Rev Andy’s Blog

The Union Rescue Mission EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH program has been going strong for over a year and continues to be a wonderful time for our staff to nominate come and celebrate a member of our team that has gone above and beyond.  It’s especially fun for me because I get to introduce all the nominees during our Tuesday Morning Chapel Service and announce the winner as the entire room erupts into cheering as they give their peer a standing ovation!

On Many occasions, including our most recent recipient, the winner is someone who graduated from one of our Life Transformation Programs before joining our staff.  I thought you might like to read the nomination we received for our August 2011 Employee of the Month: KATHLEEN  PITT

“Kathleen (Kat) Pitt works in Maintenance at Hope Gardens Family Center.  Kat, as we know her, has gone way above and beyond so many times it is difficult to pin one thing down.  She started in the Program at HGFC with her daughter Zoe and graduated almost 3 years ago.  Kat is always willing to stay and help when help is needed.  Even if that means she is by herself on a project.  Kat comes in at all hours of the night to assist with emergencies and never complains about the time.  Kat has recently come to URM downtown to assist with the kitchen shutdown and worked several days, and one day over 13 hours to try and get us up and going.

Over the years she has been a mentor to the ladies at Hope Gardens, but beyond that she regularly attends AA meetings and continues to have a sponsor.  Kat has also been asked on several occasions to speak at Pepperdine University along with Dr. Paulette about her experience with domestic violence and I have heard that many times she has made a huge impact on the audience.  I am sure some of you saw her as one of the models last year at our Hearts for Hope Fashion Show Fundraiser.

She regularly leads groups of volunteers at HGFC and the common thing I hear as they leave is “WE LOVE KAT”.  I always respond with – “what isn’t there to love about Kat!”

Last year Kat was working her regular shift at HGFC and saw a lady outside the gate stumbling down the road.  She immediately went over to check on her and realized the lady had no clothing on and had been shot in the head.  Putting her own safety in jeopardy since she didn’t know where the shooter was, she rescued her and saved her life.

Kat was also a huge help in the untimely death of our Chef at HGFC by calling for help and administering CPR until help arrived.  She is selfless and believes in our Mission and what we do.  Kat continues to impress me with how far she has come.

I often think not only of the example she sets for the women at Hope Gardens, but also the example she sets for me.  I could go on for 10 more pages, but I think you get the idea of what kind of person I am nominating here.  Kat exudes our Mission Statement – Exceeds the need all the way home – and beyond by showing the love and compassion that we all strive for.  Kat never asks for recognition for herself or wants any thanks.  She just keeps on moving forward and loves what she does.”

Kat’s story is wonderful example of the miracles that take place everyday at Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens Family Center…miracles we all share in as work together to end homelessness in the City of Angels.

Blessings,

Rev. Andy Bales

Have you ever been seemingly unfairly, severely disciplined?  How did you react?  I remember some severe times of discipline in my life, like not making the All-Star Baseball team as a Little Leaguer because of my bad attitude.  I shaped up the next year and was a unanimous choice! Another time I was wrongly accused of cheating in class, blew up at the teacher who was a former shot-putter in college, and threw my books at the chalkboard and walked out.  When we sat down and my mom explained all that was going on in my life – brother in prison, Dad losing his business and everything, and me being diagnosed with diabetes – the teacher, Mr. Klein and I became good friends. There have been times when I understood and deserved discipline, and times when I’ve been bewildered by it. 

Right now is one of those bewildering times.  I am doing my best, working too hard, and I am facing one challenge after another, poor health, a wicked economy, lots of criticism.  One problem after another.  I don’t even know whether I will weather next week!!

Surprisingly, I am thankful.  I’m counting on the Scripture verse found in Hebrews: 12:5-6:

Hebrews 12:5-6 (ESV)
⁵ And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.
⁶ For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

The tough times make me certain that God loves me as a son.  I am also certain that it all will add up for my good, and draw me closer to the Lord.

Job 5:17-18 (ESV)
¹⁷ “Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.
¹⁸ For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal.

A favorite song of mine is the new one, Blessings, by Laura Story.  I want this song performed at my funeral;

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It’s not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

I believe these words with my whole heart, and I am thankful for the severe discipline that I am currently receiving from above.  I know that the only correct response is to do what I did in Little League baseball, get a good attitude, and strengthen whatever area is weak in my life. 

Hebrews 12:12-13 (ESV)
¹² Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,
¹³ and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.

Blessings,

 

by Guest Bloggers Chris Strode & Scott Bonovich 

Thursday, August 4, 2011 will always be remembered as a very special day in the recent history of Union Rescue Mission.

On that day, four gentlemen from UGL Limited, an international Fortune 500 company, came to URM for the sole purpose of meeting and interviewing ten men who had graduated from our CLDP Life Transformation program. The  interview process was set-up and arranged through John Kennelly and Will Nicklas of Toyota Motor Sales, USA who took time from their own very busy corporate schedules to mentor the ten Alumnus over the course of eight weeks. It was a day that changed lives forever.

