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A Ministry of Rescue & Discipleship

A publication of the Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission † Anchorage, Alaska

Larry Aldrich
Operations Manager
Abiding Love
I Corinthians 13 John 3:16
Randy Hess
Maintenance Supervisor
February is the designated month of love. How exciting to see the flowers, heart shaped
Larry O’Connor boxes of candy, bows, arrows and of course Cupid. It is time for sweetheart banquets.
Married couples renew vows and reminisce of days gone by; counting the blessings God
Roger Klein
Client Supervisor has given them. Recalling the good times and the not-so-good times, but knowing that the
Lord was with them through it all.
David McKnight
Van Driver However, in thinking of love, we need to remember the greatest love of all; that God gave
His Son so we through faith in Him, could have eternal life. STOP and THINK for a
Solomona Talivaa
Maintenance moment—Can you imagine such love as the Father had for us; He gave His only begotten
Son. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
Tom Ruggles believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
Kitchen Manager
What Love! To think that God would give His own lovely Son to provide salvation for man that
Bill McCormick is so unlovable is more than I can comprehend.
Donations

David Williams But, thank God when Jesus was dying on the cross, He looked out across time and saw you and
Program Director me and knew that we would need a Savior. When He was on that cross, we were on His mind.
He was sent to earth to complete salvation’s plan, so that we through faith in Him could be saved.
Again, I say, What Love.
This is abiding love—“that we abide in Him and His word abides in us”.

Serving The love that the Father had for us is to be carried on through the lives of those that believe
and trust in Him.
Anchorage
Since 1965 Is the love of the Father revealed in us? Do we really try to project this love? Does the
world see Christ in the life that we live?

Paul tells us in I Corinthians 13….”if I have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or
a tinkling cymbal”….“and now abidth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of
these is love”….
February
Please read again the 13th chapter of I Corinthians, and let it apply to
2010 your life.

www.anchoragerescue.org
 Welcome –Aboard
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TO OUR NEW DONORS
Over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays some of you made a donation to the Anchorage Gospel Rescue
Mission for the first time. Also, others that have not made a donation for a while responded to our special appeal
to help provide for the needs of many people that come to us for help. Some need one thing and others may need
another and we try to meet those needs. You have joined together with those, who with great personal sacrifice, have
keep this ministry going for the Lord. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and hope that you will find
this ministry worthy or your continued support. Our newsletter will be sent to you each month to keep you informed
and updated on the activities going on at the Mission. Please do not feel that you have to give every time you receive
a newsletter—you participate in this Ministry, with your donations, as the Lord leads you.

To Love Is. . . . LOVE

TO AWAKEN each morn and drink in the dawning of Love has many powers,
God’s new day, rejoicing in it. It can bring you to your knees
Can rip your heart like paper,
TO SPREAD wide our arms and say, “Yes!” to the Then mend it back with ease,
whole world. Can draw out tears of sadness,
TO LAUGH heartily when the sky is raining tears and And also tears of Joy.
wrath, as we do in the golden glow of God’s sun. Can make us smile at someone
Who is trying to annoy.
TO LIVE fully each precious moment, joyfully giving
to others what God has so graciously given to us. Love is all around us,
No matter where we turn;
TO FIND the courage to go on living, to extend a Love can be so simple,
helping hand to others, when our hearts are breaking. Yet hard for us to learn.
TO SEE the face of Jesus even in the lowest of men, Love is a soothing feeling,
knowing that he, too, is a child of God, loved by Him. That helps us sleep at night;
Love makes us grab a loved one,
Please, And hug them oh so tight.
Let Love Live!
Love has many powers,
As I have said above,
The most important thing of all,
Is remember, “God is Love”.

“He that loveth not, knoweth not God;

For God is Love”. I John 4:8

2 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16 (NIV)
 Living Memorials The Glorious Oldies
….touch lives as they honor the memory If you have been a Christian for a very long time, this
of loved ones and friends. has got to be one of your favorite all time hymns. I
In Memory of know it is one of mine; the author too—Fanny J.
Venice Anderson Crosby
by Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Baker
In Memory of I remember one night in my younger days I sang this
Rodger and Venice Anderson song in a service before the Preacher was to preach.
by A Friend But after the song He got up and gave the invitation
In Memory of
and several people came forward and received the
Elise Carmichael
by Jim and Vickie McCubbins Jesus as their Savior. It was not the singing but the
In Memory of message of the song.
H.S. Durham, Jr.
by Mrs. Donna Orr Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine
In Memory of
Eugene T. Harrison Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
by Nathan Harrison Oh what a foretaste of glory divine!
In Memory of Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Roland Hundley Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
by Thomas and Faith Hundley
In Memory of Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Kerrie and Dani Marlow Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
by Truman and Carolyn Woods Angels descending bring from above
In Memory of Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Robert Renkert
by The Renkert Family Perfect submission, all is at rest,
In Memory of I in my Savior am happy and blest;
Patience Rutledge Watching and waiting, looking above
by Colleen Rutledge Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *

In Honor of Chorus:
The Lord Jesus Christ
This is my story, this is my song,
by Salvatore A. Luiso
Praising my Savior all the day long;
In Honor of
Our Lord Jesus Christ This is my story, this is my song,
by Mrs. Fina Kiefer Praising my Savior all the day long.
In Honor of
Linda Harrison
the heart
by Nathan Harrison The heart is a garden
In Honor of Where thought flowers grow,
Byron and Virginia Kohfield The thoughts that we think are
by Don and Pat Cox, Peggy and Buddy The thoughts that we sow;
In Honor of Each kind loving thought bears a
Susan Whitaker Kind loving deed,
by Harry Whitaker While a though that is selfish is
In Honor of Just like a weed.
A. J. “Whitey” Yurman
by J. A. Yurman We must watch what we think
In Honor of The live long day,
Jim and Sally Copen And pull out the weed thoughts
and throw them away;

3
Larry and Bette Ross
Pat and Laurie Marifjeren Then, plant loving seed thoughts,
John and Tammy Reading So thick in a row
Thom and Elaine Hathaway That there will be no room for
Ken and Sharman Collins Weed thoughts to grow.
by Vicki Turner and Dick Abell

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y name is Michael; I am 45 years old and
have lived in Alaska since 1969. I have
been at the Anchorage Gospel Rescue
Mission for seventeen months now. I
have never been happier in my life, what a change!
I can remember the time and place when I was done
facing up to my life. I was tired of trying to find
happiness and belonging. It was a lonely struggle that
finally wore me down.
I will need to review my past and bring things up to
date. It starts out somewhat the same as a lot of other
men I know, you’ve probably heard the story before.
I was 8 years old my father was a chronic alcoholic.
My mother had had enough, always out drinking with
buddies, never home, and spending too much money.
It was a great struggle for my mother, with three kids
and working too many jobs. I then became a child of
divorce, living with my grandparents most of the time in
Kodiak. Living in Kodiak with them was a wonderful
time for me. It is a great place for kids. It was a great
adventure, lots of old army barracks and forts, fishing,
and beach combing. My cousin and I were all over the
place.
Then my life changed again, my mother got remarried
and we moved to Anchorage. My world was turned
upside down again. This is when resentment came to
stay and make itself at home with me. I now felt I had
no place in my family and the role of eldest son was
4 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:2 (NKJV)
D
‘
meaningless. I felt like an outcast. This stuck with me
my entire life, even know it haunts me.
When I was very young I became very sick. My kidneys
no longer worked correctly. It devastated my body and
ravished my spirit. I fought hard for many years and
got to know the hospital and its staff very well. Later in
life I spent two years on a kidney dialysis machine and
underwent two transplants. In recovery and the years
that followed, it began to wear me down. Every time
I got a cold or flu, I was afraid that I was finally going
to die.
Solution in a Bottle
I found an easement, of my fears that was torturing me,
in a bottle and a very large shot glass. This worked
great, everything was ok in and with me. For a while,
alcohol became my idol and escape. I could live in
another world other than the one I dreaded. People
places and things just had no effect on me anymore.
After a couple of years of this I began to realize too late,
that this life of an altered reality was all I had left. My
life just passed me by, and began to start filling in the
ditch I was laying in. Everything and everyone I loved
was gone or had grown up. I missed so many things I
could never get back. I became more despondent and
just crawled deeper in my closet of intoxication.
Rehabilitation Mans Way = NO WAY
I had tried more than a few times to get help to quit
drinking. With residential treatment programs, it was
not so hard to quit when I was sheltered and protected,
and had the company of like minded comrades. The
problem was the reason for my drinking just never got
looked at, much less solved. God just was not in the
equation. The void in me never got filled, so I would go
out and fill it with alcohol. I felt doomed. I had run out
of ideas, there was just no understanding on my own or
in anyone I knew. I had sunk as low as I could.
What was the solution? I knew there had to be a way. I
had just about given up all hope. I prayed and ask God
for help.
The Mission
The story of how I became part of the Anchorage Gospel
Rescue Mission is a wonderful resurrection of me.
One night I was sitting around thinking on how I can
get out of this life I was rutted in. I kept doing things I
hated. I quote Romans 7:15, “I don’t understand myself
at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do
it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate”. This is when
God stepped in to help me. At the time I didn’t know or
understand what was happening to me. A compulsion
was driving and urging me on. I felt pressed to get on
the first early bus and come to the Rescue Mission, of
which I knew nothing about. This seemed crazy to me,
but I followed the urging anyways.
Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Romans 13:10 (NKJV)
When I arrived at the Mission, I recognized some old
friends who were happy to see me. The staff member at
the office informed me that there were no beds or rooms
available for me just yet. He informed me that I would
be put on the list and to call the Mission daily. This
had confused me because of how I had gotten here. As
I started to leave, a man came down the stairs with all
of his belonging and stated that he was leaving. There
was now a room and a bed available for me. This was
only the beginning of blessing to come, which there
is many. I started to see and understand things much
clearer, and that the Lord had made a place for me here.
The biggest change I felt was when I learned what
repentance was, and that I could forgive myself and
others. Thus I started to peel off the layers of pain and
resentment and a whole new world and life opened up
for me. Depression is still a large challenge for me. At
times it is much stronger then I am. But one thing I
have learned is that leaning on God lets me know I will
get through each bout. The blues does not come to visit
me as much as it did in the past.
Conclusion
What the future has in store for me I do not know. I
would like to get involved with missionary work. I
believe that getting involved at the Mission when my
program is finished is a good start. The quality of my
life is so much better and I want nothing less. God has
been so good to me.
I have a desire to give back of myself, because if I can
be saved from a lifestyle of destruction and turmoil and
find happiness, even a small candle in a dark room can
light the way out. “Here am I, send me”.
I also want to give a special thanks to the other members
of my church and mentor there. Everyone there has
been very kind and supportive of me. They have been
and still are a bright light in my life.
Amen,
Michael McCue
5

