We’re Off! Conference Early-Bird Registration Starts Today!
From today through Wednesday, December 18 (the deadline), you can get the very best rates on next year’s Annual Conference and Exposition. This always-full, highly rated Citygate Network event is the “gathering place” for anyone and everyone working in ministry with hungry, homeless, abused, and addicted people. The location is San Antonio, Texas. The dates are May 27–30, 2020. Start making plans now—many of you already have done so—to join the throng for education, inspiration, networking, and encouragement. An 8-page brochure will be in the November/December issue of Instigate, but you can also find it electronically right here. The registration form is on the last page. Print it out and register that way, or go directly to our online registration.

2019 Snapshot Survey Shows Minimal Demographic Changes
The numbers members reported in our point-in-time data collection earlier in 2019 are almost a carbon copy of the 2018 numbers. Approximately 15,000 mission guests at about 100 missions/ministries provided information on sex, age, race/ethnicity, military history, and various other categories where increases or decreases of just one percent were the norm. One of the areas that showed a more significant jump was the number of white/Caucasian individuals served, which went up five percent, while the African American number went down by the same amount. Overall, the number of people struggling with mental illness increased a couple percentage points. A small uptick in the number of single individuals as a percentage of the total missions/ministry population resulted in a corresponding dip in the number of women/children/families served, as a whole. In a subset of the latter category, women with children figures decreased by three percent, marking this the third consecutive year those numbers have fallen. Meanwhile, intact families grew seven percent, its highest mark since 2013, possibly due to an increase in the number of members now making shelter available to this group. Participants in the 2019 Snapshot Survey can compare their results for each category to percentages from throughout North America.


You Are Invited to Be Part of a Worldwide Event
For the past 15 years, Operation Care International, one of our member organizations, has recruited an army of volunteers to help provide a meal, wash feet, give gifts, and share the gospel with nearly 10,000 impoverished (and often homeless) people at Christmastime in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metro Area. They use the Dallas Convention Center. This event is a big deal in the Big D! Operation Care International founder and CEO, Susie Jennings, wants to take this across North America and even around the world in December 2020—to replicate what happens in Dallas in more than 200 cities! It will be called ONEDAY2020. It very likely will be a phenomenon with significant PR opportunities. Susie is inviting Citygate Network members to join in. Seed money in the amount of $20,000 is available to help cities pull this off. To learn more, email Mark P. Fisher or give him a call at (443) 907-2828.


Some Districts Will Have New Officers in 2020
A big thank you goes to all who voted to elect these new board members and district presidents and vice-presidents. Their terms start January 1, 2020 and run through December 31, 2022.

Evergreen District:
Board Representative—Eric Bauer, Portland Rescue Mission (Portland, Oregon)
District President—Mike Johnson, Yakima Union Gospel Mission (Yakima, Washington)
District Vice-President—Andrew Porter, TriCity Union Gospel Mission (Pasco, Washington)

Heartland District:
Board Representative—Brad Meuli, Denver Rescue Mission (Denver, Colorado)
District President—Chad Young, Salina Rescue Mission (Salina, Kansas)
District Vice-President—Rob Swiers, New Life Center (Fargo, North Dakota)

Liberty District:
Board Representative—Dave Jones, The Bowery Mission (New York City, New York)
District President—Jack Crowley, Water Street Ministries (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
District Vice-President—Kim Cook, Open Door Mission (Glenn Falls, New York)

In addition, the entire network elected a new board member:

At-Large:
Board Representative—Anna Valeria-Iseman, Open Door Mission (Rochester, New York)

Another big thank you goes to our outgoing officers. We appreciate your service to your peers and Citygate Network.


President Trump Finally Fills White House Faith-Based Position
Paula White, a Pentecostal preacher and longtime adviser to President Donald Trump, was tapped earlier this month to head the White House’s Office on Faith and Opportunity Initiative. Other agencies in the government have a Faith and Opportunity Initiative office, but the post in the Executive Branch has not been filled since 2016. Pastor White has been a member of the president’s informal evangelical advisory board that gathers frequently to support the president and offer him advice as it relates to religious endeavors and faith-focused organizations. He has ordered federal agencies and departments that do not currently have a center on faith-based issues to designate a liaison and coordinate with the office in the White House. Although White has already been fulfilling many of the duties on a volunteer basis, her formal appointment will likely increase her engagement with faith-friendly organizations.


