Volume 13, Number 16 | August 15, 2019 | www.citygatenetwork.org  


 
 
 
 

 

This issue of Street Smart is sponsored by:


 


Promoting Broader Collaboration in Communities
Citygate Network’s growing relationship with the Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPS) of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was featured just two days ago on the HUD Exchange news site. The report notes, “Developing diverse community partnerships in response to this trend is more important now than ever before, to better align strategies and resources with the shared goal of preventing and ending homelessness,” and touts the connection between HUD and Citygate Network, as well as the goal of closer coordination between local Continuums of Care and Citygate Network members in communities. The report notes that many of our members are the largest—and sometimes the only—homeless services provider in many cities. Citygate Network President John Ashmen worked closely with Norm Suchar, director of the SNAPS office at HUD, to produce the document.   


We’re Less Than Two Weeks from the Start of Our CEO Summit 
Attention executive director and presidents: We have another large group of mission and ministry leaders signed up for our CEO Summit. Are you one of them? If not, don’t wait too much longer to register…or you might have to wait until next year! 

The event will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, August 27–29. This is a great location: Indy is within driving distance for many of our members. Additionally, flights are still reasonable, even at this date.

Citygate Network’s CEO Summit is the annual gathering where we talk honestly about the biggest problems on our plates, as well as secrets to our greatest successes, all in a setting where Christ is lifted up. Multiple facilitators/consultants will be with us to “speak into” our confidential conversations. 

This year’s venue is the Hilton Indianapolis. You also don’t want to miss the tour of our local member, Wheeler Mission Ministries. The event includes plenty of time for discussion, interaction, and idea-sharing. Go to our online registration page and use the links there to check out the schedule and to see what special guests will be facilitating our discussions. Then get yourself registered today! We’ll look for you in Indy.


Check Your District Conference Page for Latest Updates
Registration is still open for all of this fall’s district conferences. You’ll find new details—including schedules, seminars being offered, and information on main speakers—on each event’s webpage. 

These regional gatherings are packed with education, inspiration, and networking designed to enrich and connect mission and ministry staff in every district. Think about what staff members from your mission can benefit from interaction and education pertinent to them. This is a great way to show downline staff—especially those who don’t receive Street Smart and other Citygate Network benefits—they are valued. 

Access your district’s event at www.citygatenetwork.org>Events.


Alaska Member Gets Encouraging News
This past Friday, a federal court issued an order that stops Anchorage officials from misapplying a city ordinance against Downtown Hope Center (Anchorage, Alaska), thus allowing the organization to continue operating its shelter for women. Thanks to the work of Alliance Defending Freedom, the organization received a preliminary injunction to continue operating as it always has done, even as a court case against them proceeds. The case—which many experts say is destined for the Supreme Court—is being watched very closely across North America. You can read about it here. Please be in prayer for CEO Sherrie Laurie and her board and staff at Downtown Hope Center as they press forward and do important work even while under great scrutiny. 
 

Member CEO to Embark on Motorcycle Ride Across America
Brandan Thomas, director of Winchester Rescue Mission (Winchester, Virginia)—along with at least seven other supporters of that mission—will embark on a coast-to-coast motorcycle ride September 27 to shed light on the national homeless crisis. They are calling the trip Rescue Ride. The group will ride from Winchester to Los Angeles, traveling and staying at rescue missions and kindred ministries along the route, including Citygate Network members in Nashville, Little Rock, Denver, Las Vegas, and others. The group will interact with shelter volunteers and homeless populations to document the work of missions and the struggles facing homeless people, and to share information with other missions. Check out this video regarding the ride.  


Bidding Farewell to a Citygate Network Staff Member
Malcomn Mitchell, who has served as Citygate Network’s Business Development Manager for two and half years, has accepted a position with VisionBox, a software-development firm based in Colorado Springs, beginning August 19. While with Citygate Network, Malcomn worked with business members on advertising and our conference Exhibit Hall, handled social media, and served as our web master. At VisionBox, Malcomn will be their Senior React Engineer. There he will design software for organizations such as the U.S Olympic Committee, the World Anti-Doping Agency, and various international medical firms. Even though he will be missed at Citygate Network, this is a big step forward in his career. Congratulations, Malcomn!


Citygate Network Board Member Releases New Book
Clarence Shuler, a board-elected member of Citygate Network's board of directors, has released a new book titled Choosing Greatness: 11 Wise Decisions That Brave Young Men Make (Moody). The book is co-authored with Gary Chapman (The Five Love Languages). Clarence, who is president/CEO at Building Lasting Relationships in Colorado Springs, notes that the book is targeted at those 11 to 18 years old to read alone or with a mentor, but college-age through late 20s young men are reading and loving it as well. 

