TEN MEN & WOMEN GRADUATE FROM THE MODESTO GOSPEL MISSION'S NEW LIFE PROGRAM

February 24, 2023. Modesto, California. On a cold, rainy night, 10 men and women graduated from the Modesto Gospel Mission's residential long-term New Life Program. Each of these men and women at one time were homeless and struggling with addiction and/or mental health issues.

The Modesto Gospel Mission has served the homeless population of the greater Modesto area since 1948. The Mission started in downtown Modesto primarily as a soup kitchen to feed the hungry and poor, funded with excess donations from Billy Graham's evangelistic crusade in Modesto that year.

Fast forward 75 years, and the Mission is still serving the needs of the local Modesto community. No longer just a soup kitchen, the Mission campus is comprised of over 10 buildings, and hosts a myriad of programs to help men, women, and children. These services include both emergency shelter services and a day program for the homeless, supportive housing for senior women, short-term apartments for people transitioning from homelessness, recuperative care, a medical clinic, a warming center in the winter and a cooling center in the summer, and an after-school youth center that provides a safe community center each weekday for kids 6-17 years old to hang out, receive tutoring and academic support, and engage in indoor and outdoor fun activities. The Mission also hosts community events that feeds and meets tangible needs for back to school, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

But perhaps the most rewarding program at the Mission is the "New Life Program." This program is a long-term residential program for transformational living, typically lasting 12-18 months. The goal of the program is to break the cycle of homelessness, addiction, and poverty by teaching residents a new way to live, focusing on refuge, recovery, and restoration through the power of Jesus Christ. Participants in the program spend their time taking life skills classes, Bible studies, performing work therapy, engaging in weekly counseling and accountability meetings, undergoing employment training, securing a job paying off debt, and resolving outstanding issues such as child support, alimony, and court-mandated payments. There are 4 steps in the New Life Program (Freshmen - Seniors), and each step holds greater freedom, independence, and responsibility. The last several months of the program, the residents live in
a transitional living area and are employed, saving money for their lives after graduation.

The group graduation was held at Celebration Center church, and hundreds of people attended to watch 8 men and 2 women graduate their programs. During the ceremony, a video with each graduate's story was shown, and audience members were allowed to speak encouraging words to each man and woman. These men and women were all smiles, and many were moved to hear the testimonies of broken people who now had newfound hope and promise. The night ended with a short message of inspiration from Mission CEO Jason Conway, a graduate himself 16 years earlier. Other program alumni then crowded to
the front to stand in solidarity with these 10 graduates as they were prayed over. It was a great time of celebration and thanksgiving.

If you would like to know more about the Modesto Gospel Mission or the New Life Program, please contact Development Director Scott Pernice at scott@mymission.org

1400 Yosemite Blvd, Modesto, CA 95354

Established in 1948, the Modesto Gospel Mission has provided services to poor and homeless people to meet both their tangible and spiritual needs for the last 75 years.

We love when people partner with us and take ownership of the work at the Mission. This isn't just a rescue mission; this is truly YOUR Mission for many different reasons. It's the place where you may have spent many years volunteering. It's the safe haven where your loved one was able to get his or her life on the right track. It's where you have donated food, clothing, and money to meet the needs of those less fortunate neighbors in our community. It's where your gifts and talents have been used to make a difference. Together we have provided nutritious meals, warm beds, clean showers and clothes, and a refuge of safety to thousands of poor and homeless men, women, and children over the last 75 years. Thank you for your partnership in the work of Jesus.

This release was published on openPR.