Calvary Rescue Mission

This week's Prayer Letter for Calvary Rescue Mission:
Dear Prayer Warriors,
We sometimes have to do things that we never planned for and really didn’t want to do. My final semester of college, I had to take three classes: a physical education class, an English literature class and another class, all while working a full-time job. The English literature class that I signed up for met for four hours on Saturdays, which worked well with my schedule. The week before the first class, the university contacted me to tell that the class was cancelled due to a lack of students registering for it. She offered several options, but none worked with my schedule. Then, I was told that there was another English literature class that would meet at the same time as my cancelled class, but she didn't think that it would be one that I would want. She explained that the class was "English Literature from the African American Perspective". I told her to sign me up and I loved the class. We read from authors that I had never heard of before, we studied the blues, and we studied poetry by Maya Angelou. My favorite part of the course was that each of us had to give a five-to-seven-minute presentation about "My Favorite Black Experience". My presentation was about a time in the mid 1980's when I was speaking at an African American Missionary Baptist Church and the Holy Spirit moved me to tell the story of a fire call that changed my life. I received an "A+" for my presentation. I had not considered the class, had not sought after the class, but accepted it as my last resort and am a better person for having taken it.

NONE, absolutely NONE, of the men who have EVER entered the doors of Calvary Rescue Mission set as a life goal for their life: "stay at a homeless shelter". Everyone wants to live the "American Dream"! Everyone wants a nice house, a great job with great pay and benefits, a loving family, a luxury vehicle, a big bank account, prestige, power, honor and recognition. However, God has a different plan for most of us . . . AND, His plan is always better than our plan. Many of the men who come to Calvary Rescue Mission are here at a time in their lives that Calvary may not be where they want to be, but it is exactly where they need to be at this point in their lives. They hear stories of men who have overcome unimaginable obstacles through Christ Jesus; they hear that there is hope for them in our Lord, Jesus Christ, and they hear that God is ALWAYS with them to carry them through any and every issue. Being at Calvary Rescue Mission is not where men want to be, but for most of the men, it is exactly where they need to be at the moment, and they are better men for having been there.

Please continue to join us in prayer for our many needs including:

Praise God for leading men to Calvary Rescue Mission, where they hear from His Word every night, hear how He is moving in the lives of other men, and be drawn into a much-needed relationship with Him.

Please pray for our supply of smaller waist sized pants (sizes 30, 32 and 34) to be replenished as we continue to add new men to our roles each day needed these sizes.

Please pray for our Annual Celebration Banquet to be held at Woodland Hills on Friday, September 20th, as we celebrate God's goodness in all that he has provided the men at Calvary Rescue Mission.

Please for our upcoming Calvary Children's Christmas Celebration, held on the second Saturday in December for children from all over South Memphis, that we will enough new toys, school supplies, activity books, crayons, cold weather items (gloves and knit caps) and bicycles to make this a special Christmas for all of the youngsters who will come to Calvary Rescue Mission that day.

Please pray especially for so many men who are currently living on the streets or sleeping in their cars and are hesitant to come to Calvary Rescue Mission because they are afraid of what it is like and how they will be viewed by others, that our Lord will lead them here and begin to transform their lives into a child of His Kingdom!

Because of Calvary,

Dennis Rutledge, Executive Director

PS: Anyone wishing to make a donation may do so in any of several ways:
Secure online donations by using our "Donate" button on our website (https://calvaryrescuemission.org/) or page (https://www.facebook.com/Calvary-Rescue-Mission-148579448409);
Mail to: Calvary Rescue Mission, 960 S. Third St, Memphis, TN 38106;
Designate Calvary Rescue Mission as your charity of choice on your Kroger card (https://www.kroger.com/i/community/community-rewards) so that a portion of their corporate giving will come to us.

