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The West Side Story
MISSION STATEMENT We are a Christ-centered development organization empowering lives in Westown.
VALUES STATEMENT We base our decisions and actions on the belief that Jesus Christ is Lord over all, integrity infuses all aspects of ministry and dignity applies equally to all people.
Save the Date…... Saturday & Sunday, October 11 & 12, 2014
The Other Way Ministries in partnership with Children’s Creations, presents:
A Stitch in Time, a powerful drama written and directed by Janae K Dean. This theater production will engage children and teens from all over the Grand Rapids
area. Though the performances are fund raising opportunities for The Other Way Minis-
tries, you will be delighted as the Gospel is presented in this unique way.
Children's Creations is committed to helping children achieve their full potential through
theatrical performances and is effective in developing inner character and building self-
esteem from the student's innate God given talents and abilities.
Contact our office for information about sponsoring or partnering with us for this event.
Fall 2013 839 Sibley NW Grand Rapids MI 49504 616.454.4011 www.theotherway.org
The Other Way Ministries respects your privacy and does not share your personal information. If you would like to be removed from our mailing list, please let us know.
Our news is also available by email. Contact Jackie for information. 616.454.4011
BOARD MEMBERS
Jennifer Allen Cindy Beel-Bates Michael Fedrigo
Brian Hauch Doug Huesdash
Linda Ploeg Walter Ryan Dan Spaans
Celebrating God’s Provision ………………………...
As we move toward the end of the year, we are
blessed to witness the mighty hand of God in the lives
of our neighbors, in programs, in our work and in the
community. Our theme for this past fall fundraiser was
“Celebrating God’s Provision”.
God has provided in many ways, some that we did
not expect. The need to serve our Westown neighbors
has increased. The ways we’re able to walk alongside
has increased also. Consequently, the number of programs has expanded. It’s wonderful to be a part
of an organization that has the trust of its community.
God has made it possible, through caring donors, for us to update our facilities in order to serve
our neighbors better. We want to continue to create a friendly and welcoming environment so our
neighbors want to be a part of what God is doing here. Also, we want to show them there are no
bounds to which the love of Christ will not go to reach them.
Additionally, we have celebrated God’s provisions through our truly committed volunteers who
have given immeasurably of their time, gifts and expertise this year. We thank God for you! It’s our
desire to celebrate the coming year with all of you.
This is a difficult financial season for The Other Way Ministries. We need your financial support so
we may continue to share the love of God to those who may not know Him. We would like to ask that
you prayerfully consider this as you make your support determinations this year.
We are indeed grateful for your gifts; you have proven faithful over the years. Your
kindness has brought the truth of God’s redeeming love to many individuals and
families: neighbors, staff and board. Equally as important, we solicit your prayers
that God will continue to show His favor as we work to transform our neighbor-
hood one family at a time.
- Wayburn Dean
Long time friends of The Other Way enjoy our fundraising event and help us Celebrate God’s Provision.
NON-PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE
PAID GRAND RAPIDS, MI
PERMIT NO. 425
This summer and fall schedules have been full of opportunities for all our neighbors.
● Women’s groups include Lanterns (group for new believers), Community Bible Study and Koinonia to
help them grow their foundation in Christ. Participants are planning their annual spring retreat which adds a lay-
er of relational support for their lives.
● Proud Fathers has begun with 17 participants seeking wisdom about how to be better fathers, partners
and members of their community. They have put theses skills into practice by creating service projects to bless
our neighborhood and beyond.
● Our partnership with the Christian Counseling Center places counselor Ana in our neighborhood for a
day or two every week to encourage neighbors to make life goals and gain stability in life.
● Weekly family meals and twice annual Family Camp offer
families time and space to build community and study about
Christ’s hope for their lives.
● Children love Discipleship Groups and Homework Club.
