MEL TROTTER MINISTRIES
CROSSroads
N OV E M B E R 2 0 16
Thanks for helping people help themselves!
also inside: See what MTM guests are thankful for
from our CEO
We Thank God for You!
Dear MTM Family,
If you lost your job and your home, or if your family member were living
on the streets, what would you thank God for this Thanksgiving?
Many of the guests who are seeking shelter and support at MTM this
holiday season are asking themselves the very same question. The
reality is, while the local economy is showing signs of recovery, many
people have been left behind because they don’t yet have the skills
and self-confidence to move forward into jobs or housing. People who
have never needed help before are suddenly struggling and homeless.
Others have lost track of beloved sons, daughters, parents or siblings
and have an empty place at their table and an ache in their heart.
Dennis Van Kampen
CEO, Mel Trotter Ministries
your prayers and
partnership go a
long way toward
healing people who
have been hurt by
addiction, poverty
and abuse.
This Thanksgiving, many people like Jesse in this issue of CROSSroads
and the men and women working at Magna Mirrors will give thanks to
God for you and for your support of Mel Trotter Ministries. Because you care, more
than 300 people secured housing and jobs this year and many more will hear the
Gospel and experience the love of Jesus. Your gifts will also provide meals, safe
shelter, counseling, Bible studies and other services that lift hearts and change lives.
Your prayers and partnership go a long way toward healing people who have
been hurt by addiction, poverty and abuse. It’s encouraging to know that when
individuals heal, very often so do their broken families.
As you prepare to count your blessings this year, will you reach out to your brothers
and sisters at MTM? With so many first-time guests at our table, it’s more important
than ever that we fill this holiday season with all the warmth and joy of God’s love.
Thank you!
Grace and peace,
Grateful for work and finan
Magna Mirrors, Effex invest in MTM guests
It is estimated that more
than half of the men served
in Mel Trotter programs
have—or will obtain—jobs
during their stay. Most of the
guests at MTM are ready
and eager to work, yet
barriers like transportation,
criminal backgrounds and
the stigma of homelessness
stand in the way.
A creative collaboration
between Effex Management
Solutions, Magna Mirrors
and Mel Trotter Ministries’
job readiness program
recently became an answer
to the prayers of those
who were looking for jobs
and the company looking
to fill them. Joe Homrich,
Program Manager at Effex,
discovered that Magna
Mirrors—an automotive
supplier that creates car
mirrors for Ford, Toyota and
others—was struggling to fill
openings at its rural plant in
Alto, Michigan.
Joe and a co-worker
presented an idea to Magna
Mirrors that if they could
bring transportation to
high-population areas like
Grand Rapids where there
are able and willing workers,
jobs would be filled. Magna
Mirrors agreed to try Joe’s
idea and since April, Magna
Mirrors has been providing
bus transportation from
Mel Trotter and other area
agencies to the rural plant
just outside of Lowell. Six
MTM guests are employed
at Magna Mirrors and Joe
is already thinking of other
ways to collaborate.
“We needed to think outside
the box. We’ve definitely
“I’d like to thank everyone
for everything they’re doing
for me.” —William
had a lot of good workers
come and a lot of them are
still working here today,” he
explained.
William has been working
at Magna Mirrors for four
months. He struggled with
a drug addiction in the past
but has stayed clean and
sober while staying at Mel
Trotter. When he found out
about the job opportunity he
filled out an application and
got a call the following day
with an offer. “Thank God,”
he said.
Now, free from the bondage
of his addiction and from
the fear of failing drug tests
at work, William has been
able to pay off backed child
support, save some money
and most importantly build
a stronger relationship with
his two kids. “The hours are
comfortable, this is a friendly
place. I’d like to thank
everyone for everything
they’re doing for me,”
William said.
Arthur, 25, was homeless in
Chicago for three months
and had nowhere to turn.
He came to Mel Trotter
looking for refuge away
from the big city and found
more. He got a job at
Magna almost immediately.
“It was a blessing,” he said.
Arthur recently got his first
paycheck. “Working here is
ncial freedom
fall & winter
Needs List
We need the following goods, new or like-new:
• Industrial washer and dryer for the women’s program
• Large plastic totes
• Pillows, sheets and blankets
• Two large bulletin boards
• 1-in. binders with dividers
• Men’s pants/jeans, sizes 30–34
Please email [email protected] or call 616-454-8249 if you
would like to drop off your donation or have any questions.
Patricia completed MTM’s addiction recovery and job
readiness programs in August and now has an apartment
of her own.
great. I’m one step closer to
my goals.” He is talking to
his supervisor about taking
on more responsibility.
who truly want to work. It’s
an amazing feeling knowing
that we’re helping them help
themselves.”
For Joe, it’s even more
gratifying to witness the
positive effect a steady
job has on Arthur and
William and the many
others who punch in every
day. “Everybody has their
struggles. These are people
Your continued support for
Mel Trotter will help even
more men and women
discover their God-given
capabilities and empower
them to build promising,
stable lives in the coming
year. Thank you!