This week's Prayer Letter for Calvary Rescue Mission:
Dear Prayer Warriors,
With the 2024 Olympics ending this past Sunday, I was reminded of one of the greatest athletes to ever compete in the Olympics. That athlete was Native American James Francis (Jim) Thorpe, whose Native American name was Wa-Tho-Huk, which means "path lit by great flash of lightning". He only competed in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, but he was the first Native American to compete at this level. Astonishingly, he won the gold medal in the pentathlon (combined score of five events) and the gold medal in the decathlon (combined score from ten events). In the pentathlon Jim Thorpe won four of the five events and placed third in the other event. He set a record points total in the decathlon that stood for twenty years, placing in the top four in all ten events. Even more remarkable, since someone had stolen his shoes, he competed in mismatched shoes, one of which he found in a garbage can (as you can see in the attached photo). He also had to wear extra socks on one foot because one of the shoes was too big. After the Olympics he went on to play professional football, professional baseball and professional basketball. He was even in the inaugural group of football players inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame. Truly a great athlete, who, when faced with adversity, instead of giving up, he stepped up and overcame!

Most of the men who come to Calvary Rescue Mission, do so because of something bad happening in their life. Prior to arriving, many of them have simply given up on their lives ever getting better again because of what happened to them. However, after a few days at Calvary Rescue Mission, they hear story after story from other men of how God has blessed them and helped them overcome their circumstances. It's easy to throw in the towel when something bad happens and the enemy tells you that you cannot ever win again. You would be amazed to know how many men have personally told me, "Calvary saved my life. I was ready to end my life, but being here made me realize that I still have hope!" Jim Thorpe was a great athlete for more than his natural athletic ability. He was a great athlete because he refused to quit, even when all seemed lost. He not only survived, he excelled . . . even when all seemed lost!

Please continue to join us in prayer for our many needs including:

Please praise God for the many ways that he uses others to encourage us so that we can, in turn, encourage others and especially the many volunteers who come to encourage the men, yet leave far more encouraged themselves.

Please pray for our Annual Celebration Banquet to be held at Woodland Hills on Friday, September 20th, as we celebrate God's goodness in all that he has provided the men at Calvary Rescue Mission.

Please pray for our supply of men's boxer briefs (sizes medium and large) to be replenished as we continue to take in new men each week.

Please pray for our Feed the 400 program, held on the day before Thanksgiving, where volunteers prepare 400 "to-go" plates of turkey, dressing, yams, cranberry sauce, sweet peas and a roll and deliver them in the neighborhood around us, that we will receive enough whole turkeys, Stove-Top Stuffing, candied yams, jellied cranberry sauce, sweet peas and rolls to feed 400 people.

Please pray especially for so many people who are experiencing difficult circumstances, believing that there is no hope of ever recovering from those circumstances, and are ready to end it all, that they will find the encouragement at Calvary Rescue Mission to face another day and find that there are many reasons to continue the fight!

Because of Calvary,

Dennis Rutledge, Executive Director

PS: Anyone wishing to make a donation may do so in any of several ways:
Secure online donations by using our "Donate" button on our website (https://calvaryrescuemission.org/) or page (https://www.facebook.com/Calvary-Rescue-Mission-148579448409);
Mail to: Calvary Rescue Mission, 960 S. Third St, Memphis, TN 38106;
Designate Calvary Rescue Mission as your charity of choice on your Kroger card (https://www.kroger.com/i/community/community-rewards) so that a portion of their corporate giving will come to us.

Pine Grove Baptist Church from Mississippi provided an incredible dinner last night; fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans! They also led us in a great time of worship and the Word. Bro. Jerry preached on having an assurance of your salvation (1 John 5:13). We are grateful for each local church that chooses to serve the men staying at Calvary.

August 2024 Newsletter

Fantastic night Wednesday night at Calvary Rescue Mission with Rossville Baptist Church. They provided and served a delicious barbeque dinner and then led a powerful chapel service with a dramatic presentation and a dramatic altar call. Three men prayed to receive Christ.

Great night last night (July 30) at Calvary Rescue Mission with Gray's Creek Church in Arlington. They served a delicious barbeque pork and chicken dinner from TOPS Barbeque. Pastor Strickland gave a powerful message on faith from Hebrews 11:1.