In addition to typical weekly meetings, they experience field trips
that amaze the leaders and kids alike. The Summer Reading Works
session was a huge success. Charles Honey wrote about our
partnership with Sibley Elementary School and Keystone
Church for the school district publication. The Fall reading
works session will certainly be well-attended, too. In each
session we see reading levels improve and parents commit-
ting to and spending time reading with their children.
● Our Community Resource Center and Food Pantry
are busy with activity every day. Neighbors stop in for food
assistance, job search assistance, referrals and just a place to
meet their neighbors. We are blessed with a staff who use these opportunities to share their love for God.
● GVSU Kirkof College of Nursing uses our Wellness Center for classroom space. The students learn
about community nursing in order to complete their degrees and our neighbors get personal help navigating
the sometimes confusing world of health care.
● PREP (Parents, Resources, Education, Play) is our newest and
most elaborate program to date. The Other Way is partnering with the
ELNC (Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative) to reach Latino fami-
lies with young children (ages 0-3). Parents commit to attend the three
hour class every week for the entire school year. They learn the im-
portance of being their child’s first teacher. During the three-hour ses-
sion, the children are cared for and taught in the specifically designed
Child Development Center. All participants are offered transportation to
and from PREP and a healthy meal is served. We offer a daytime and
evening session for participants.
Program Opportunities Abound Partnership Opportunities—We Need You! As we approach the end of the year Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, there are many opportunities for you,
your family, small group, business and church to partner with The Other Way to extend the love of Christ to our
Westown neighbors.
● Prayer support. Please pray for our Neighbors, Staff and Board as we seek to follow God’s call for our
lives, individually and organizationally. God has been faithful to us, here in Westown, for 46 years and we con-
tinue to give Him Glory every step of the way.
● Christmas Store. We need new toys and gifts for children and teens to stock our store. For many years
our neighbors have been blessed by this ‘Gift with Dignity’. There are no free toys at the store; each item is
‘purchased’ by parents using credit they have earned. Parents volun-
teer in school, the community or at The Other Way to earn credits in
the Christmas Store. Parents with limited means use these credits to
shop for their children. This lets moms and dads experience the dig-
nity of providing for their own families. Toy intake day is Monday,
December 9. Contact Rodrigo for details. 616.454.4011
● Holiday Baskets. As part of the Kent County Holiday Giving
Network, our neighbors are invited to register to receive either a
Thanksgiving or Christmas ‘basket’. As a basket provider, donors are
matched up with a registered family and supply groceries and whatever else they choose for a holiday meal.
Providers choose the family size and preferred holiday. Contact Angela for details. 616.454.4011
● General Food Pantry supply. Our Food Pantry is always in need of donated groceries for our regular
operating hours. Non-perishable food and paper products are always in demand. Contact Kathy for details.
616.454.4011
● Monthly financial support. Our fixed operating costs continue to rise each year. We are so thankful for
the faithful donors who give each month in order to help us pay our utilities, insurance, etc. Would you consid-
er an automatic (ACH) gift to The Other Way Ministries each month? Our programs cannot operate without the
basics (space, lights, heat, staff, etc.) Contact Sandy for details. 616.454.4011
Reading Works families visited the farm mar-ket and enjoyed a healthy cooking class.
Children’s Ministry was invited to a local fly-in. All the kids were treated to airplane rides. Event organizers hope to spark an interest in aviation among children and teens.
Did you know you can contribute part of your IRA to The Other Way Ministries tax free? The IRA Charitable
Rollover extension makes it possible to provide tax-free gifts from your IRA to ministry organizations such as
The Other Way Ministries. Questions? Contact Jackie. 616.454.4011
Gifts are tax free up to $100,000 per year.
IRA holder must be 70 1/2 or older
Gifts will qualify for all or part of required minimum distributions
Gifts may be an outright gift to a charitable organization
Gifts may only be made from traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs
IRA gifts must be completed by December 31, 2013
Joy filled Christmas Store neighbors.
Give from your IRA
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