Dear friends,
What a hot summer it’s been so far! Thank God for air conditioning! In 1911, as a young 19-year-old ministry, the Mission built a brand-new 4-story dormitory building with 2-foot thick stone walls made of local Wissahickon Schist. One hundred and thirteen years later, even after our adjoining building burned down, those walls are still standing strong. Apart from the air-conditioning that we were able to retrofit into the building during our post-fire reconstruction, those walls would essentially turn the Mission into a giant oven every summer. So again I say, thank God for air-conditioning, and for the continued support of friends such as you who help us keep it running by covering things like our electric bill that doubles in the summer to over $4,700/month! Air conditioning really does make a life-and-death difference for our residents with serious health and breathing concerns. So, thank you!
We’ve had a good and busy summer so far. We are so grateful for friends who came to share with us in word and music for our second annual Juneteenth Celebration. Afterwards, it was too hot to use the backyard for games, so we brought the corn-hole inside to the air-conditioning. We also had a visit from a volunteer who brought four of his rescued parrots. He taught us about each bird, demonstrated their skills and let us hold them. It was especially neat to see various residents and staff come out of their shells (and their comfort zones!) to hold and interact with these rather large, beautiful birds. It was a delightful time of fellowship and joy (see some photos here).
Later in June, we were delighted to have our Alumni Association provide a special dinner and chapel service for our residents. The grads all pitched in to cover the cost of the food, and graduates Nate and Chad cooked up a delicious BBQ chicken dinner in the Mission’s kitchen. The men were blessed as our grads served dinner, shared fellowship around the tables, and led us in chapel. It was a special blessing to hear many graduates share what God has been doing in their lives and give words of encouragement to the men in the program to keep on pressing on.
Building-wise, our capital projects continue to progress (from windows to doors and painting projects). As for what happens inside our buildings, men are getting jobs (16 residents are currently employed), overcoming addictions, improving their education, building relationships, growing in the Lord, finding joy, and moving into their own places. Your continued support through these long, hot summer days keeps us going and helps make all of this possible. Thank you! The Lord’s richest blessings to you and yours!
Grace and peace,
Heather L. Rice, D.Min.
Executive Director
Grads lined up to serve dinner to our residents
Executive Director Heather Rice with the visiting parrots at our Juneteenth Celebration