my bound and captive
character matured into a finished product. Although I
started my prison career in minimal security it didnt
take long for me to advance to maximum security
status. In 1991 the classification board decided I needed
to be with my own kind. I walked around with a chip
on my shoulders and a really short fuse. After being
transferred to the maximum none program facility I
found myself right back in the forest of lies I knew sowell. Perhaps the reason I couldnt see good in others is
because I saw none in myself.
In 1994 I was involved in a fight while out on the prison
yard I remember hearing what sounded like Bumble
Bees. After they had us laying face down the officer
who identified me to the sergeant as being one of the
offenders in the altercation looked me in the eyes and
said, I shot at you three times with an M16 rifle.
It was then I realized the Bumble Bees were bullets
whizzing by my head. The gun tower was 50 yardsaway and about 40 feet high add to that these guards
were trained marksmen and I dont how he missed me!
Because there were shots fired the guard would have to
find the bullets using metal detectors and write lengthy
reports explaining why shots had been fired. This upset
him more than the fact he had just tried to take a human
life. I realized then my life wasnt worth very much.
Realizing youre worthless makes you do a lot of
te
stim
onies
One of the most popular features of our newsletter is
the personal testimonies of the men in our NewLife
Discipleship Training Program. The only other articles
receiving more feedback are the pressing need appeals.
The popularity of these testimonies creates a dilemma
for us in that we want to continue to share them with our
readers yet at the same time we do not require the men
to share them. Its completely voluntary. Consequentlythe more successful we are at encouraging the men to
remain in NewLife the fewer testimonies we have
available to share. The only conversations we allow
ourselves to have with the men concerning printing
their testimonies are to ask them if they are interested.
Some are some arent and there are those who are
interested yet dont feel ready to share their names. This
is one of those testimonies. Weve agreed to allow this
article to be added to the newsletter anonymously only
because the Disciples reluctance to share his name is
motivated more by humbleness than pride. Had pridebeen the motivating factor we would have asked him to
wait until his personal journey of healing had him in a
place where pride was no longer an issue. So enjoy this
wonderful testimony from a member of our NewLife
family. Your support has made it possible for him to
make this journey in a safe healing environment.
D. Williams
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thinking. I went to the Chapel services Id told
myself time and time again I would or should attend
someday. I remember repeating the Preachers words
as though he was my attorney and I was testifying in
a court room. I was praying for the very first time in
my life? The Preacher was leading us in the sinners
prayer and although I thought I was saved I didnt act
like it. After my release from prison I remember my
life just tasted bad. In 1999 I became an alcoholic. My
whole existence became dependent on alcohol and my
behavior reflected that dependency.
In 2004 I walked into Gods house. The Anchorage
Gospel Rescue Mission is where I found the love of God
in an overwhelming way. Here I received knowledge of
and fellowship with God. I learned what it really means
to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I came
to realize the forest of lies is where the father of lies
resided. He used this forest to separate me from my true
Father, God! My salvation is like a woodsman with an
ax of truth. He chops down the lies in order to restore
virtue and truth. I desire to be a child to my loving,
caring, merciful, righteous, almighty Father.
In June of 2006 I turned my eyes away from God
and began walking in my will rather than staying in
the protective shadow of Gods Perfect Will. It should
come as no surprise this decision led me right back into
the forest I had spent a lifetime trying to escape. It was
worse than I remembered and I was miserable.
In August of 2008 I returned to Gods House and was
welcomed back to the Mission with open arms. I was
wounded in body, confused in mind, and weak in spirit
but more importantly I was back in my Fathers Will!
Ive been convicted and know God is my father who
is the same today as he was yesterday and as he will
be tomorrow. Ive found forgiveness in the name of
my Lord. I have found faith through trust in my Father
who stands by ready to restore souls. Matthew 21:22
tells me, Believe and you will receive whatever you
ask for in prayer. Christ is my way back to the Father.He leads us out of the forest assuring us safe passage
through greed, hate, pride, and all the lies Satan tries to
destroy us with. For the weapons of our warfare are
not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down
of strong holds. II Corinthians 10:4
I use to hate this world and believed the world hated me
I find comfort in John 15:18 If the world hates you,
remember it hated me first. As the trees in the forest
of lies fall one by one I begin to see God without the
filters of this world obstructing my view. I am now
living in the joy of the Lord. It no longer matters to me
what the devil wants out of me for I FULLY TRUST
THE LORD!
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified
because of them, for the LORD your God goes with
you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6
Corrections
OOPS
When you publish a newsletter there is this interesting
phenomenon that takes place I lovingly refer to as blindin one eye and cant see out of the other one syndrome.
