AGRM board meets next week
The association’s board will gather near Indianapolis this coming Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to go over corporate business. The agenda is quite full as this is the first time the board will have met since the convention in Dallas this past May. Please pray for the group as they seek to make wise decisions that will maintain the positive momentum that has been generated in recent months, and seek to position AGRM for even greater viability and visibility in the future.

Attention executive directors:
Did you complete the compensation survey?
The first AGRM study of salaries and benefits in 14 years is now underway. Sixty missions have already completed the confidential data. But we need many more of you to participate to boost the sample size and reliability of the data. If you haven't participated, go to http://tinyurl.com/3fmz9m and follow the simple instructions. Missions that complete the survey will receive a free copy of the report.

Early-bird convention registration on its way
The November/December issue of Rescue magazine will feature your first opportunity to register for the May 2009 AGRM convention in Denver. If you sign up for the convention by December 31, you’ll receive a discount on the full registration amount. The magazine, including the convention brochure, should be in your hands by November 10.

We need your seminar recommendations
We are now accepting requests for presentations at the May 2009 AGRM convention in Denver. If you would like to be considered as a seminar presenter—or know of someone who should be—please complete the form available on our website. Log on to www.agrm.org/convention/2009_convention.html and click to download the Call for Convention Track Seminar Proposal form. We will contact potential presenters by December. For more information or questions regarding the education program in Denver, email Gary Meek at gmeek@agrm.org.

New certification process ready
The AGRM certification program has been revamped, and we are now ready to take new applications for certified and certified excellent missions. The program’s consultants have completely rewritten the manual, new consultants are in place, and we are anxious to see member ministries move to new heights of ministry excellence. To get more information about certification or to submit your application, email Gary Meek at gmeek@agrm.org.

Great response to Meltdown Management webinar
In the last issue of Street Smart, we announced a Meltdown Management webinar designed to give advice and feedback about how to deal with the current financial upheavals. We expected between 15 and 20 people; we were amazed when 50 individuals participated. Because of your enthusiastic response, look for more opportunities of this type. It’s one way that the association can respond quickly and give you the information you need.

Looking down the street...
Thurman Chambers is back in the rescue mission saddle as executive director of 8th Street Mission for Jesus Christ (West Memphis, Ark.). Welcome home, Thurman! Ruth Raws, widow of Bill Raws, former director of America’s Keswick (Whiting, N.J.), has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Please keep Ruth in your prayers. Ted Bashford, longtime executive director of Union Mission Ministries (Norfolk, Va.), passed away October 4. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the mission.

Addiction may discriminate
While it may be true that anyone can become an addict, in a New York Times essay Sally Satel, M.D., psychiatrist and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, says adults whose addictive behavior lasts for decades are different in some ways from those who try drugs and are able to walk away. According to Satel, groups of people who have long-term addiction problems often include: women sexually abused as children, aggressive young men, children of addicts, people afflicted with certain mental disorders, some groups of American Indians, and the poor. Individual attitudes, values, and behaviors may also be indicators of an addictive lifestyle. Read more at http://tinyurl.com/4q4dmw.

Young nonprofit leaders don’t plan to stay
Nearly half (45 percent) of young nonprofit professionals expect their next job to be somewhere other than at a charity, according to a report published in the NonProfit Times. Their primary reasons for leaving include burnout and low pay. Of the 1,650 young leaders surveyed, 70 percent don’t see themselves leading a nonprofit in the future. Read the full report at http://tinyurl.com/5avo3o.

People drawn to Wiccan religion
Wicca is the fastest growing religion in America, and could become the third largest religious group in North America as early as 2012, according to recently released book, Generation Hex. The book claims that the number of adherents double every 30 months. Mission leaders and chaplains should not wait to become familiar with the beliefs of the Wiccan faith, learning now how to refute them biblically. Read a complete report at http://tinyurl.com/4ygl2p.

Generation Y makes its mark
The members of Generation Y (13- to 25-year-olds, also called Millennials) overwhelmingly believe they are personally responsible for making a difference in the world, according to a recent report in USA Today. More than 80 percent have volunteered in the past year, 69 percent say companies’ social and environmental positions affect where they shop, and 83 percent trust companies more if they are socially and environmentally responsible. Among the generation’s top-10 causes, poverty is number two—right behind education and ahead of the environment. The tenth top cause is hunger. To engage this generation as supporters of your mission, start by getting them involved in meaningful volunteer projects. Read the full report at http://tinyurl.com/4v32sy.

