Last week, the Mission hosted its annual Community Golf Classic. This year’s Golf Classic was hosted at Southern Trace Country Club and raised a grand total of $58,200.

Funds raised from the Golf Classic are used to provide homeless men, women and children with food, clothing, shelter, small/large group classes, one-on-one case management, life coaching, counseling, vocational training, on-site medical and dental care and more. Over the course of a year these funds help to provide guests with 115,000 healthy meals, 56,000 safe nights of shelter, 4,800 medical and dental services, 19,000 hours of classes, 90,000 hours of Vocational Training and more than 2,000 hours of case management. Last year, the Mission served 1,384 homeless men, women and children.

Our services are only available because of the generosity of our community. As a Christ-centered ministry, we do not solicit for state or federal funding so programs at the Mission are available solely because of the generosity of our amazing community.

We had several businesses who joined the #SBMissionLife and partnered with the Mission as sponsors for this year’s Golf Classic. These businesses are passionate about changing our cities one life at a time. They are committed to investing in making Shreveport-Bossier a brighter and better community. Here are the incredible Golf Classic Sponsors:

Presenting Sponsor: EdGear, Inc.

Luncheon Sponsor: Citizens National Bank

Beverage Cart Sponsor: RSI Building Products, LLC

Hole Sponsors: Metro Aviation, Anti-Pest, Barksdale Federal Credit Union, Frank’s Pizza Napoletana/Frank’s Louisiana Kitchen, Hilton Shreveport, Ivan Smith Furniture, Louisiana Timber Partners, Riverpark Church, PMI Resource Management, Bank of Coushatta, Heath Crager, CPA, Martin Specialty, Arthur J. Gallagher, Alpha Roofing, The Highland Clinic – Dr. Craig Springmeyer, Fibrebond, Manpower/Collier Investments, Oral Surgery Associates – Dr. David Clark, DDS

Putting Green Sponsors: Wicker Construction, Brewer Direct, Inc., Gordon & Gordon, Law Offices of Damon Kervin, Origin Bank, Bayou Belle, Eastgate Chiropractic Clinic, Mayfield Chiropractic, ChiroCare

Thank you Golf Classic Sponsors for partnering with us to change the lives of homeless men, women and children in our community. You are sowing into great soil when you invest in the Mission and the seeds you are planting are producing great fruit. On behalf of our staff, guests and Board of Directors, thank you!

P.S. Check out the highlight reel from this year’s Golf Classic.

When I look back at my life, I see someone who was wondering lost down a path of chaos and destruction. I had bitterness and anger in my heart. My life finally hit a crossroad. I was at the fork in the road where I had to choose between life and death. Reluctantly, I chose life and from that point my life was changed forever.

I came to the Mission as “an outlaw.” I didn’t know how God could change someone like me, but I went through the Mission’s Discipleship Program anyway. Things changed in Phase 2 and God radically changed me. After graduation, God put a calling on my heart to join the Mission’s Ministry Internship Program. I didn’t know how God could use an “outlaw” for good, but I soon found out how.

A typical day in the life of a Ministry Intern includes meeting with guests, assisting in our Intake Process (the first step for all guests coming into the Mission), case managing men who are in 1 of the Mission’s 8 programs, and more. There are many challenges that come with being a Ministry Intern, but the rewards far exceed the challenges. My favorite activities of my day include teaching the Not a Fan Class at the Mission (this is the class that changed my life and where I gave my life over to Christ) and witnessing to other men who are struggling.

I have been asked before why I decided to dedicate 1 year of my life to the Ministry Internship. It’s because these are my people, and this is my Judea. This is where I found true recovery. This is where I found a real relationship with Jesus. I didn’t know then, but I know now that God was using my life to build a testimony that would inspire other men to change their lives. There is a lot of hurt and brokenness in our cities and God is equipping me to be a part of change in our cities. When I think about how God is using me at the Mission, I often go back to a quote from Mark Twain. He said, “The two most important days of your life is the day you were born and the day you find out why.” I am blessed to say I have found my why and I am honored that God chose an “outlaw” to be his hands and feet.

Bobby Adkins
Ministry Intern Graduate, Class of 2019

When I was first asked to write about a day in the life of a Ministry Intern, I thought of Dr. Seuss’ book Bartholomew Cubbins and the 500 hats. Everyone at the Mission wears many hats. It takes many hats from many willing hearts to change our cities one life at a time.

Hat 1 includes doing intakes. An intake is the initial step for everyone that comes through the Mission’s doors that gives us the initial information to start the process of their recovery.

Hat 2 involves being a mentor and a friend and above all else being a good listener.

Hat 3 is my favorite hat because as a former teacher, I love to teach. I have the privilege of teaching a weekly class at the Mission. This also includes preparing devotions to share with the ladies.

These are just some of the many hats that I wear as an intern. People have asked me why I would spend one year of my life at my age doing a Ministry Internship? Quite simply it’s because God placed a call on my life to be a light in the life of others when all they see is darkness. I have been where each of these ladies have been. I understand the worry, the tiredness, the stress and the hopelessness. And at the end of that journey, I found light and I found hope and a future.