Like most abnormalities this syndrome raises its ugly
head after the damage has been done. The damage in
this case is on the cover of our January newsletter we
mistakenly published January 2008 rather than January
2009. Keep in mind the newsletter went through at least
four proof readings before it was sent to the printers.
The reason I refer to this syndrome as a phenomenon
is because this along with the many other mistakes we
make goes unnoticed until the newsletters return from
the printers. The day we get them back, aka the point ofno return, the mistakes stand out as though they have
been highlight with a radio-active highlighter pen. All
of this to say we are not professional writers or proof
readers therefore we depend on your forgiving eye
when you run across the many mistakes within the
pages of our newsletters.
OUR APOLOGIES
In last months article, A Voice for Those Who Have
None I stated we were 100% supported by Christians.This is not accurate! There are many people who donate
to the Mission and some are not Christians. It was not
my intentions to mislead our readers. My intentions
were to spotlight the difference between a voice who
has no governmental dependencies and those who
dont. My ineptness is noted and I will strive to do a
better job in the future.
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If I were to leave the Mission today, never to return,these snapshots of these two men would be thememory I would carry in my minds eye of them. Thephoto of Larry is how he appears early in the morningwhen he arrives at work. You see, Larry walks to, and
from work every day; Monday thru Friday. The routebetween his house and the Mission take him througha portion of Anchorages greenbelts that follows ourcitys streams. I imagine it is a peaceful way to startthe workday and make a smooth mental transitionfrom homelife to worklife. Then back again, fromworklife to homelife. It also is a good way to stay intouch with many of the homeless who are camping
out. The term camping out is a nice way of saying:living in a tent out in the woods.
The other photo of David is not how he usually
appears at work. Usually, he is a much snappierdresser then this, and as a Program Director heshould be. But it is well known that David will not asksomeone to do something that he isnt willing to dohimself. In this case he is showing a new janitor theropes. Most often he can be found sitting in front ofa computer screen with an intense look on his face,deep in concentration. How many computer geeksdo you know that can buff a bathroom floor to aspit-shine polish? Seriously though, working at theMission requires a person to be flexible. No one hereat the Mission can afford to forget where they camefrom, and that means everyone. When we begin to
forget where it is that we have come from God is notslow in reminding us.
When I look at these pictures and some of the groupphotos that I have of us, both staff and the N e w L i f e Disciples in the program, I am reminded of a sectionof Scripture that I wish to share with you.
Galatians 6
Doing Good to All
1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin,
you who are spiritual should restore him gently. Butwatch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carryeach others burdens, and in this way you willfu lfi ll the law of Christ. 3If anyone thinks he issomething when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
4Each one should test his own actions. Then he cantake pride in himself, without comparing himself tosomebody else, 5for each one should carry hisown load.
Carrying each others burdens and each onecarrying his own load seem like God is contradictingHimself in His Word to us. Since God can notcontradict Himself what does this mean? To me it
means that as a community of believers we needall the others in the group to love and support us.
We each need the patience and tolerance of thegroup. We need encouragement and at the sametime accountability. In short, grace and mercymust never be in short supply. Unfortunately, theseessential qualities do not come naturally to us.They must be deveolped and nurtured and allowedto grow in our characters. As for each one carryinghis own load, we as individuals must consistentlystrive to do our best each day in what ever we do,and not giving up when we fail. Failure is a partof life and here again we need our brothers andsisters acceptance and encouragement.
Perseverance is going to be my watchword for thisyear. Perseverance with others and perseverancewith myself. Romans 5:3-5 says: 3Not only so,but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because weknow that suffering produces perseverance;4perseverance, character; and character,hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, becauseGod has poured out his love into our hearts by theHoly Spirit, whom he has given us. I am confidantthat no one who is in Christ Jesus will be put toshame on the last day. We have His Word on it.
Written by John Lofquist.
For he is Gods servant to do you good.
Larry AlderidgeOperations ManagerDavid Williams-Program Director
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Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission P.O. Box 230510 Anchorage, Alaska 99523-0510
Here is my support gift: For Credit Card Donations:Food and Shelter: $_____Facilities Maintenance: $_____$46.25 For 25 Meals ______$74.00 For 40 Meals ______$132.20 For 72 Meals ______$277.50 For 150 Meals ______
______Other:______ I Will Pray for this Ministry.
I would like to charge my total donation of $__________________
Check One: Visa M/C Am/Ex Discover
Card Number __________________________________________Exp. Date: ______/______ Signature _______________________
Name:________________________________________________Address: ______________________________________________
Please send this coupon with your donations.