Brantley Wheeler – Senior Director of Operations, Rodney McSheridan – Director of Operations, Robert Pugh – Regional Facility Manager and Jason Rawls – Operations Manager from UGL Services along with our two friends from Toyota Motor Sales, USA met in the board room where they heard from Andy Bales, CEO of Union Rescue Mission, Chaplain Steve Borja, our Chief Programs Officer and Chaplain Rodney Tanaka, chaplain of our men’s graduate groups –  Apprentice and Nikkos.  Also present were the ten men interviewees.  During the presentation, Andy Bales shared, “…the best part of my job is watching living miracles like the men sitting with us today who have reached past the level of responsibility and accountability of their lives and job functions…they have taken ownership and remained teachable in the process.”

After a tour of our downtown facility, the men from UGL Services got a first-hand glimpse at what is involved in true Life Transformation, coming away from the tour with admiration for the participants as well as the manner in which URM utilized every available space to its maximum, “…far more,” they said, “…than so many other facilities they worked with”.

At the culmination of over 8 weeks of mentoring and job preparation, the ‘hour of decision’ arrived. Two offices were used for the interviewing with the URM alumni receiving last minute coaching from their mentors, John and Will.

The process took several hours with heightened tension and anticipation; “…like expectant fathers waiting for the delivery…” according to John Kennelly. Nobody knew the outcome, nobody really knew what to expect – least of all those ten courageous men going through the interview process, men who only a little over a year before, had come to URM tired of the mean streets, tired of their way of life and looking – needing – to be transformed.

By 4:30 Thursday evening the interviews were completed, and the UGL representatives met to systematically compare notes and began requesting specific men return to meet with them. We would have been delighted had even one of our alumni been offered a job; ecstatic with two. But that Thursday was a very special day indeed…THREE of our alumni were offered immediate employment and a further four were offered jobs in the immediate future! Seven out of ten! Had this been baseball it would have been a Hall-of-Fame day! And perhaps as important were the first words from Senior Director of Operations, Brantley Wheeler and Director of Operations Rodney McSheridan who chorused, “When can we do this again?”

Our hope, as time goes on, is to share even more about community involvement in Union Rescue Mission’s Life Transformation programs as we continue to build upon our Job Development Program.  Lives were changed on that very special day; the lives of 10 courageous and hardworking men, the lives of 4 unique executives from UGL Services, the lives of 2 very special friends from Toyota Motor Sales, USA…and our own.

 If you have been following Union Rescue Mission in the news, you know that we made the decision to abandon our EIMAGO Subsidiary, and withdraw completely from any government funded programs, due to the contracts never quite paying enough to carry out the programs, and not reimbursing us in a timely manner, as well as government funding moving completely away from the kind of Life Transforming Programs that URM carries out.  We made it very public that we are still owed $305,000 from the Winter Shelter program that ended March 15^th, 2011. 

We were called to a meeting with County and City Officials at the County Hall of Administration this week.  We had submitted a proposal to the County that called for their assistance in our efforts to get all children away from the dangerous streets of Skid Row, and out to safe places like our own Hope Gardens.  We had submitted this proposal just before we made the decision to pull out of all government funded programs.  I was a bit apprehensive about the meeting, but also held out some hope that the County would want to assist us in caring out a mandate that we both hold firm, to move every precious child off of Skid Row. 

My apprehension was confirmed when a County official and Mike Arnold, the CEO of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority(LAHSA) looked me in the eye and said that URM was the problem-that as long as URM welcomed families with children, their home communities would not.  We were told, and I quote,

“You need to shut your front door to families with children, and leave them on the streets in their communities, so that the communities’ social consciousness will be elevated, and they will step up and provide services to their neighbors.” 

Though we’ve cooperated in every way, moved 450 families through to housing each year, developed Life Transforming Transitional Housing for families at Hope Gardens against all odds and even County opposition, URM was described as the bump in the road for solving family homelessness in Los Angeles! 

In effect, we were told by at least one County official, and Mike Arnold, to change our Mission statement from, “We embrace people experiencing homelessness with the compassion of Christ” to

“We shut the door on people, especially children, experiencing homelessness, and leave them on the streets of their communities to elevate the consciousness of their neighbors so that they might provide services! 

Well, we are going to continue to embrace people, especially precious children experiencing homelessness with the compassion of Christ, and we are going to leave our front doors open to all who come to us in need! 

Mike Arnold of LAHSA did offer that when a family first arrives at URM, if we called him directly, he would make sure they were provided housing elsewhere that day.  We are absolutely taking him up on that offer. All of our case managers have been instructed to call Mike the moment that new families arrive at our door, and we are going to continue to work very hard to place families elsewhere and track the results. 

We were also told that if we disappeared, that it would not make a difference in family homelessness in LA.

I’ll tell you what, as I parked in my parking place this morning, and watched proud parents, all cleaned up for work, walking their nicely dressed kids on their way to school this morning, from their temporary home here at Union Rescue Mission, I knew in my heart that we are making a difference for quite a number of families experiencing homelessness, and we will continue to do what we can, for as many as we can.

My heart won’t let me, the hearts of the Board of Directors and staff of the URM, and the heart of Jesus Christ will not let us leave precious children out on the streets of our cities waiting for the consciousness of others to elevate until they provide the much needed services.  We will continue to lead by example, as an encouragement to other communities to develop those welcoming facilities that will accommodate their neighbors experiencing homelessness in their own communities. Until that happens, it is a bad time to shut any doors. 

 Matthew 12:18-20 (ESV)
¹⁸ “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
¹⁹ He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
²⁰ a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory;