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From the Heart - a 2009 Christmas Challenge
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| Will Kincaid, Bismarck Tribune |
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While our staff, Board of Directors, and the clients we serve are very thankful for the generosity of our entire community, we would like to share a particularly inspiring story, a Christmas Challenge, which we learned about in early January.
Although 2009 was a challenge to meet our financial budget, we continued to pursue our passion…working hard, staying positive, and keeping faith that additional funding would come our way soon. Then, on a cold January afternoon, Pastor Kermit Culver, of Legacy United Methodist Church (formerly known as First United Methodist Church) stopped by to visit Susan Martin, our Executive Director. Pastor Kermit explained that back in November, he had challenged his congregation to have "half a Christmas" for 2009. He asked families to calculate how much they spent on their 2008 Christmas….and to honor the true spirit of the season by donating the other half they would have spent on Christmas to charity. He challenged them to make others a priority and reminded them it was not THEIR birthday they were preparing to celebrate.
The Challenge? To come together in their mission and raise $25,000 to benefit Ruth Meiers Hospitality House. Ruth Meiers was chosen as a benefactor because of the wide variety of programs we offer to shelter the homeless, feed the hungry and to serve our neighbors who need emergency assistance through our Single Point of Entry.
On January 10 2010, Sue Martin, Executive Director, and Kelly Gunsch, Director of Development attended both Sunday services at Legacy United Methodist Church to celebrate in the successful fundraising challenge! Sue and Kelly shared with everyone how their extraordinary efforts would be put to good use at Ruth Meiers. When Pastor Kermit announced the final total - $27,700 - to the congregation, jaws dropped…friends and family looked at each other with surprise and pride. We could sense the legacy they were creating….for a mission with about 350 active families in our community, this was the true meaning of Christmas.
Homelessness has no set rules or status requisites - it could happen to any of us. Our friends at Legacy United Methodist Church should feel proud of how they have reached out to shelter the homeless and feed the hungry. As our partners, they are now part of the solution to solving these ever present social problems.
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