Be the Guest Good Samaritan Mission Jackson, Wyoming E ach year our major community event fundraiser collects millions of dollars for charities. It’s called Old Bill’s Fun Run. So in an effort to reach all the churches with infor- mation about our rescue mission, I begin setting up visits with each local church and ask them if I can do a short presentation of what we do at the Good Samaritan Mission in Jackson. Since Old Bill’s is the second Saturday in Sep- tember, it has me attending a different church each week from Easter to Labor Day Weekend. I miss my home church but feel my calling is to tell the story of the mission. I am also a member of the Men of Faith group that meets every other month. It includes evangelicals as well as Mormons and those of Jewish faith. —Chuck Fidroeff, Executive Director Your Neighborhood Union Gospel Mission Portland, Oregon M ore and more, connecting with local pastors and building relationships with local churches starts with the question, “How can the mission help your church fulfill ministry to homeless people in your neighborhood?” Early in the mission’s his- tory the church was a means for the mission to fulfill its ministry to homeless people on skid row. Now, at least on the West Coast, the mission is becoming more of a resource for the church to fulfill its mission to homeless individuals in their neighborhood. —Bill Russell, Executive Director A New Twist Blue Water Area Rescue Mission Port Huron, Michigan B eing in the local church for the last 42 years and pastoring a church in the com- munity for the last 20 years gives me a unique and very blessed advantage when greeting new pastors to our community. My suggestion is to be the local welcoming committee for any new pastors in your area. It’s a great chance to make new friends and educate fellow believers on the work being done in the community. —Arnie Koontz, Executive Director/CEO Giving Back to Churches Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries Knoxville, Tennessee O ur outreach to local pastors begins with a gift rather than a request. Leveraging the proximity of our thrift stores, KARM provides gift cards to KARM Stores for local churches to use any way they choose. These gift cards are often used to help an individual starting a new job purchase a uniform, or a foster family outfit their new foster children in clothing at the start of a school year, or furnish a home with furniture and kitchen appliances. To make this effort sustainable, we share the story of “Corners of Your Field,” which encourages church attendees to be intentional about selecting their gently used household items for donation to KARM Stores. The stores then return a portion of the value of these items in the form of gift cards to the church. Today, more than 550 churches and like-minded nonprofits partner with Knox Area Rescue Ministries and KARM Stores to restore lives in Jesus' name in a tangible way. —Evan Crass, Director of Partner Engagement Ĩ 42 WWW.AGRM.ORG MAY/JUNE 2018