The Latest

URM on 89.3 KPCC – 1948 Vintage Film Discovered

Tucked away deep in the archives of Union Rescue Mission, Of Scrap and Steel, was waiting to be be discovered, becoming more and more fragile with each passing day.  Recently, URM Historian, Liz Mooradian, pulled this 1948 short film to the surface.  Had Liz not transferred the deteriorating 16mm print into video, this fascinating piece of Los Angeles history would have been lost.

Today, October 18,2011, Liz Mooradian and CEO, Rev.Andy Bales discussed, with excitement, this wonderful discovery on KPCC 89.3.  “We were out of our minds when we saw it, that it was in tact and that we could see people walking around the mission,” said Liz.  The KPCC radio segment was a beautiful glimpse into the rich history of URM.

Take a few minutes and listen to the KPCC segment here.

A historical gem like this is meant to be shared.  That is why this Thursday October 20th, 2011,  the Los Angeles Visionaries Association, In SRO Land, and Union Rescue Mission would like to invite you to join us for a FREE rooftop screening of Of Scrap and Steel.  What better place to enjoy this enthralling film than the beautiful re-designed URM rooftop nestled in the city lights of Los Angeles.

For all the info you need regarding parking, address, program schedule, and to register, .

We look forward to seeing you there!

Sneak Peak of Of Scrap and Steel



You Are Invited – Hope Gardens Open House

Saturday, October 15, 2011, from 3pm-6pm, we would like to invite you to the Hope Gardens Open House on the beautiful 77 acre campus in Sylmar, California. This fun-filled event will give you the opportunity to tour the beautiful campus, meet the incredible staff, enjoy some great food, and engage with the precious women and children of Hope Gardens.

For more information or to RSVP, please contact Latonja Lindsey at (213) 347-6341 or email llindsey@urm.org.

Please RSVP by October 12th

Far from the dangerous streets of Skid Row, nestled in the foothills of Sylmar, California, lies Hope Gardens Family Center, a transitional housing and permanent supportive housing campus for mothers, children, and senior women experiencing homelessness.

Back in August, 2006, after a long hard fight to acquire this property, Hope Gardens opened its doors to women and children in need.  With approximately 85 children, 42 mothers, and 21 senior women, Hope Gardens is a peaceful place of refuge for these beautiful people, a stop on the way home.

We look forward to seeing you at the Open House to help us celebrate the blessing of Hope Gardens and its guests.

Saturday, October 15, 2011, from 3pm-6pm, we would like to invite you to join us on this beautiful 77 acre campus for our Hope Gardens Open House. This event will give you the opportunity to tour the beautiful campus, meet the incredible staff, enjoy some great food, and engage with the precious women and children of Hope Gardens.

Performers are “Putting on the Hits” October 6th

This Thursday, URM Servant Leadership is presenting:

“Putting on the Hits”

Performers from Union Rescue Mission, the Weingart Center, and the LA Mission are coming together to compete in a lip-sync contest. This is a great opportunity for URM guests, residents, staff and friends to come together for some good, wholesome, fun.

Anyone who would like to come out to support our talented performers is welcome to join us in the URM Chapel this Thursday, October 6th, at 7:00pm.

We need Tutoring Volunteers at Hope Gardens!

We are excited to announce a new tutoring program at Hope Gardens that will start on October 24th! After a lot of hard work, Plumfield Learning Systems is nearly ready to kick-off their specialized tutoring program for all the children at our Hope Gardens Family Center.

Now that we have the wonderful tutoring program, and the rooms at Hope Garden in which to run it, we are in need of some volunteers! If you are interested in assisting with this tutoring program, please contact Monique Johnson at mjohnson@urm.org.

Thank you for your support!

5-Star Dining Comes to Skid Row

A fantastic dinner fit to be served at any top restaurant was served on Skid Row last night!  2010 James Beard Award award-winning chef, Alexander Roberts, and Chris Gardner (whose story is told in Pursuit of Happyness) presented a delicious gourmet 4-course meal of Creole chicken, beans and rice, cornbread, salad with homemade buttermilk dressing, and a fresh peach and blueberry crisp.

With the help of fellow chefs and URM staff,  Alexander prepared over 700 meals for the precious men, women, and children living at Union Rescue Mission.

AARP’s Ambassador, Chris Gardner led 100+ AARP volunteers in serving the dinner to our guests.  Every plate served was scraped clean.  The only leftovers to be found were full bellies and big smiles!

This event, which is in conjunction with AARP’s annual national event, Life@50+, is shedding light on the sobering fact that there are nearly nine million people, 50 and older, at risk of hunger in this country.

Thanks to AARP volunteers, Chris Gardner, Alexander Roberts, and so many others, for serving our guests, many over 50, a wonderful dinner with generous sides of love and compassion.

For more pictures please visit our facebook album here.

Trump National Golf Club – Golf Clinic on Skid Row

It was a fun-filled day in our gymnasium yesterday!  Thanks to Kris Brown and Joey Lewis,  Trump National Golf Club instructors and two of the best teachers in the golf industry, our guests had a chance to play a simulated round of golf in the middle of Skid Row!

The dynamic duo walked participants through the golf stations, taught them how to hit the ball off the tee, into the hole, and everything in between.  Everyone who got the chance to swing a club had a blast and came away with some great advice and tips from the pros.