Many of the women that come to the Mission feel unloved and unworthy. I was not unique in having those same feelings, but I have learned through my time in the Mission’s Discipleship Program that I have value. And my value does not come from my job or from how the world defines me but in the eyes of the one who created me.

I realize that I am not what people think of when they think of someone who has experienced homelessness. The truth is there are more and more women like me coming to the Mission looking for a second chance. My hope is that through my work at the Mission God will use me to show hurting and broken women that they are loved and valued. The Mission has changed my life forever and I am honored to do the work commissioned to us by Jesus and share the good news of hope and healing.

Ginger Stothart
Ministry Intern Graduate, Class of 2019

“Philanthropy, charity, giving voluntarily and freely… call it whatever you like, but it is truly a jewel of an American tradition.” President John F. Kennedy

Philanthropy is the desire to promote the welfare of others using our gifts and talents. Since 1955, our community has partnered with the Mission to help those experiencing homelessness. Back then, the Mission was a safe haven that provided homeless men with food, clothing and a warm meal. Today, the Mission offers a full Life Recovery Program that helps men, women and children find redemption and recovery. Our Program offers more than food, clothing and shelter. Our Life Recovery Program offers our guests classes, case management, vocational training and the tools needed to be a self-sufficient member of our community. Our guests leave the Mission restored, redeemed and emboldened with the love of Christ.

While the Mission has changed a lot since 1955, our core Mission remains… to change the lives of the hurting and broken in our community through the love of Christ. At the Mission, we are more than a shelter and we are changing our cities one life at a time starting with the men, women and children that are in our care.

How are we able to provide this? Through community partners like you! It’s people, churches, businesses and organizations in our community coming alongside the Mission and supporting our vision of change in our cities.

We are seeing great fruit from our Life Recovery Program. Men and Women are finding freedom through Christ. They are finding full-time employment and have the tools to sustain that job. They have turned their brokenness into hope and a future.

Great things are happening at the Mission but the truth is there are more men and women in our cities that need our Life Recovery Program and we need your help to reach them.

You can help us change the lives of more men and women in the community by partnering with us on Give for Good Day. What is Give for Good? Give for Good is North Louisiana’s largest day of online giving. Starting today, you can visit www.giveforgoodnla.org and give to make a difference in the lives of homeless men, women and children. The best part of Give for Good is that each gift is enhanced through the Community Foundation’s Lagniappe Fund so your impact will be amplified even more.

So are you ready to make an impact and help us change our cities one life at a time? Are you ready to be a part of something big? Then, join the #SBMissionLife and Give for Good. You can beat the rush and schedule your gifts today or give on May 7. Make sure to watch the fun on social media and share the impact of Give for Good with your friends. It’s giving made easy. Alright Mission family, here we go …. Ready, Set, Give (for Good)!

When we pass a homeless person on the street, it’s often easier to avert our eyes to our phones rather than engage with that person’s very real pain. That way, we don’t have to hear their cries… or see how broken their lives are… or feel how much they suffer.

But their pain is real, even if we look away.

On the cross, Jesus didn’t look away from the suffering, but endured it, fixing his eyes on “the joy set before Him.” The glory of the cross is that Jesus boldly engaged with our pain. He experience our struggles and our cries, and suffered with all of humanity. Jesus took our pain upon Himself and redeemed it. Easter is our celebration of that new hope!

Our generous Mission Family have faithfully demonstrated that you turn toward those who are hurting – and want to offer them healing and restoration through classes and skills in our Life Recovery Program and through Christ’s love.

Because of you, our guests are celebrating huge changes in their lives. By God’s grace and your support, many men, women and children are experiencing hope restored. One behalf of each guest in our care, thank you for reaching out to them with the love and kindness that helps restore lives this Easter.

Click here to read more stories about lives that have been changed at the Mission. I hope as you read, you’re inspired by how you turned a life filled with pain into a beautiful new beginning.

Easter Blessings,
Pastor Larry Otwell, Executive Director

This week, the Mission celebrates Volunteer Appreciation Week by celebrating and thanking our incredible volunteers. Each month an average of 250 volunteers come to the Mission to serve and be a part of change in our cities.

“The Mission has a small staff so volunteers are a critical part of our ministry and play a great part in how we are able to serve our guests,” says Sarah Ardis, Director of Development and Community Relations.

“You can see the guests’ faces light up when they see our volunteers. They know that these individuals are here out of the kindness of heart. I am humbled by all of our volunteers and we can all see the impact that they are making in the lives of our guests and in our cities,” says Donna Otwell, Director of Women and Children’s Program.

You can be a part of the #SBMissionLife and you can volunteer your time and talent to serve homeless men, women and children in our cities. For more information on how you can make an impact and help change our cities one life at a time, visit our Volunteer Page.

You can help change our cities one life at a time every time you shop for groceries and the best part is that it doesn’t cost you a dime!

Enroll in the Kroger Community Rewards program today. Sign up with your Kroger Plus Card, and select the Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission as your charity of choice. Once you’re enrolled, you’ll earn funds to help provide homeless men, women and children with the life changing tools of our Life Recovery Program every time you shop and use your Plus Card at Kroger. This is an annual program, so you need to re-sign up even if you did it last year. Click on the Kroger logo or the link to sign up. THANK YOU!