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What’s in a Name?
“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set
you free.” John 8:32 (NLT)
Is telling the truth creatively lying? It seems to me
the truth should be able to stand on its own without
pretention. When Pilate asked Christ if he were a
king Jesus replied,
“I was born and came into the world to testify to
the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what
I say is true.” John 18:37 (NLT)
What I mean by telling the truth creatively is there
appears to be a new trend in today’s society to
rename things in order to take the edge off of
reality. Swine Flu is now H1N1 while quarantine
is isolation. The newest renaming to surface is
changing Alcoholic to Chronic Inebriate. Creatively
changing the name of an alcoholic to chronic
inebriate does nothing to change the reality of
the condition nor does it help the individual. The
hard truth is alcoholism is a serious often deadly
condition that affects society, the family unit,
as well as the individual. It is a condition that is
so destructive the city of Anchorage spends in
excess of 4 million dollars a year to deal with its
after effects. This is not something we want to
minimalize because we are afraid of offending or
alienating people. It should offend people for no
other reason than it is an offensive disease. The
reality of it should be, “in your face” so that it will
get our attention and hold it.
6
And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all
your mind, and with all your strength.’
Mark 12:30 (NKJV)
Paul tells us in Corinthians 4:16 we are wasting
away on the outside but are being renewed
on the inside daily. This is not the case for the
Alcoholic among us. There is no inward renewal
while outward decay is accelerated. We have to
too late! The Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission
inside looking out things are getting worse. How
do we stem the tide? What have we not tried at
this point to get the Alcoholics attention?
We are at a turning point because we still believe
hope begins with a hot meal yet at the same
time we have to make absolutely sure we are
not enabling negative behavior. “NewLife” is all
about accountability and we are successful by any
stretch of the imagination. It is time we begin a new
offensive in this war against Alcoholism by holding
our guest to a higher standard of accountability.
It is time we designed a “NewLife Light”, if you
will, that includes all who enter the portals of the
Mission.
We are not talking about taking away choice.
The reason “NewLife” is successful is because
we never compromises our biblical foundation.
We are faithful to God’s approach. God never
removes or choice. He provides direction, if
followed always leads to success, and he also
alerts us to the consequences when his counsel is
not followed. The choice is always ours. “NewLife”
follows the same principles. We offer our services
freely however there are certain behaviors we
discourage and there are consequences when
those behaviors are entertained. This approach
is also use with our guest. The difference being
“NewLife” is held to a higher standard. Have we
been short changing our guest? If mediocrity is
the standard then mediocrity is result. If we are
serious about helping our Alcoholic community we
have to hold them to a higher standard of behavior,
give them sound direction, and love them enough
by allowing them to experience the consequences
of their choices good or bad. Why? Because this
is how God first loved us.
 ✂ PLEASE SEND COUPON IN WITH YOUR DONATION
Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission P.O. Box 230510 Anchorage, Alaska 99523-0510
Here is my support gift: For Credit Card Donations:
Food and Shelter: $_____ I would like to charge my total donation of $__________________
Check One: Visa  M/C  Am/Ex  Discover 
Facilities Maintenance: $_____
$46.25 For 25 Meals ______
$74.00 For 40 Meals ______ Card Number __________________________________________
$132.20 For 72 Meals ______
Exp. Date: ______/______ Signature _______________________
$277.50 For 150 Meals ______
______Other:
______ I Will Pray for this Ministry. All credit card information is kept in strict confidence Make checks payable
to the Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission You will receive a receipt.
Name:________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________
Please send this coupon with your donations.