This week's Prayer Letter for Calvary Rescue Mission:
Dear Prayer Warriors,
This past weekend was my family's annual family reunion. We gather together on the last Saturday of July at the same place every year. Each family brings something to eat because we enjoy a delicious lunch together. In addition to bringing a main course or side dish, most bring their favorite dessert as well. While many of the dishes are being warmed up, everyone gets to visit together and catch up on what's going on in everyone's life. Visiting together continues through lunch and during the afternoon. Some years we also have a competition involving the families. Many enjoyed the year that we played the "Oldie-Wed Game" (much like the old "Newlywed Game", but involving couples married more than 20 years). Our family reunions are always fun, but many of us end up eating far too much of the delicious food that everyone brings. However, the best part of our reunions is simply spending time with family and loving each other.

The men at Calvary Rescue Mission have family reunions as well . . . but, they occur every night. You see, we have a Calvary family because we are in this together and no one has to face issues alone. Everyone who comes through the doors of Calvary Rescue Mission can be part of our family as long as they connect with our family members and are welcomed in. We support each other; we encourage each other; and we pray for each other. We also enjoy many delicious meals together. It is also great to catch up each night with what is happening in each other's lives and how God is blessing each of us every day. Sharing those blessings is a great way to encourage each other. We also have concerns when one of our family members is missing from our nightly reunion. Family reunions shouldn't be limited to just blood relations, nor should they be limited to once a year. Family get togethers are often great.

Please continue to join us in prayer for our many needs including:

Please praise God for the blessings that He pours out on us so that, instead of being a reservoir to hold onto those blessings, we become rivers that pour out those blessings on others.

Please pray for resolution to electrical issues we are having at the mission with keeping our kitchen equipment operational (we have a breaker that is shutting off the power to all of kitchen equipment, including ALL refrigerators and our freezer).

Please pray for our supply of canned vegetables (especially institutional sized, #10 cans) to overflow our pantry shelves as we work to continue to offer delicious, well-balanced dinners every night.

Please pray for our supply of canned fruit (especially peaches, pineapple chunks and fruit cocktail) to keep up with the demand of having it offered as a breakfast alternative to cereal or for those who limit their intake of pork breakfast meats.

Please pray especially for those who don't feel a "family connection" with others and are still trying to do life on their own, without the support of others and especially without Christ in their life!
Because of Calvary,

Dennis Rutledge, Assistant Director

PS: Anyone wishing to make a donation may do so in any of several ways:
Secure online donations by using our "Donate" button on our website (https://calvaryrescuemission.org/) or page (https://www.facebook.com/Calvary-Rescue-Mission-148579448409);
Mail to: Calvary Rescue Mission, 960 S. Third St, Memphis, TN 38106;
Designate Calvary Rescue Mission as your charity of choice on your Kroger card (https://www.kroger.com/i/community/community-rewards) so that a portion of their corporate giving will come to us.

Thank you, Bethany Christian Church in Eads, Tennessee for such a wonderful donation of two large bags full of individual "Manna Bags" for the men at Calvary Rescue Mission. Each manna bag has toiletries, snacks, a disposable poncho, and a small New Testament Bible. These enable us to give the men something to get them through the day while they are away from the mission. God Bless You All at Bethany!

It was an incredible night Wednesday night at Calvary Rescue Mission with two Praying Pelican Ministries mission teams serving the men. The team provided and served a delicious barbeque chicken dinner and followed up chapel service with ice cream sundaes. One team was from Good News Gathering in Hillsboro, Ohio and Pastor J. D. Lyle gave a very powerful message. It was also the last night with PPM for Team Leader Hannah as she led a very spirit-filled time of worship. The other team was with Lifeline Church in Wyoming, Michigan.

Absolutely wonderful night at Calvary Rescue Mission last night (Monday)! A mission team from Lifeline Community Church in Wyoming, Michigan led our worship time and Dennis Kirk, Pastor of Tennessee Ridge Baptist Church, gave his testimony, celebrating his 33rd year of being born again! After the service, four men gave their lives to Christ!

This week's Prayer Letter for Calvary Rescue Mission:
Dear Fellow Warriors,
We are thrilled to announce that we had a new addition to our family yesterday (Monday). I got a call from my son at 5:34 am Monday that they were at the hospital in Labor and Delivery and their new son would be born within a few hours. We have been anxiously awaiting our fourth grandson and seventh grandchild, but he wasn't expected until next week. It is always exciting to welcome new life into the family, especially as grandparents. My wife and I were thrilled when our three children were born, but it is a joy to watch them go through much of what we experienced as parents. We celebrate the expansion of the family with great joy and are excited about getting to watch him grow and experience and enjoy so many new things.