“We’ve definitely had
a lot of good workers
come [from MTM] and
a lot of them are still
working here today.”
—Joe, Effex Management
20th annual
thanksgiving banquet
Sponsorship opportunities
still available
Sponsorship opportunities for the 20th annual MTM
Thanksgiving Banquet (Nov. 24) are still available! Get your
family, friends or co-workers together and sponsor a table at
$250 or above. It’s a great way to contribute during the
holidays and know that while you’re enjoying your meal with
family and friends, the lost and forgotten in Grand Rapids
are also enjoying food and fellowship. If interested, contact
Frank Grant at 616-588-8726 or [email protected].
The meal feeds up to 2,000 of our neighbors who are
hungry and homeless each year on Thanksgiving Day. Be
a part of this moving feast at meltrotter.org/thanksgiving.
a very special
visitor
Now this is something you don’t see every day at the
Mission! Charlie the miniature therapy horse stopped
by to meet MTM guests and help them forget for a
moment about the trauma they are experiencing.
Charlie brought joy and comfort to the guests at our
Mission during his visit. Many of the children staying
at MTM had the opportunity to pet a horse for the
first time. They even got a hoof print autograph from
Charlie to take with them!
Have you joined net community?
Now it’s easier than ever to manage your giving to Mel Trotter Ministries! Log on to our secure site
to set up your account, review your giving history, change your address and giving preferences,
and more. It’s fast, easy and safe. To create your account, go to donate.meltrotter.org/register.
If you need assistance, contact Mali Korc at [email protected] or 616-588-8717.
Feed your neighbors,
help with the Fall
Food Drive
Now through December
i am thankful for…
At Mel Trotter, sometimes graffiti is
encouraged! Each fall we put up
blank posters around the Mission
and provide guests and staff the
opportunity to acknowledge what
they are thankful for. Many of
the messages are simple and thoughtful—and they are so
numerous, we very nearly ran out of paper!
While doing your
holiday shopping,
pick up some
nutritious nonperishable items to
help stock the MTM
food pantry and feed
more than 120
families each week
throughout the year.
Help us reach our
goal of 50,000
pounds! Get
a complete list of food drive items and drop-off
locations at meltrotter.org/fall-food-drive.
“Hope means everything to
me right now.”
You helped Jesse find true freedom in Christ!
Jesse knew it was rare to find a place that
would let his sons stay with him. “I’m very
blessed and very grateful that Mel Trotter
helped me,” Jesse told us. “The staff have
been wonderful. They embraced me and
made me feel welcome.”
Jesse has a strong resolve to work, in spite
of living with cerebral palsy and a heart
condition. He has been using the family’s
time at MTM to instill discipline in his sons,
setting an example by mopping the hallways
at night. He told his boys, “Stick with it!
Follow my lead and I promise you we’re
going to have our own house, a car and a
good school for you guys. You have to do
the footwork and build character and be
strong like me.”
Our Mission Statement
Mel Trotter Ministries exists
to demonstrate the compassion
of Jesus Christ toward the hungry,
homeless and hurting of the
greater Grand Rapids area.
Jesse always considered himself “a
free man. I’m very free willed and
strong minded.” However, drugs
proved to be stronger than his will or
his mind. Jesse began using drugs
at a young age to escape from the
domestic abuse in his home. Soon,
he said, “I started robbing people,
stealing cars and burning houses. I
didn’t care.”
By the time he was 21, Jesse did
have something to care about:
children of his own. “I knew I had
to change my life for them. I didn’t
want them to live the life that I’d lived.” Jesse
faced years of struggle and several rehab
programs before he came to Mel Trotter with
his two boys, now teenagers.
225 Commerce Avenue SW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
meltrotter.org
CONNECT WITH US
Board of Directors
2016–2017
One thing has kept Jesse strong during his
stay at the Mission. “Hope means everything
to me right now. Hope means there’s a
chance for me to do something good with
my life. I want to tell my story and maybe
just save one person. That person can save
another and we can continue the cycle of
good things. If you can help one person out
of a thousand, you’ve made a difference.”
As a friend of Mel Trotter Ministries, you know
something about that! Jesse and his boys
are waiting for affordable housing options
in the city that will be near his job. He looks
forward to someday giving his boys that
house and car he promised them. But Jesse’s
vision reaches even further. “I’ll be back, not
to live here but to work with you, side by side.
I hope to be a donor and volunteer, and help
people who want to change, like myself.”
With your help and God’s grace, Jesse is truly
“a free man” today: free from drugs and free
to reach out to others bound by addiction.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. –John 8:36 niv
Jeshua Lauka
Chairman
Janis Petrini
Vice Chair
Donijo DeJonge
Treasurer
Chuck Damon
Secretary
Tonja Moyer
Assistant Secretary
Jim Bultema
Greg Heath
Kurt Hein
Tom McGovern
Brenda Moore
Ron VanHouten
Trustees
Roger Bruins
Bruce Bush
Rich Craig
Mary Hollebeek
Kelly Jasperse
Jim Kregel
Adam Lipscomb
Tom Meyers
Jim Mitchell
Gordon Oosting