Open Enrollment for Citygate Benefits Starts November 25
If you participate in the Citygate Benefits program—health insurance for staff—the annual open enrollment period starts November 25 and runs through December 9. This is an opportunity for individuals to make any necessary changes to their health plans. If no changes are made, coverage will continue as it is currently set up. Every individual in the program will have the opportunity to learn more about the process during one of our upcoming open enrollment webinars. The first webinar will be Monday, November 18, 12–1 p.m. MST. You can click here to join in at that time. The same content will be repeated on Monday, November 25, 12–1 p.m. MST, and you can take part in that session by clicking here at that time.


HHS Proposes Modifications to Nondiscrimination Regulation
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) to undo a regulation put in place by the former administration, stipulating that HHS grantees cannot discriminate on the basis of religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity when using HHS funds, and offering no religious exemption. The nondiscrimination applies to those served, as well as the hiring of employees. A second part of the existing regulation requires that grantees treat same-sex marriages the same way they do traditional marriages. The NPRM alleges procedural irregularities with the regulation and announced that the administration will not enforce it before modifications. Once the NPRM has been published in the Federal Register, we will provide the link and encourage you to submit a “public comment” during the 30-day window for responses to the proposed rule.


Are You Getting Your Citygate Network Email?
Please let us know if you experience any issues with your (or your colleagues’) email addresses receiving our communications. Recent staff changes might have affected what you receive and what your filters allow into your inbox. If you have noticed any anomalies, we want to fix them. If our emails go to your junk mail folder, that can easily be addressed. Send notification of any routing problems, duplicates, etc. to Stacie, and she will help get it resolved so you don’t miss a thing.

Looking Down the Street

• Through her years at Faith City Mission (Amarillo, Texas), CEO Jena Rawley Taylor, has seen God care for people in such beautiful and miraculous ways that she decided to publish them as an encouragement to others. Signs and Wonders 101: 101 Days of Miracles shares these modern-day miracles in a 464-page daily devotional. The paperback is available through Amazon.
  
  
• Over the summer, Safe Harbor (Hickory, North Carolina) completed work on a 10,000-square-foot facility that allowed them to significantly expand their operations. They celebrated the grand opening with more than 300 people from around the city and have since moved in to make productive use of the space for a variety of services, including shelter, programs, training, and community meetings.
  
  
• A few of our old-timers might remember Jim Dunn, who spent more than 25 years with Union Rescue Mission (Los Angeles, California). We received word that he changed his address to heaven on Sunday, November 10.

LeBron James Plans Temporary Housing Village for School Families
The NBA superstar has announced plans to add a safe transitional housing option for struggling families whose children attend the school he founded in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. CNN published his intent to renovate a historic apartment building located about five blocks from the school, which will be available to needy families in need at his I Promise School. “Initially, our work was focused on helping these kids earn an education. But we've found that it is impossible to help them learn if they are struggling to survive,” James said in a statement. His foundation will work with Graduate Hotels to have the units ready for the fall 2020 school year.

Salvation Army Tests Mobile Tech Donations
The Salvation Army’s red kettle campaign is going high tech, hoping to expand their reach to younger generations and the growing number of people who don’t carry cash. According to a Chicago Tribune report, the Salvation Army in Chicago will begin taking donations using Apple Pay, Google Pay, or by scanning a QR code, in addition to normal cash donations. They began offering this option last year in Kansas City, New York, Dallas, and Seattle. Typically, donations during the holiday season compromise about 70 percent of their annual funds.
Consider: How has your organization kept up with changing giving trends?

