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