Andy Bales said “positive activities like this help our guests get through a very tough time. Job loss and the economy have forced so many families into shelters. I’m thankful to Kris and Joey for taking the time to share their gifts with our guests”.

A big thank you to Kris and Joey for donating your time and skills and providing such a unique and fun opportunity!

250 UCLA Students Volunteer at URM

It was a sea of blue and yellow yesterday as volunteers from UCLA came to URM to serve all over the building! As part of the “Volunteer Day” for incoming students, over 7,000 freshman and new transfer students take part in various volunteer projects all over the LA area.

We were blessed with 250 of these hard-working students who were divided up into groups to tackle all areas of our building. They scrubbed our walls and stairwells, washed our windows, and played with children on the roof. Some helped out in the kitchen, preparing the meal and serving our guests.

The volunteers did a phenomenal job, and really helped us out. Staff and guests have been letting us know how grateful they are for the help, and how much better the building looks!

Thank you, UCLA volunteers! We are always glad to have you come down, and are already looking forward to next year!

The Mission Newsletter – September 2011

Called to Cook

 

Thanks to generous people like you, men like Larry will discover God’s perfect recipe for a transformed life this Thanksgiving season.

They say everyone has a spiritual gift. Mine is cooking — though I didn’t know it until recently. For more than 50 years, the only things I ever “cooked up” were drugs, alcohol, and a wrecked life.

The child of an alcoholic, suicidal mother, I grew up rebellious and angry at the world. I started drinking and using drugs myself at 15. I also carried a knife and gun wherever I went, and I never hesitated to use them. Thankfully, I never killed anyone.

I refused to let anyone tell me what to do. Not even my wife. But I never expected her to leave me. When she walked out in 1999, it devastated me so bad I gave up on life, and for six years I lived on the streets of Pasadena.

Then I met Andy Bales.

Andy was ministering out of Lake Avenue Congregational Church at that time. I’d never met anyone who cared for me like he did. He never gave up on me. One day he said, “Larry, you’re a good man.” No one had ever said that to me. Then he asked, “Are you ready to change your life?”

I was ready. Andy introduced me to Jesus and gave me my first job as a cook. And later, when he started working as CEO of Union Rescue Mission, he invited me to start cooking here, as well.

Today I’m the head chef at the Mission, and I’m responsible for serving 3,500 meals every day to all the men, women, and children who seek our help. This November will mark my sixth time preparing a Thanksgiving feast at Union Rescue Mission for nearly 4,500 at one time! And no one is more grateful than me.

I’ve never been to cooking school. No one ever taught me how to cook. But God has given me a gift for it. And I’m never alone when I do it. It sounds funny, but when I’m cooking, the Holy Spirit shows me exactly what I need to do — and it works.

But as special as cooking here at the Mission is to me, what matters more are the men who work with me. Most of these men wrecked their lives just like me. But not only has God given me the privilege of training them to cook, I also get to share my own experience with them and show them how good God is and how to keep Him in their lives. Cooking great meals, helping men discover the Lord’s recipe for a great life — these mean the world to me. God, the Master Chef, is truly good.

Spare Change for a Special Thanksgiving

 

Union Rescue Mission will serve more than 80,000 meals this Thanksgiving season, and your spare change will make a huge difference. Just go online to download a special Savings Jar label at urm.org/savingsjarlabels.  Then attach the label to the biggest container you can find and collect change daily. Then send a check for that total amount to Union Rescue Mission!

 
 

Serving Up New Life

I first met Chef Larry at a small ministry I once ran in Pasadena called Villa 500. I could tell immediately he was giving up on life. And I couldn’t let him.

He started helping me cook meals, and we became instant buddies. As I got to know him, I discovered a kind, gentle, caring soul with a lot to give back. So when I came to Union Rescue Mission, I invited him to work in our kitchen. Today, he not only cooks our meals, he shares his life with other guys and gives them hope that they can make it too.

This Thanksgiving will mark our sixth together, deep-frying almost 500 turkeys all night long to serve nearly 4,500 precious guests seeking a holiday meal.

At Union Rescue Mission, when someone asks for our help, no matter how hurt or damaged they are, we see the possibilities in them. We offer them hope and give them every opportunity to succeed. You never know when you’ll find another Chef Larry.

Blessings,

Andy Bales, CEO

You Are Invited to Our Open House!

On September 17,2011 from 4pm-7pm, we are hosting a Union Rescue Mission Open House. We invite you to join us for tours at 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, and 7pm as well as the exciting ribbon cutting ceremony for our redesigned rooftop.

At the Open House you will have the opportunity to hear live testimonies from Program Graduates, watch our Stories from Skid Row, tour our facility, fellowship with URM Staff and supporters, and more!

If you are planning to attend, please contact Rosie Perez at 213.673.4543 or rperez@urm.org.

Andy’s End of Month Update – August 2011

August has been full of great moments! Seeing eight women graduate from our Hope Gardens program, passing out thousands of cold water bottles on these hot summer days and watching URM kids participate in VBS and surf camp are just a few. Unfortunately, giving is down and we need your help.

Be sure to check out the end of the month update to find out what has been going on. We praise God for your continued support and willingness to partner with URM.