San Francisco DA Pledges Not to Prosecute ‘Quality of Life’ Crimes
Fox News reported that San Francisco’s newly elected District Attorney, Chesa Boudin, does not plan to prosecute what he terms “qualify of life crimes” in the affluent city. This would include public camping, offering or soliciting sex, public urination, public defecation, blocking a sidewalk, etc. He feels this stance will go a long way toward decriminalizing poverty and homelessness. Public outcry has reached a crescendo as many cities throughout California face an unprecedented homelessness crisis.

back to top

Homelessness Becoming More Deadly
A Los Angeles County Department of Public Health report found that the number of homeless deaths has almost doubled from 2013 to 2018, going from 536 to 1,047 according to Fox News. Overdosing on drugs and alcohol accounted for 27 percent of those deaths over the last three years, followed by 24 percent caused by injury and violence, 22 percent as a result of coronary heart disease, and 9 percent from transportation-related injuries. More than 200 of those deaths were attributed to homicide, and 185 by suicide in that time period. The same report indicated that homeless people die an average of 22 years earlier than the general population. A homeless person’s average age at the time of death is about 51, compared to 73 among the general population.

Social Media Recruiting Platforms Show Strong Engagement
Many HR professionals have discovered that social media is a very effective HR tool in promoting jobs and attracting talent at very little expense. Posting job openings on a variety of social media platforms can increase application rates by 30 to 50 percent, according to a SmartBrief article. As many as 73 percent of workers ages 18–34 report finding their current job via social recruiting. But if you post it, be sure to keep it fresh. Potential hires will notice whether your social media pages get regular updates and tend to formulate an opinion for company culture and whether or not your organization appeals to them.
Consider: Has your HR department tapped into social media outlets as recruiting tools?

Gap Widens Between Donations to Top Charities and Other Nonprofits
The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that 2018 donations to America’s largest nonprofits grew 11.3 percent, vastly more than what was experienced by the rest of the charitable world. The 100 organizations on America’s Favorite Charities claimed 8.7 percent of all giving last year. Those well-known nonprofits rely heavily on the ultrawealthy who don’t tend to feel the effects of recessions and tax changes. As expected, the loss of the charitable giving deduction in 2018 prompted a significant drop in the number of people who itemized, falling from 24 percent in 2017 to only 8.5 percent in 2018.

back to top

Camp Director, Central Union Mission, Washington, DC

Camp Maintenance Manager, Central Union Mission, Washington, DC

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

Career Learning Center School Administrator, Orlando Union Rescue Mission, Orlando, FL

Controller, Good News Rescue Mission, Redding, CA

Controller, Light of Life, Pittsburgh, PA

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

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 

Director of Communications, Citygate Network, Colorado Springs, CO

Director of Development, Jubilee Ministries, Inc., Lebanon, PA

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

Director of Marketing, Water Street Mission, Lancaster, PA

Director of Marketing and Communications, St. Matthew's House, Naples, FL

Director of Operations, Fairhaven Rescue Mission, Covington, KY

Distribution Center Assistant, Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, Seattle, WA

Executive Director, The City Mission of Findley, OH, Findley, OH

Executive Director, Campus of Hope, Conroe, TX 

Executive Director, Fairhaven Rescue Mission, Covington, KY

Guest Services Associate (FT, PT, On-call), Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, Seattle, WA

Guest Services Supervisor, Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, Seattle, WA

HR Director, Rescue Mission Alliance, Oxnard, CA

Major Gifts Director, Union Gospel Mission, Dallas, TX 

Major Gifts Officer, Union Rescue Mission, Wichita, KS

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

Outreach Specialist (Mental Health), Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, Seattle, WA

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

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

Senior Human Resources Generalist, Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, Seattle, WA

Shelter Supervisor, Open Door Mission, Glens Falls, NY 

Social Ent. Bus. Coor. & Exec. Assist. to COO, John 3:16 Mission, Tulsa, OK

Social Work/Clinical Manager, Denver Rescue Mission, Denver, CO

Street Outreach Lead, 2nd Shift, Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, Seattle, WA

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

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

VP of Adult Ministries, Miracle Hill Ministries, Inc., Greenville, SC

Welcome Center Supervisor, Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, Seattle, WA

back to top