News From The Farm

Ben, a 2010 CLP graduate, was invited to share his testimony with the participants of 'Drug Court', a court sanctioned drug rehabilitation program in Harrisonville, MO.  He was encouraged to have the opportunity to report how his thinking, his actions and his entire life has been transformed by participating in the Mission’s Christian Life Program.  He was presented with many questions and was excited to see how the Lord gave him the ability to answer each one with clarity because of the journey he has been on.  Ben was never the type of individual to speak in such a public venue, so this was very exciting news for our staff to hear! 

'I expect and hope that I will not fail Christ in anything but that I will have the courage now, as always, to show the greatness of Christ in my life here on earth.'
      –Philippians 1:20

Camp CUMCITO Relationship Building Continues through the Winter

The ladies that volunteered as Teen Girls camp staff have committed to stay involved in the lives of these young women.  They interact with them on Facebook and set-up events such as sleep-overs, concerts, Bible studies and other fun activities to be able to stay in touch and touch their lives. 

The new involvement of teen girls has prompted a group of the Teen Boys’ staff to invite the teen boys to camp for a ‘Winter Retreat’ in December.  They plan to stay in the cabins (with warm clothes and sleeping bags) and roast food over camp fires, and participate in archery and riflery.  There are 13 willing staff members currently signed up.  Invitations were sent to all the teen boys last week and 3 have already sent in their registration forms.  Please pray for this new form of outreach, that these dedicated men will impact the lives of these young men.

Plans are under way for the annual Camp Christmas Party, to be held December 3rd.  We will mail out invitations to all our 2011 campers for them and their families.  We usually have about 80-100 campers and family members come by for food, games, crafts and a puppet show.

Harrisonville Christian School Partners with City Union Mission

The Harrisonville Christian School held their annual Pumpkin Bread Sale and annual Food Drive recently and chose that these events would benefit the Mission!

The kids present Dennis Ellis, Church Relations Specialist for City Union Mission, with a check for $235 and a 'trunkload' of food for the Mission.

Thank you for your BIG HEARTS for helping us to take care of "God's Human Sparrows."

Christmas Volunteering at the Mission

We are gearing up for Mission: Christmas and have many volunteer opportunities!  Most positions are during the week between the hours of 8 am and 4 pm.

Beginning Monday, November 28, the Christmas store opens and we need volunteers to sort stocking stuffers, to be shopper assistants and to wrap gifts.  On December 22, we will be delivering gifts to the families who have shopped in our Christmas store.

We also are in need of Office Assistants for the Development Department to handle phone calls and emails during ths busy time; and an Admininstrative Assistant for our Family Center, to help with data entry and phone work.

If you are interested in assisting in any of these areas, please register as a 'CORE' volunteer at the Volunteer Center on our website, www.cityunionmission.org.  If you have specific questions, please contact Tammy Sharp at 816-329-1487.

Thank you!

A look on the ‘inside’ when ministering to hundreds of men daily

In the men’s ministries here at City Union Mission we are blessed with the golden opportunity to discuss the very essence of life with our guests.  Remarkable things happen daily and testimonies come in with men telling of transformations in their lives.

Once men get on with life as a disciple of Christ we then attempt to help them become productive citizens in their chosen churches and places of employment.  The many churches that volunteer to present Christ here at the Mission often receive the men back into their fellowships.  That is about as healthy a transfer as is possible. 

They also need to work their way back into providing for their needs and preparing to help others who can’t help themselves (Ephesians 4:28).  To help with this we have two full time and one part time staff members whose administrative purpose is to lead clients into the working world.  They use the typical tools of resume writing, internet search engines to locate openings, interviewing skills etc., but the real key they provide lies is at a different level. 

They must understand that all of life works out right when Christ is the center of their lives.  If that is right, the world, including their work-world, works out right.  God is God and He is faithful and true.  Second, they must create a real workable job search plan and stick with it.  Third, they must maintain sobriety. 

There are lots of employment tools, but none so potent as applying the Word of Truth which the Holy Spirit will use in their lives. 

(Post submitted by Gary Mountz, Director of Men's Ministries at City Union Mission)

Thank You!

The Mission is appreciative of friends like the Frontier Trails Middle School K-Club who recently held a Toilet Paper Drive to benefit the Misison.  The school collected 673 rolls of toilet paper!

Also, the Junior Youth Group, from Hope Lutheran Church in Shawnee, sponsored a  Food Drive for the Mission collecting 900 pounds of various food items! Pamela Webb, the Jr. Youth Leader, said that the group will also be collecting towels, washcloths and twin size sheets after Christmas to give to the Mission.

We appreciate groups such as these that demonstrate a giving spirit in partnering with the Mission to provide for those that stay at our shelters.  Thank you for having a Heart for the Homeless!

The Irony of the Christian Life Program

The irony of a Christian recovery program is that it exists for men who have been living unmanaged and uncontrolled lives, driven primarily by selfish, destructive choices and addictive behaviors. Within 6 hours of their walking into the Christian Life Center for their 12-14 month long program, they are asked to live unselfishly in Christian community with other men like themselves – 40 to 80 uncontrolled and unmanaged men – treating God and each other according to the biblical commands “Love God” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” That is irony – an outcome contrary to what you would expect to happen.

Thinking that a man is going to make those radical changes and choices instantly is a real stretch . . . a tall order. But guess what? That is what Jesus calls us to believe . . . that He is capable of bringing about those kinds of miraculous changes and transformations. Jesus may choose to do it instantly, quickly, or over time. Either way, the change is miraculous.

Do rules and self-discipline bring about those changes? Absolutely not. But beneficial rules and self-discipline create an environment of mutual respect where a self-centered man can begin to see how much he resents having to be subject to the control of others. When a man begins to acknowledge he hates the control of others in his life, but also admits neither can he control himself to do the right thing, that puts him in a great place to learn . . . . humbling. And humbling brings grace.

Freedom is not the absence of constraints. A person will always be controlled by somebody. Freedom is the choice to determine who he will allow to control him. Jesus promises He is a good and benevolent King, and that He will come and live in the inner being of the unmanaged man who is seeking self-control . . . inner governing and constraints. Why not choose to let Jesus bring the internal, self-governing that the unmanaged, uncontrolled man has been looking for?

Sometimes it’s fun and adventurous to be a part of something ironic!

(Contributed by Bret Kroh - Assistant Administrator to our Christian Life Program)