Summer 2021 Newsletter

Converted Hearts

Jesus takes the broken, the battered, the lost, and He transforms them into new creations. He does not require those to make themselves clean so that He may dwell within us. On the contrary, His indwelling is what makes us clean. Christ’s only requirement is that we come to Him open and honest about the sinners we are, and ready to allow Him to change us into new creations. Psalms 51:17 states that a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. He welcomes us when we are in our darkest places.

Those who minister at the Union Rescue Mission all count the greatest blessing to be when one of these lost turn to Christ, dying to self and willingly give their hearts to Him. Two of our staff members recently did just this, making their public professions of faith through baptism before a gathering of friends and family. Frank Redmond and Joshua Ault, our cook and men’s resident manager respectively, made the decision to lay down their own desires and follow Jesus,being baptized as a symbol of their internal changes.

Frank Redmond, a seasoned member of our staff at the URM, has worked as full time cook, preparing and serving food for others for multiple years. Frank initially came to the Mission in June of 2008 in search of a place to stay after his life lead him to place of homelessness. Much like many others who begin as simply residents, Frank found a home and a family within the doors of the URM. In the spring of 2017, Frank had developed chest pains characteristic of a heart attack. The staff at the Mission convinced Frank to go to his primary care office at WMHS to be further evaluated.

Before he left, however, the staff prayed and anointed Frank, asking Christ for His protection, peace and healing during this time. He was then seen by Cara Carpin Robinson, who had been also working as the nurse practitioner for the URM Medical Clinic at that time. Her assessment confirmed he was having a cardiac event, and escorted him to the emergency department. Frank was admitted to the hospital, underwent testing to determine the cause of the severe pain, and was discharged days later without a true explanation of the cause. To this day, Frank attributes the lack of findings as a miracle granted to him by Jesus. This moment served as a springboard of Frank’s pursuit of Christ. Since that day, many deep discussions have taken place in the kitchen. Frank’s willingness to learn and desire to understand opened his heart to a knowledge of the love of Christ and the peace in knowing Jesus physically healed his heart. Per Frank, he has decided to stop living for himself and begin truly living for the One who has saved him.

Joshua Ault came to the mission in a similar manner, becoming a resident in April of 2020, in the initial stages of the COVID pandemic. Throughout his life, Josh has admittedly battled drug and alcohol addiction, leading to a place of homelessness, and loneliness. Josh has six children, a daughter and five sons, and two beautiful granddaughters. Per his own words, he had become a non-existent father. Josh’s servant heart and willingness to simply help others was obvious from the beginning. From a staff standpoint, God had drawn Josh to the Mission to find hope, having already plowed the proverbial fields. Josh was granted the position of men’s resident manager and given the responsibility of maintaining the men’s shelter. However, he does so much more. As Josh began to attend weekly church services at the URM and truly seek God, attributes of Christ began to grow. The grace and mercy he bestows on those in need is remarkable, yet he is able to maintain order and safety leading with love.

He began to proclaim Christ as his Savior, and accept the transforming power of the Holy Spirit within his heart. In front of friends and family, many of whom witnessed his past life and now see the new creation he has become, Josh confessed his olds ways and his desire to dedicate his whole heart to Jesus. Relationships with his children are being mended, the peace in his heart is growing, and the love he has for others overflows wherever he is. Christ did a work in Josh, and he made that work official in his recent water baptism.

We praise God for these beautiful testimonies! Both of these men have new eternal addresses that are forever sealed. Please join us in praying for their strength as new believers, for those of us around them to guide and direct them in the Word, and for the love of Christ to continue to move and change hearts at the URM.

Axis House

One of the visions placed on the hearts of those who minister at the URM is for a house open to those who are struggling with sin in their lives and desiring to start fresh. Those utilizing this house could claim it as their home, as a place to seek refuge and a starting point for changing their previous patterns of life through discipleship. This is always the goal for any resident of the Mission, however when past life patterns can derail new life intentions simply because of the population served at the Mission, going into a new environment can be extremely beneficial. This vision is coming to fruition with the establishment of the Axis House earlier this year.

