Thank you to all of you who participated in the Virtual Oasis Fundraiser to make it a great success! $41,770 was raised by your generous donations to make the match for a total of over $80,000 to help transform the lives of men and women! God bless you all!
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Virtual Oasis Fundraiser - Update
Greetings from all of us at the Merced County Rescue Mission! In the midst of these difficult times, we are all having to find new ways of doing things. While travel restrictions and recommendations to stay at home are having a profound effect on our daily lives, God is also still working in the lives of the men and women in our programs. Together with you, the participants in the Rescue Mission programs are sheltering in place, and as they do, they are able to continue their classes virtually through Zoom to continue their journeys toward genuine life transformation. The work the Rescue Mission is doing with your help is now more critical than ever. We want to remind you that in the midst of this COVID-19 pandemic, we had to cancel our Oasis Dinner, which is our annual fundraising event to raise the funding needed to see us through the lean summer months. We are disappointed that we will not have the opportunity to see you face to face this year, but the good news is that you are invited to join us for our VIRTUAL OASIS FUNDRAISER starting on SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2020.
This year at our Oasis Dinner we were looking forward to sharing with you how through the vision of Tom and Leticia Miller the Rescue Mission opened its doors to people in need in 1991. We would have shared how God brought us through the loss of our building on Canal Street in 2017, and our journey to the present with 20 locations. We were excited to tell you about the development that will soon be taking place on our new five-acre campus on Cone Avenue. God is doing great things and lives are being changed and YOU are an important part of this work!
Our goal and need is to raise $80,000 at our VIRTUAL OASIS FUNDRAISER. Along with the opportunity to donate directly, we will be having an ONLINE AUCTION and FUND THE NEED that you will not want to miss. In addition to our generous sponsors, and the 100% participation of our MCRM Board, the Central Valley Opportunity Fund has offered a matching challenge gift of up to $40,000.
Do not miss this opportunity to participate in this effort to reach our $80,000 goal to help those in need and transform lives in the coming months. If donations surpass the $80,000 goal, additional funds will be divided equally between Life-Line and the construction of the building for homeless pregnant women on our new Village of Hope campus. Every donation you make will be doubled up to $40,000.
Please mark your calendar so you do not miss our VIRTUAL OASIS FUNDRAISER – ONLINE AUCTION and FUND THE NEED. On Saturday, May 16 through Sunday May 31, you will be able to participate by going to our website and clicking on the Virtual Oasis Fundraiser link along the top. On May 16th, a link to enter the event and set up your bid number will go live on our Virtual Oasis Fundraiser page. It will be active through Sunday, May 31, to allow people to participate during this time frame. Further information and details will also be provided on the page on May 16.
If you have an item to donate for the auction, please contact Bruce Metcalf, bmetcalf@missionmerced.org or (209) 480-3899.
The Mission looks forward to your participation in this great upcoming event!
By Dr. Bruce Metcalf, MCRM Executive Director
Easter Dinner for Hope Programs
Thanks to your donations, men and women in our Hope for Men and Women faith based program will enjoy an Easter Dinner with hams and pies. Thank you!!
Hope Programs: This Is What Our Bible Studies Look Like
Sheltering in place, men and women at the Mission are continuing their Bible studies and educational classes online. Tim Cardascia, manager of our Hope for Men program, sent the following text to the Mission staff during a Bible Study held last night:
"Good evening. This is what the current Bible study looks like with the Hope for Men. Gabriel Leung from Gateway Church is leading this group. Technology is truly amazing!"
We are grateful to our teachers and technology that makes it possible for us to continue God's life-changing work during this crisis!
This is what our Bible Studies look like!
Growing Hope in the Midst of a Crisis
Together with all of you, our community, and our nation we are facing the crisis of the coronavirus. We are doing our best to continue reaching out to those in need. Our 130 plus resident participants are currently sheltering in place. We have designated shoppers to bring food and supplies to 20 locations, and classes are being taught online.
In the midst of difficult times, we need you, our donors, to help us rally to meet this challenge. Your prayers and your contributions are a lifeline to help the Mission not only stay the course, but to provide hope and life-transformation for men and women who desperately want to find a way out of darkness and despair. Thank you to everyone who has already rallied with us to meet this challenge, please continue to keep us in your prayers.