At Calvary Rescue Mission, we get to see so many new family members added to God's family every month. It is always exciting to witness people accept God's free gift of salvation and begin to live a new life and experience things in a new way. You may not know it, but since our mission started on April 1, 1967, more than 30,000 sweet souls have prayed to receive Christ during our services. Those prayers have been offered by people from all walks of life. Many of the men who come to Calvary seeking shelter leave with a new life in Christ. We've also had many guests who came to one of our luncheons and left with a full belly and a heart full of Jesus. Every summer, as youth mission groups serve at Calvary at least one mission team member surrenders their heart to follow Christ (last year there were 5 new Christians from those groups). This summer, we had a special treat when one of the mission team leaders came to us seeking prayer for assurance of their salvation. Each one of these is an expansion of God's family, and our family. We celebrate the growth of our family with great joy and are excited about getting to watch many of them grow in their newfound faith and experience and enjoy so many things in their new life.

Please continue to join us in prayer for our many needs including:

Please praise God that so many lives AND THEIR DESTINIES have been completely changed after a visit to Calvary Rescue Mission where our Lord adopted them into their new family and led them to completely trust Him.

Please pray for our supply of individually wrapped snack cakes, chips or cookies to be replenished so that we can continue to provide snacks for the men after chapel service each night.

Please pray for our supply of canned fruit (especially peaches, pineapple chunks and fruit cocktail) to keep up with the demand of having it offered as a breakfast alternative to cereal or for those who limit their intake of pork breakfast meats.

Please pray for our supply or canned or frozen vegetables to be replenished as we strive to provide well balanced meals for the men at Calvary each night.

Please pray especially for so many people who come to Calvary Rescue Mission seeking only a delicious meal, only a safe place to sleep, or only an opportunity to bless others, that each and all of them will experience a confrontation with the Creator of all things and eventually leave with a very real relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Because of Calvary,

Dennis Rutledge, Assistant Director

PS: Anyone wishing to make a donation may do so in any of several ways:
Secure online donations by using our "Donate" button on our website (https://calvaryrescuemission.org/) or page (https://www.facebook.com/Calvary-Rescue-Mission-148579448409);
Mail to: Calvary Rescue Mission, 960 S. Third St, Memphis, TN 38106;
Designate Calvary Rescue Mission as your charity of choice on your Kroger card (https://www.kroger.com/i/community/community-rewards) so that a portion of their corporate giving will come to us.

B’rit Hadasha, a Messianic Jewish congregation here in Memphis, came to serve food for the men at Calvary as well as serve the Word of God to them! One of the members, Josh Kelly, preached about how we should be patient and trust in God’s promises as well as His perfect timing!

This week's Prayer Letter for Calvary Rescue Mission:
Dear Prayer Warriors,
I was so blessed, honored and humbled to be asked to participate in the funeral service of a long-time friend this weekend. Most pastors have an established service for those who need a pastor to lead a service but are not attached to a particular church or pastor. It's much like a generic service with little fanfare and no emotional attachment to the deceased. You want to comfort the family and share the Gospel, but you can't share personal experiences about the dearly departed. However, when it is a friend who has died, and his pastor is doing part of the service, you want the message to be meaningful and focused on the life of that friend. I struggled for quite a while with what to say and prayed for the right words to bring peace and comfort to the family and many friends. Finally, the Holy Spirit moved and it all fell into place. I shared the things we did together, and I shared the Gospel. I just pray that it helped give the family and friends some peace and comfort.

Most of us never think about what a funeral for a homeless person looks like. I hadn't thought much about it until about ten or twelve years ago. A buddy of mine at Calvary Rescue Mission passed away at a nursing home in another county. I found out what funeral home had collected his body and contacted them about when and where he would be buried. I was told his body would be held for a certain number of days in hopes that a family member would claim his body. If no one claims it, he would be buried in a nondescript area of a cemetery. I explained that I would like to be there to read a Bible passage and pray for him and his family and was told that if I wanted to do all of that I needed to claim the body and pay for the funeral myself. I had another friend from the mission pass away and we had several supporters agree to pay for the funeral, but his family never did claim his body. Fortunately, many of the men who are at Calvary for a while and pass away have family members who claim their body and we have a nice funeral for them. At any rate, many of the men who have passed away after making a lot of friends at Calvary are remembered in a memorial service at Calvary Rescue Mission. I believe that it gives our men a sense of peace in knowing that they will be remembered when they are gone.