About Your Will

Have you included the Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission in your Will or
Estate? If not will you please consider including us. It would, indeed, be
a blessing to this ministry here and it could have eternal rewards for you.
We average about one person per day making a profession of faith in Jesus
Christ and accepting Him as their Savior. By including us in your Will or
Estate you can continue to have a part in this ministry.

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus Christ
7
 Our Ministry of
Anchorage
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U.S. Postal
Gospel
pel PAID
Is To Anchorage, AK
Permit # 290
The Least Mission
M issio GOD BLESS AMERICA
The Last A Ministry of
The Lost
Rescue & Recovery
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www.anchoragerescue.org
“urgent”
Our supplies of these
items is constantly in
news P.O. Box 230510•Anchorage, AK•99523-0510•(907) 563-5603
need of replenishing
return service requested
† Prayer
† Paper Towels
† 45 Gallon Trash Bags
† Fresh Meat
† Coffee
† Bathroom Tissue
† Laundry Soap
† Disposable Shavers
† Cleaning Supplies
† Liquid Dish Detergent
† Dinner Napkins
† Shampoo
“urgent”
STATEMENT OF FAITH
The Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission is a Non-Profit, Non-Denominational
Anchorage Gospel organization. We receive NO municipal, state or federal funds. We are not a United Way
Agency. Your financial support and In-Kind donations makes it possible for us to provide
Rescue Mission for the poor, needy and homeless people in our community. Also, your donations allow
Board of Trustees us to provide a Discipleship Training program. All Donations are fully tax deductible. We
will give you a receipt for your donation.
Ed Shelton
(President) 2010 Chapel Services for February 2010
Bob Collins Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
( Vice President/treasure)
1 2 3 4 5 6
Mark Soquet Abbott Loop Wesleyan Anchorage Anchorage First Calvary
Ralph Nobrega Community Nazarene Gospel City Presbyterian Baptist
Church (Robert Durr) Singers Church Church Church
Rev. Bob Sloan
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Barbara Schmiedeskamp God’s Church First Anchorage Christ Calvary Anchorage
Emeritus: Place of God Assembly of Church Community Baptist City
Prophecy God of Christ Church Church Church
Cliff Hodgins (Shane Day)
Rev. Willard Leisy 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Advisory Board: God’s Sherbahn Anchorage University Sherbahn Sherbahn Lighthouse
Place Evangelistic Native Baptist Evangelistic Evangelistic Christian
Paul Kelly Team Assembly (Tim Arquett) Team Team Fellowship
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
Rev. Don Bettis, Exec. Dir. Victory Calvary Change Point Calvary First In His Name Skyline
Christian Baptist (Greg Grebe) Baptist Evangelical Sandy Church
Charlotte Bettis, Asst. Dir. Center Church Church Covenant McCollum
Church

Member 28
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