Looking Down the Street…

  • Please welcome into Citygate Network membership Tulare Lighthouse Rescue Mission (Tulare, California), where Dave Clevenger [daveclev@gmail.com] serves as executive director. (Note: Dave is also the executive director of King’s Gospel Mission in nearby Hanford, California, which is already a Citygate Network member.)

 


 

Veggie Van Tours Columbus Food Deserts 
With so few grocery stores around Linden, Ohio, it's especially difficult to find fresh fruits and vegetables. So this month, Local Matters launched the Veggie Van, a mobile market that sells fruits and vegetables at affordable prices. They even accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. The Veggie Van visits different neighborhoods over the weeks, spending Tuesdays in Linden, Wednesdays and Thursdays in Franklinton, and Fridays on the East Side of the city. Research shows these neighborhoods have the city’s highest rates of food insecurity. According to an article from WOSU Radio, the Columbus Veggie Van is a part of a nationwide study from the University of Buffalo to measure the fruit and vegetable intake in communities that have similar programs. A total of nine such vans launched this year, including in Athens, Ohio; Charlotte, North Carolina; Holyoke, Massachusetts; and Long Island, New York.

A Fresh Spin on Helping Homeless People
A Vancouver chaplain and his brother plan to cycle 2,448 miles to help break the cycle of homelessness. Mark Roskam and his brother Mike, are planning to bike from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, via the historic Route 66. The two hope to leave on September 4, finish by October 11, and raise $66,000. Mark said that he has been involved in cycling all of his life. His brother took up cycling after giving up golf because he was not good at it. He said that cycling gives him everything he is looking for—time to be active outdoors. “Mike brought the idea to me, and it seems like it was almost an instant yes.” Mark said that every penny donated will go directly to Open House Ministries. According to an article in The Columbian, none of the donations will go toward paying for the trip that the brothers estimate will cost $10,000.

People Struggling with Mental Illness Face Stigma and Blame
Like clockwork, mental illness has become the focal point for blame following America’s 255th mass shooting this year. According to an article by Advance Local, people with mental illnesses are 10 times more likely to be victims of violent crimes, and only 3 to 5 percent of violent crimes can be linked to mental illnesses, according to national statistics. Using broad terms like “mentally ill" in situations of great harm and devastation can have a significant impact on those who suffer from depression, anxiety, or other mental illnesses, said Greg Vander Wal, executive director of the counseling center at the University of Alabama. “It can ultimately turn people away from seeking out help or coming to terms with their issues,” he said. “Generally speaking, you are linking mental illness to evil, crime, and murder.”
  

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Division Street

Half of People Living in Poverty In Cleveland Are Working, Report Finds
Cleveland is the second-poorest city in the United States, just behind Detroit. Now, a new report by local researchers aims to identify the challenges those living in poverty face—and what can be done to break the cycle. The study was conducted by the Center for Community Solutions, a Cleveland-based think tank. Currently, data shows the poverty rate in Cuyahoga County is at 18 percent—above what it was at the height of the Great Recession in 2008, at 15.6 percent, according to a report by ABC News. “There are about 220,000 people in Cuyahoga County who are living in poverty and about half of those are working so it’s really about earnings. People can still work and just don’t earn enough to be able to get by,” researchers said. It means that while unemployment is low, people are still not earning enough to make ends meet. 

New York Leads Nation in Nonprofit Jobs and Wages
New York state leads the nation in nonprofit jobs and the wages they support. According to information released Tuesday by Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, New York had more than 1.4 million nonprofit jobs, paying more than $78 billion in 2017. According to a report by The Associated Press, nonprofit organizations employ nearly 18 percent of the state’s private-sector workforce, the third highest percentage in the nation after Vermont and Maine. Nonprofits employee 10 percent of private-sector workers nationally. In some areas of New York, including the Mohawk Valley and the Southern Tier, nonprofits make up nearly one in four non-public sector jobs.

Nonprofits Stack Up Well in Email
Nonprofits enjoyed higher-than-average email open rates last year compared with other industries but were in line with other email metrics, according to a survey of millions of campaigns in 2018. Campaign Monitor analyzed more than 30 billion emails sent across 4.2 million campaigns in 2018, breaking out specific industry averages overall as well as by day of the week, as part of its “Ultimate Email Marketing Benchmarks for 2019: By Industry & Day.” According to an article in the Nonprofit Times, nonprofits were one of only two industries among the 22 in the study that had open rates of better than 20 percent. The other was agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting (20.13 percent). The lowest open rate (14.53 percent) was found among consumer-packaged goods.          