Please continue to join us in prayer for our many needs including:

Please praise God that no matter where we are buried, the burial takes place long after our souls are in the presence of our loving Savior and will be reunited with our bodies on that glorious day regardless of where our gravesite is.

Please pray for our supply of deodorant and twin-blade razors to be replenished to keep up with the demand for these items.

Please pray for our supply of individually wrapped snack cakes, chips or cookies to be replenished so that we can continue to provide snacks for the men after chapel service each night.

Please pray for our building permit for our chapel to finally clear its last obstacle so that the plumbing and electrical rough-in can begin and construction continue on our new building.

Please pray especially for so many men who are living on the streets and don't have family or Calvary family to remember them and memorialize them when they pass from this world.

Because of Calvary,

Dennis Rutledge, Executive Director

PS: Anyone wishing to make a donation may do so in any of several ways:
Secure online donations by using our "Donate" button on our website (https://calvaryrescuemission.org/) or page (https://www.facebook.com/Calvary-Rescue-Mission-148579448409);
Mail to: Calvary Rescue Mission, 960 S. Third St, Memphis, TN 38106;
Designate Calvary Rescue Mission as your charity of choice on your Kroger card (https://www.kroger.com/i/community/community-rewards) so that a portion of their corporate giving will come to us.

We had an awesome evening at Calvary Rescue Mission last night with the student ministry of First Baptist Church Milton (near Pensacola, FL) and LeaderTreks! The youth ministry preformed a great Gospel skit, testimonies were shared, and the Word was preached! Glory to God!

Fantastic night tonight at Calvary Rescue Mission with a student mission team from The River Church in Marion, Indiana, serving with Praying Pelicans Ministries. They prepared and served a delicious taco dinner and led music during chapel service. At the end of the message five men entered their names into the Lamb's Book of Life by surrendering their will to Christ.

it was a wonderful night at Calvary Rescue Mission with students from Getwell Church providing, preparing and serving a wonderful orange chicken dinner. During chapel, three of the young men shared their answers to the question: "What Jesus means to me". Finally, Brother Curtis Martin gave a powerful message from Psalm 139.

This week's Prayer Letter for Calvary Rescue Mission:
Dear Prayer Warriors,
With 41 years in the fire service, I participated in an awful lot of very critical emergency medical calls. I remember when we started our paramedic program and were able to offer a much-needed higher level of care at my first fire department job. At my second Fire Chief's position, I responded to all serious sounding emergency medical calls; not because I had great medical skills, but because I have great family skills. I would ask the spouse of the patient if there was anyone, family members or clergy, that we needed to contact. If no clergy was mentioned, I would ask if I could pray with them. Then, I would ask them to get a bag and collect any and all medications of the patient. While they were collecting medication, I would check on the condition of the patient and report it to the spouse. It was always a joy to tell the spouse that their loved one, who was once clinically dead when we arrived, was now breathing on their own and alive! It is an incredible blessing to see dead people come to life!

It would likely shock you to know how many men have personally told me, "Calvary saved my life!" When most of the men come through our doors for the first time, you can see in their eyes that they are tired, they are hurting, they are desperate, and they are spiritually dead. Many of them have even contemplated the least painful or quickest way to end their life. However, while they are at Calvary Rescue Mission they attend chapel service every night hearing about God's love for them and learn that God will carry them through whatever storm they are in. Typically, once they surrender their hearts to Christ, everything else in their lives begins to fall in place. You finally begin to see life in their eyes, and they start to share during chapel how God is blessing them so that others might be encouraged. It is an incredible blessing to see dead people come to life!

Please continue to join us in prayer for our many needs including:

Praise God for His incredible love for every single one of us and His desire for every one of us to surrender our lives to Him so that we can have life more abundantly and spend eternity with Him.

Please pray for our supply of deodorant and twin-blade razors to be replenished to keep up with the demand for these items.

