Good News Rescue Mission

First I tried to hang myself and the branch broke. Then I put a gun in my mouth but when I pulled the trigger, my gun jammed. . When you fail miserably at even killing yourself it’s a sure sign from the Man Upstairs that it’s time for a redirect. Ryan did figure this outeventually. It’s why he returned to the Mission. Returned to finish what he started. Of course, what God had started in the heart of this former gang member from Pacoima began long before that. Like most o...f us, at first he just didn’t recognize it. . It would take doing drugs, dealing drugs, too many deaths and more than a few detours behind bars for Ryan to get the memo. But when he did he was all in. I had to put that arrogance aside. I had to put that ego aside. I had to put that pride aside. I had to put that anger aside. I had to let go and let God, says Ryan. . You’ll want to read Ruckus from Southside Reseda’s powerful story here. That was his gang name. Now he has a new name: Ryan the Redeemed. Story begins here: https://gnrm.org/blog/ryan/ See more

JOB OPPORTUNITY! Outreach Coordinator Do you have a genuine heart for the homeless along with a desire to help end homelessness in your lifetime? Do you see homeless individuals as worthy of dignity and respect and want to help educate others on how to carry that Kingdom mindset to "the least of these?" . Are you a good listener and do you thrive on hearing people's stories? Are you a natural-born rapport builder and skilled at earning trust with a population that can someti...mes be wary of "do-gooders?" . Can you balance compassion with healthy boundaries, ensuring that you "keep your love on" while not allowing either yourself or the Mission to be disrespected? Can you see the need for homeless individuals to come to the Mission where they can receive both essential services and be exposed to the Gospel message on a consistent basis? . If you can answer yes to all of the above, plus have experience working with both business leaders and law enforcement (or have the necessary interpersonal communication and diplomatic skills coupled with the willingness to learn) to help reach a shared goal of curtailing homelessness in our community, then we want to talk to you! . To read a complete job description and apply go to: https://gnrm.org/about-us/employment/ . See more

Swoop to Conquer! During the week of April 5-11, find fun in the run and get some of your charitable giving done in one fell swoop with the CONQUER-19 VIRTUAL RACE AND FUN RUN. . COVID-19 has taxed our community’s financial, physical and mental health to the max. Thankfully, Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness is here to bring you something fun, active, and challenging to help get things back on trackwhile giving back. . Give to who? The GOOD NEWS RESCUE MISSION. Yay! ... . HOW IT WORKS: Take all week to run or walk 19 miles, or do all 19 in one go! You can register for either the Fun Run or Competitive category (competitive must complete 19 miles at once). Competitive 1st and 2nd place will receive prizes! . All proceeds from the event will go The Mission. Every day we're helping rebuild lives and create new futures for those in our community whose lives have gotten off track. Because everyone deserves a second chance. . To get more info and to register go here: https://sunoaks.com/conquer-19/ (Click on REGISTER to get more info.) See more

He said the prayer. He sang the songs. But it took being body slammed by an angel before this churchgoing alcoholic stopped drinking for good. Given six months to live, Shawn Mellis still kept drinking. Until that encounter with an angel lead him to an 18-month stay at the New Life Recovery Program that dramatically transformed his life. Watch Shawn’s miraculous story of redemption that’s still impacting lives!