 

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Market Street

Chief Development Officer, Jubilee Ministries, Inc., Lebanon, PA 

Breakfast Cook, Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, Seattle, WA 

Care Support Specialist, Light of Life Ministries, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA 

Controller, Light of Life Ministries, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA 

Development Advisor, Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities, Saint Paul, MN 

Development and Database Coordinator, Union Gospel Mission, Dallas, TX 

Development Director, Open Door Mission, Glens Falls, NY 

Development Director, Home of Grace, Vancleave, MS 

Development Manager, Bread of Life Mission, Seattle, WA 

Development Vice President, Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities, Saint Paul, MN 

Director Integrated Marketing, Union Rescue Mission, Los Angeles, CA 

Director of Development, City Mission of Schenectady, Schenectady, NY 

Director of Operations (Gateway Center), Holland Rescue Mission, Holland, MI

Director of Development, Modesto Gospel Mission, Modesto, CA 

Director of Programs, Open Door Mission, Rochester, NY 

Director of Women's Ministry, John 3:16 Mission, Tulsa, OK

Domestic Violence Advocate, Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, Seattle, WA 

Donor Services Representative, Union Rescue Mission, Los Angeles, CA 

Executive Director, Campus of Hope, Conroe, TX 

Extended Care Program Manager, Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, Seattle, WA 

Grant Writer, Phoenix Rescue Mission, Phoenix, AZ 

HR Director, Rescue Mission Alliance, Oxnard, CA 

Life Change Program Manager, Jubilee Ministries, Inc., Lebanon, PA 

Major Donor Representative, Union Rescue Mission, Los Angeles, CA

Major Gifts Director, Union Gospel Mission, Dallas, TX 

Manager, Men's Addiction Recovery Program, Open Door Mission, Rochester, NY 

Marketing Project Specialist, Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, Seattle, WA 

Men's Case Manager, Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission, Shreveport, LA 

Program Administrator - Bridge Street Mission, Bridge Street Mission, Inc., Wausau, WI 

Protestant Prison Chaplains, Jubilee Ministries, Inc., Lebanon, PA 

Residential Coordinator_Cornerstone Manor Facility, Buffalo City Mission, Buffalo, NY 

Search and Rescue Specialist, Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, Seattle, WA 

Senior Director, Development, Nashville Rescue Mission, Nashville, TN 

Senior Director, Women and Children's Ministries, Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, Seattle, WA 

Shelter Supervisor, Open Door Mission, Glens Falls, NY 

Thrift Store Supervisor, Rescue Mission Alliance, Oxnard, CA

Vice President of Development, Career Cross Training, Colorado Springs, CO 

Vocational Training Manager, Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission, Shreveport, LA 

VP, Human Resources, Union Rescue Mission, Los Angeles, CA 

Women and Children's Program Manager, Hope Gospel Mission, Eau Claire, WI

Women's Program Manager - Laura's Home, The City Mission, Cleveland, OH

 

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Steet Light


Love Exemplified

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends”  (1 Corinthians 13:4–8, ESV).

Can you come up with a definition for love (that accurately describes what love is) in two or three sentences? It’s not an easy task.

No matter how we define love, our definition always seems to be lacking. Trying to define love can be like describing chocolate to a tribesman in sub-Saharan Africa who has never heard of nor tasted chocolate before.

We may have trouble defining it, explaining it, and even finding it, but we know deep down inside that we need it.

In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul wrote one of the most famous descriptions of love. Notice that he does not give a dictionary definition, but instead a description of love displayed. The love Paul describes values:

Scripture is clear. You can see this love displayed in patience, kindness, humility, forgiveness, integrity, and ongoing perseverance. This kind of love survives and stands the tests of time and tribulations.

Does this describe the love you’re seeking? More importantly, does this describe the love you desire to share?

 

Devotional used with permission of Daily Devotionals, shortdailydevotions.com.  


To contribute: If you would like to write a devotional thought for StreetLight, please make it about 200 words and include at least one Bible verse or passage, and submit via email.

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Citygate Network is a nonprofit organization committed to furthering missions and kindred ministries. Citygate Network provides limited space in "Market Street" for advertising opportunities, services, and products to advance the cause of rescue missions. Citygate Network is not responsible for the claims made by its advertisers and reserves the right to select or reject any advertising, in the sole discretion of Citygate Network, for any or no reason.

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All Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, unless otherwise noted. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

Street Smart is sent to you as a member service of Citygate Network, and is published on the 1st and 15th of each month (unless those dates fall on a weekend or holiday). The content does not necessarily represent the views of or imply endorsement by Citygate Network. To submit items for publication, email editor@citygatenetwork.org. To unsubscribe, email unsubscribe@citygatenetwork.org.