Please pray for our supply of individually wrapped snack cakes, chips or cookies to be replenished so that we can continue to provide snacks for the men after chapel service each night.

Please pray for our building permit for our chapel to finally clear its last obstacle so that the plumbing and electrical rough-in can begin and construction continue on our new building.

Please pray especially for everyone who has lost hope and are spiritually dead, that someone will share with them the hope that we have in Christ Jesus so that they too may come to life and share with others.

Because of Calvary,

Dennis Rutledge, Executive Director

PS: Anyone wishing to make a donation may do so in any of several ways:
Secure online donations by using our "Donate" button on our website (https://calvaryrescuemission.org/) or page (https://www.facebook.com/Calvary-Rescue-Mission-148579448409);
Mail to: Calvary Rescue Mission, 960 S. Third St, Memphis, TN 38106;
Designate Calvary Rescue Mission as your charity of choice on your Kroger card (https://www.kroger.com/i/community/community-rewards) so that a portion of their corporate giving will come to us.

We had a great youth group serving dinner last night from Village Church of Gurnee in Gurnee, Illinois. They are in Memphis this week on mission trip with LeaderTreks Youth Ministries.

This week's Prayer Letter for Calvary Rescue Mission:
Dear Prayer Warriors,
This Thursday we celebrate 248 years since the founding of our great nation. America has faced a lot of challenges in its history. There have been wars, both here and abroad. We have experienced droughts and incredible floods. There have been major earthquakes and tremendous hurricanes. The life we knew changed in many ways when COVID impacted nearly every family. The United States of America has been through many dramatic and deadly events, and yet, we still stand. We are sometimes at odds with each other, but when we are attacked, as we were on 9/11/01, we stand strong together, as one nation. We, as a nation, have gone through some great challenges, but we have always overcome those challenges with God's help and are stronger for having gone through them. We haven't just survived; we have thrived!

The men at Calvary Rescue Mission are also more than survivors! Most of them have experienced challenges that most of us can't even imagine. Few of us have ever had to find a secret and safe place to sleep at night. Very few of us have ever had to spend night after night sleeping outdoors being nearly devoured by insects every night or ever tried to sleep in below freezing temperatures or extreme heat. Not many of us have ever dug through a dumpster to hold off starvation or made mental notes of which dumpsters offered the best opportunities for a safe meal. Few of us have ever "bathed" in a public fountain or a public restroom. Most of us have never lost hope of circumstances getting any better. Not everyone at Calvary has experienced all of these challenges, but many of them have. Calvary Rescue Mission is a place that gives them relief from all of these challenges. They are provided a clean, comfortable and safe environment with two hearty meals and the necessary facilities for personal hygiene. Most importantly, we have a chapel service every night to restore hope. We believe, and experience has shown, that once one's relationship with Christ is right, everything else in their life will fall properly into place. The men at Calvary are indeed survivors of incredible challenges, but many of them now thrive in their Lord.

Please continue to join us in prayer for our many needs including:

Please praise God for His faithfulness in carrying us through so many challenges and calamities as a nation and individually;

Please pray for our supply of men's pants, waist sizes 30 through 36, to be replenished since we are completely out of those sizes and we have new men check in nearly every day;

Please pray for our supply of short sleeved and tee shirts of all colors and all sizes to be replenished since we are almost completely out of most sizes;

Please pray for our building permit for our chapel to finally clear its last obstacle so that the plumbing and electrical rough-in can begin and construction continue;

Please pray especially for so many men, women and children who are barely eking out an existence on the streets and everything that goes with that "life", that they will find a shelter and heed God's call to follow Him!

Because of Calvary,

Dennis Rutledge, Executive Director

PS: Anyone wishing to make a donation may do so in any of several ways:
Secure online donations by using our "Donate" button on our website (https://calvaryrescuemission.org/) or page (https://www.facebook.com/Calvary-Rescue-Mission-148579448409);
Mail to: Calvary Rescue Mission, 960 S. Third St, Memphis, TN 38106;
Designate Calvary Rescue Mission as your charity of choice on your Kroger card (https://www.kroger.com/i/community/community-rewards) so that a portion of their corporate giving will come to us.