Asheville mission shares youth ministry outreach
The Western Carolina Rescue Mission (Asheville, N.C.) has developed a program to promote awareness of homelessness. My Night in a Box is an interactive overnight experience in which students and friends can touch reality by spending one full night away from life’s luxuries, and minister to the needy by recruiting 10 sponsors who will each give to the cause locally. The mission is willing to share its event resources with other member ministries so that they can host My Night in a Box events at their missions. Find out more at www.mynightinabox.com

[Send us a blurb about your unique ideas or simple solutions and we’ll communicate them on Easy Street.]

AGRM's Online Want Ads

POSITIONS AVAILABLE
Long Beach, CA: Associate Director - Primary assistant to the CEO in all matters relating to the oversight of Mission programs/services, operations/facilities; knowledge of development; assist planning, organizing and budgeting; staff relations; support team-leadership. BA in BusMgt, nonprofit/public admin – or transferable educ/exp. Contact Jim Lewis, 1430 Pacific Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90813. Phone: 562-216-7611 Fax: 562-216-7667 To contact via email: jlewis@lbrm.org Date Added: 10/06/2008

Panama City, FL: Women & Families Program Manager - Overall management of program including interviewing, case managing, addressing behavior of clients. Five years managing ten/plus people. Some college in management, social services, or Christian ministry. Contact Panama City Rescue Mission, PO Box 2359, Panama City, FL 32402. Phone: 850 215-9007 Fax: 850 763-0099 To contact via email: michaelmartin@pcrmission.org Date Added: 10/07/2008

Portland, OR: LifeChange Women's Director - Supervise women in recovery program. Build team of resident leaders, staff, volunteers to meet spiritual and recovery needs. Full time position. See website for complete description. Send resume/two references. Union Gospel Mission, 3 NW 3rd Avenue, Portland, OR 97209. Phone: 503-274-4483 Fax: 503-274-0071 To contact via email: cherylw@ugmportland.org Web site: http://www.ugmportland.org/pdf/lifechange_womens_director_job_description.pdf Date Added: 09/23/2008

Seattle WA: Multiple Openings - Donor Relations Officer, Recovery Counselor, Support Services Supervisor, Operations Coordinator, Case Manager, Aftercare Counselor, Middle School Outreach Staff, Children's Ministry Outreach Staff, Athletic Program Coordinator, Community Center Assistant, Computer Lab Assistant. Job Descriptions available upon request. Contact: Roslyn Alake, Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, PO Box 202, Seattle WA 98111. Phone: 206-723-0767 Fax: 206-723-1076 To contact via email: rosalake@ugm.org Web site: http://www.ugm.org Date Added: 09/30/2008

Seattle, WA: Program Manager - Responsible for House and Heroes For Life Operations. Requires strong leadership/customer service skills. Ability to share God’s passion for service through prayer, honor, integrity, accountability and stewardship. Contact Bread Of Life Mission, 97 S. Main St., Seattle, WA 98104. Phone: 206-682-3579 x 15 To contact via email: williep@breadoflifemission.org Date Added: 09/26/2008

To advertise in future Market Street Classifieds:
Individual or organizational members of the AGRM may place a 30-word classified ad listing one available position in one issue of Street Smart at no charge, and may renew that ad one additional time at no cost. Ads are due the 10th of the month before the ad is to be listed. Ads exceeding 30 words will be charged at 50 cents per word. Non-member ministries, businesses, and individuals may place an ad for $25.00 per issue for a 30-word ad. Additional words will be charged at 50 cents per word. Ads are also placed on the AGRM website. Member ministries may renew ads after the second placement at $15 per issue for a 30-word ad. E-mail desired ad placement to editor@agrm.org (subject line: Market Street Classifieds).

This is what love is

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?…let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:16–18).

Actions are powerful examples of the truth behind our message. In this passage, John expresses the importance of practicing Christ-like love in a world that sometimes seems unlovable.

Visitors touring missions aren’t unusual. However, we had a visit from some ladies who’d come to Michigan’s capital city from Japan. They understood little English and spoke even less. Our impassioned words were meaningless. Their amazement came from seeing the cleanliness of the facility, the amount of donations, and the hard work of volunteers. People practicing compassion was something they had never experienced before. They were so touched that they, too, wanted to help.

What a great reminder that others are always watching and that even the smallest task, when done for God’s glory, has eternal impact.

Contributed by Mark Criss, executive director, City Rescue Mission (Lansing, Mich.)

ATTENTION MEMBERS: Would you like to write an encouraging devotional thought for a future issue of Street Smart? If so, send your submission of 200 words or less (including a related Bible verse) to editor@agrm.org.