All credit card information is kept in strict confidenceMake checks payable to the Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission
You will receive a receipt.
7
dire
ctors
des
k
Rev.D
onBettis
1. Be Persistent The parable of the widow
and the unjust Judge.
2. Be InsistentIn spite of our soft modern
ways, the Bible speaks of storming heaven
and praying all night.
3. Be DissidentDo not try to answer your
own prayers.
4. Be ResistantWe fight against satan. He
knows when we pray and he knows when to
let the phone ring, dog bark or baby to cry.5. Pray in SecretTell God alone.
6. Be SpecificExact need.
7. Pray in Jesus Namethat what you are
praying for will bring glory and honor to
Him.
8. In FaithMk. 9:23, If thou can believe, all
things are possible.
prayerI have always believed in and practiced prayer for every aspect of my life. Butover the past few months PRAYER has become more of a reality to me when I
have seen what God has done in my own life and in this ministry. Even though
we have been limited by those in authority over us we continue to see Gods
hand on this ministry by providing for our needs and by sending those to our doors that we may be able to help
in other ways beside shelter. We are serving more meals, giving out more clothing and household items than ever
before and our NewLifeDisciplining Program has been constantly full with a waiting list for those that want and
need a program such as ours.
I have some notes on prayer I would like to share with you. Please read and study them and perhaps someday I can
come and present them to your church.
SIXTEEN LAWS OF PRAYER
9. Pleading the PromisesThere are 7,487
promises concerning prayer in the Bible also,
see Psalms 37.
10. Do not Dictateto God how He should answer
your prayer.
11. RealizingGods resources are limitless.
12. Pray according to Gods willwe do this
by seeking wisdom. Paul told the church at
Colosse to be filled with the knowledge of His
will.13. Pray until you can praiseHim for the
answer.
14. Praywith a desire to please and obey Him.
15. Pray with AuthorityUpon the authority of
Gods word and past answers to your prayers.
16. Pray for Others.
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GOD BLESS AMERICA
Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postal
PAID
Anchorage, AKPermit # 290
Anchorage
Gospel
MissionA Ministry of
Rescue & Recovery
ge
ssionres
cue
newsrescu
e
P.O. Box 230510Anchorage, AK99523-0510(907) 563-5603
return service requested
STATEMENT OF FAITHThe Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission is a Non-Profit, Non-Denominationalorganization. We receive NO municipal, state or federal funds. We are not a UnitedWay Agency. Your financial support and In-Kind donations makes it possible for us to
provide for the poor, needy and homeless people in our community. Also, your donationsallow us to provide a Drug and Alcohol Recovery program. All Donations are fully taxdeductible. We will give you a receipt for your donation.
Associa
tion ofGo
sp
el
Missio
nsMember
resc
ue
urgent
Our supplies of theseitems is constantly in
need of replenishing
Prayer
Paper Towels
45 Gallon Trash Bags
Fresh Meat
Coffee
Bathroom Tissue
Laundry Soap
Disposable Shavers Cleaning Supplies
Liquid Dish Detergent
Dinner Napkins
Shampoo
urgent
Anchorage Gospel
Rescue Mission
Board of Trustees
Ed Shelton
(President)
Bob Collins( Vice President/treasure)
Enoch Adams
(Secretary)
Mark Soquet
Ralph Nobrega
Emeritus:
Cliff Hodgins
Rev. Willard Leisy
Advisory Board:
Paul Kelly
Rev. Don Bettis, Exec. Dir.Charlotte Bettis, Asst. Dir.
resc
ue
recu
Our Ministry of
is to
the least
the last
the lost
Chapel Services for FebruarySunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1GodsPlace
2Abbott LoopCommunity
Church
3Anchorage
PilgrimNazarene
4Anchorage
GospelSingers
5AnchorageVineyard
Fellowship
6First
PresbyterianChurch
7CalvaryBaptistChurch
8GodsPlace
9Church
of God ofProphecy
10First
Assembly ofGod
11Anchorage
Churchof Christ
12Christ
CommunityChurch
13CalvaryChurch
14Wasilla
Assemblyof God
15GraceVictory
Fellowship
16Sherbahn
EvangelisticTeam
17Anchorage
NativeAssembly
18Christian
EvangelicalChurch
19Sherbahn
EvangelisticTeam
20Sherbahn
EvangelisticTeam
21LighthouseChristian
Fellowship
22New Light
CommunityChurch
23CalvaryBaptist
24Attorney
Greg Grebe
25CalvaryBaptist
26EvangelicalCovenantChurch
27In His Name
SandyMcCollum
28Glenn
Herman
Nightly Services7:30 PM to 8:30 PM