With the addition of Aaron Mohler to the staff of the URM, a greater focus could be placed on those struggling to break free from worldly ways and find their purpose in Christ. A partnership was made between the URM and Calvary Chapel Cumberland as well as Reveal FM. Through this relationship, a house was acquired by the URM, leading to the ability to move forward with the original transition home vision.

Axis in the original Latin means pivot. The intention of this home is to provide the environment necessary to incite true transformation in an individual. This home would serve as a pivot point, a change of direction, encouraging residents to claim a new life in Jesus and leave the old life behind. Not every Mission resident will utilize this house, as it is reserved for individuals who are seeking freedom through the power of Christ from whatever sin that binds them. Those who reside at the Axis House participate in daily prayer times, verse by verse expository teaching, devotions, Christian fellowship, as well as times dedicated to serving others and the community as Christ asks of us. At the URM, we believe Christ holds the power to redeem us from our past, allowing us to shed the weight of our flesh and to pursue complete restoration through Him. The Bible is clear on this point, stating in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” Our prayer and hope is that through immersion in the Word, true change can take hold and allow those in deep bondage to break chains they otherwise may spend a lifetime struggling to break free from.

The Axis House is in its opening phases, newly being utilized by residents and community involved with the URM. If you are interested in finding out more about this discipleship project, have questions or even potentially have an individual interested in this process, please contact Aaron Mohler, Outreach Coordinator, at the Union Rescue Mission. Please keep this ministry and the residents of the Axis House in your prayers as these individuals undergo change and press on to new life in Christ!

From the Pastor

Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. Psalm 51:15-17 As Christians we often believe the standard for a Christian walk is perfection and anything less is unsuitable to God. I have no idea whether it’s the world that creates the standard, or Christians that create the perfection standard. But the standard is that if you’re a Christian, you have to be perfect in obeying all scripture. Sometimes we are even held to a standard beyond what the bible requires. Man made “spiritual laws” are often times much more confining than biblical standards, because as humans we find it difficult to simply accept God’s free gift of grace. We instead feel a need to earn this gift through acts of “self righteousness”. 

God has never required your perfection. The whole point behind Jesus dying on the cross was that you are covered by the blood of the “perfect” sacrifice, and that perfect sacrifice paid our sin debt. Ultimately, when you stand in front of God, you stand perfect and spotless, washed white as snow. If perfection isn’t the standard for what God desires, what is it that he wants from us? God wants us to have a broken and contrite heart that is pursuing his Son. That’s it.

Let me attempt to explain the difference in striving for perfection and brokenness. I have had the privilege to coach baseball and basketball at the youth level for a few years. It seems as though on every team I have coached, there is at least one kid that is “uncoachable”. Now that is a term used in coaching to describe a kid with a poor, know-it-all attitude that refuses to take instructions. When we strive for outward signs of perfection and not spiritual humbleness nor brokenness, then we become like the un-coachable kid. We know everything, we have it all together, there is nothing new God can teach us, we are doing this on our own. However, if we approach God humbled and broken, then we are like the coachable kid. We have a desire to learn new things, we understand we don’t know it all and we rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance. We realize that we are but one player on a much bigger team. 

This devotion is not permission to sin, because the bible is clear on prayers being hindered while living in sin. But many of us feel we cannot approach the throne of God if we mess up. God knew you would mess up, and he sent his Son to cover our mess ups. God needs you to be coachable, broken, and in need of guidance. When we pray, we should be approaching the throne broken, not perfect. 

Please join us in prayer this Summer for guidance in how we as individual members of the body can make an impact on those around us.  Let us not just be hearers of the Word, but doers, carrying out the great commission and spreading the saving love of Christ to whomever He lays on your hearts.  God bless!