For those with a growing concern about our homeless population and wonder what is being done to help people into a better life, I’m going to share with you a brief summary about the Mission: where the Mission has come from, where we are now, and what our vision is for the future. And we hope you will share this with others, because working together we can change our community.
In 1991 Tom and Letitia Miller’s hearts were moved by the plight of people who were homeless on the streets of Merced. They established the Merced Rescue Mission to reach out with compassion by providing food, water, shelter, clothing, and hope in Christ. Their spirit of caring and the love of Jesus they exhibited for those who had little or nothing became the foundation for what has become one of the largest providers of assistance to the homeless in Merced County. Between 1991 and 2017, the Mission sought to help people not only in the short-term with a meal and overnight shelter, but long-term through structured, faith-based programs lasting several months where those who are lost can heal in a loving home, find Christ, and find a better way of life. During this time, we rented a home to house our faith-based women’s program.
In January of 2017, the Rescue Mission was forced to leave its facility on Canal Street where the faith-based men’s program was housed because it was no longer habitable, and we rented another home to keep our men’s program going. At the end of 2017 the Rescue Mission had two locations and beds for about 30 residents.
When the Mission had to leave the Canal Street location, hope didn’t fade, HOPE GREW BECAUSE OF YOU. You saw HOPE in our mission and your hope has helped us grow from two locations to over 20 locations in just three short years, with beds for 160 residents. The Merced County Rescue Mission is now stretching to meet the needs of people who are crying out for help, as God gives us opportunity. The core of the Mission’s work continues to be the three to nine-month, faith-based residential discipleship program, Hope for Men and Hope for Women. In addition, the Mission has two respite care homes in Merced and one in Los Banos for people being discharged from the hospital with no place to go. These respite care homes provide a place for people to recover while Mission staff works on helping to find them permanent housing. The Mission’s five sober living houses provide a place for graduates of our faith-based discipleship program to take the next step towards independence as they begin jobs and begin to take financial responsibility for themselves. Our six bridging houses offer low barrier shelter to help men and women get off the streets and provide a chance to start over. Over 80% of the Mission’s staff are graduates of the discipleship program and they bring energy, personal investment, and a strong sense of purpose to helping others.
The Rescue Mission is working to find houses to rent in Livingston, Atwater, and Los Banos so that we can meet the need and add six bridging houses. The Mission is also working diligently to develop a campus on the five acres of land purchased in December of 2018. The Mission hopes to break ground in August for the construction of a building for Hope Respite Care. As part of the first phase on the new campus the Mission is also developing plans for two ten-unit apartment buildings, one for homeless Veterans and one for homeless families with young children. The second phase of the new campus will include buildings for the Mission’s faith-based men and women’s discipleship program, Hope for Men and Hope for Women, and a building for homeless pregnant women. Upon completion, the Rescue Mission will have beds for about 300 residents – with approximately half housed on campus and half housed off campus in sober living homes and bridging homes. The vision for this new campus is to provide a Village of Hope for all those who come for help. Through Christ, the Merced County Rescue Mission is seeking to be a place where HOPE GROWS and where people know that they are LOVED.
During this ongoing health crisis, please remember us as we strive to help those in need. You can be a part of growing hope and spreading Christ’s love – Please donate today to the Merced County Rescue Mission online or by mail. Together we can change our community, one life at a time.
Oasis Dinner 2020 - Stay tuned for information about our upcoming virtual Oasis event!
***** POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE *****
The Rescue Mission’s Oasis Dinner is just over two months away! Please mark your calendars and plan to be with us on Saturday, May 9th, at Gateway Community Church. Be sure to come for the great appetizers and the sumptuous dinner. Look forward to the treasures you will find on the silent auction tables. Of course, the live auction will present you with some fabulous opportunities as well. Above all, you certainly won’t want to miss the briefing on the incredible things God has been doing through the Mission during this past year and the vision that lies before us. YOU have been a part of all the great things that have been accomplished, and YOU have contributed through your prayers and gifts to many lives that have been transformed. We look forward to sharing with you a wonderful evening of celebration and anticipation of God’s great work!
For tickets call Bruce Metcalf at (209) 480-3899, or email bmetcalf@missionmerced.org.