Volunteer Spotlight: Elaine Berlin - Kitchen Volunteer Elaine Berlin is not one to sit around and watch TV. Or spend her time playing shuffleboard at the senior center. Or, for that matter, aspire to win big in bingo. Not that any of those activities are wrong, they’re just wrong for her. . She’d rather spend her Golden Years serving others. ... . For the past five years, Elaine has been doing just thatworking tirelessly in the Mission kitchen: serving, chopping, dicing, spreading, organizing and just about anything else that needs to be done in a food ministry that serves over 506 meals per day. What might fill younger and stronger people with dread, or tire them out, is hardly worth mentioning for this spunky senior. Even a brief bout of Covid didn’t make her jump ship. She and the Good Lord have a tight relationship. When my time is up, it’s up, says Elaine. Meanwhile, I’m not going to lollygag around or worry about what might happenI’m going to keep busy. . She’s definitely a powerhouse in the Mission kitchen. More often than not you’ll find her doing food prep or pushing trays of pastries around. (If you’re counting calories then stay away from Elaine.) . When she’s not slicing and dicing food or serving the Mission guestsor even while she’s doing all these thingsElaine’s the go to mama bear of the kitchen. And she doesn’t just dispense warm hugsshe prays for any one in need. If she forgets, the Lord reminds her. . If time is money, then Elaine would be a rich woman. We did the math and figured that if we took her 2800-plus hours of volunteering over the past five years and converted it into currency, then we’d be handing her a big fat check for $70kor more. She makes you wish you could. Look up the word dedicated in the dictionary and you’ll find the name Elaine Berlin. She takes the title volunteer as seriously as if she were a corporate CEO. To some, she’s mom, to others grandma and for many others, a loyal friend. To us, she’s gold. . Please give a shout out to Miss Elainegiving her all the warm kudos you can possibly give. She more than deserves it. So make sure she feels it. Want to volunteer? Go to: https://gnrm.org/get-involved/volunteer/

We need all kinds of help. . So that we can help others. . Behind every changed life is a person wanting to change the world...one person at a time.... . That's what we do here. And what you help us do through your prayers and financial support. But we also need "boots on the ground"people with a heart for ministry who derive a whole lot of satisfaction in using their talents and skills to help rebuild lives. . If you know someone with a passion to serve and the skills that match any of the following open positions, please let them know! In addition, we'd love it if you would post these openings on your social media channels. . We're in urgent need of the following paid positions: . ACCOUNTING SPECIALIST. The Accounting Specialist performs a variety of normal accounting duties within the department. Responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to, accounts payable and receivable, fixed assets, petty cash, program savings, processing donation mail, banking activities, reconciling various general ledger accounts and other projects as assigned. . GUEST SERVICES MANAGER. This position reports to the Senior Manager of Operations/Guest Services and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Emergency Shelter and Resource Center. Must be able to balance a heart of compassion and empathy with an ability to maintain clear boundaries. Should also be an encourager who can lift peoples' spirits and stay calm in the midst of busy activity. Experience managing others and a knack for keeping schedules lined up and electronic files up to date is a must! . GUEST SERVICES ASSISTANT - WOMAN'S MANAGER. This position reports to the Guest Services Assistant Manager and serves the female guest population with general shelter assistance. We're looking for someone who can reliably oversee our nightly shelter process in a way that glorifies God. Similar to the Guest Services Manager, the guest services assistant must be able to balance a heart of compassion and empathy with an ability to maintain clear boundaries. . For a complete job description on the above positions and to apply, go to: https://gnrm.org/about-us/employment/ See more

Cindy Clarke Volunteer Spotlight: Admin Assistant Cindy Clarke is efficient, but fun. Ask any of her coworkers. Well, technically she’s not a coworkershe’s a volunteer. But that doesn’t make her any less of an integral part of the Good News Rescue Mission team. . Since 2017, she’s been serving at the Mission, first as the Mission’s Journey Home Coordinator and now in the admin office where she imports data, compiles stats, tracks volunteer hours, performs research and i...mplements quality control. . Cindy is all about accuracy. Just don’t call her boringshe’s anything but. She’s a frequent flier in the adventurous spirit department, perhaps owing to her husband being the owner of Redding’s Jet Center, a charter flight service and FBO. . Her interest in the Mission was ignited by a former employee of the Jet Center, a young man named Greg. He was one of their best employees. He also happened to be a graduate of the New Life Recovery Program. What she and her husband observed about his characterand the tremendous difficulties he had overcome in his lifeimpressed them. . Coincidentally, they were looking for a way to give back. They decided to check out the Mission. We were just so amazed to see what the mission did for him, says Cindy. It showed us the power of second chanceswe knew we wanted to be a part of success stories like Greg’s. . Cindy is passionate about using her considerable admin skills to help men and women who are working hard to get their life back on track. God's given us each different gifts and passions, and this is just a good fit for meit’s what brings me joy, says Cindy. Not only am I helping in practical ways, but I love just encouraging the people here. It makes me feel fully alivelike I’m fulfilling my divine purpose. . To volunteer and fulfill your divine purpose go to: https://gnrm.org/get-involved/ See more