October, 2011

“We’re all in this together” — a letter from Rev. Jonathan Hancock

Dear Friend,

Jim just kind of crawled out of the bushes in Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side. We weren’t sure exactly where he was coming from or where he was going, but he was BIG, and he looked a little scary, although it might have just been the area. (Jackson Park after dark isn’t the safest place to be, after all.) Most of the folks there thought, “We’ll catch him another time.”

But not Sean. He saw Jim come out of the bushes, walked up to him, said hello, gave him a flyer, and told him about an outreach event that Emmaus was hosting in the park the next week.

Sean is one of our guys. He has been around Emmaus for over 15 years. Since 2008, he has been a part of the Ministry Center Advisory Board which is made up of men who have made great strides in their recovery and have shown through their example that they’re ready to lead. The four men currently on the board serve in the Ministry Center, and bring the perspective and voice of our guys to ministry discussions. Sean and the other three men have shown great commitment to this organization and a heart for our mission.

click here to read the rest of this letter

“Pressing on toward the goal” — Victor’s story

Victor grew up on the West Side of Chicago, the second of three children born to a mother who liked partying more than she liked being a mom. When he was still a toddler, she abandoned him and his two sisters to the care of relatives. Victor remembers very little about her.

Victor was raised by his grandmother. (His two sisters were raised separately: one on the West Side by different relatives, and one in Mississippi.) As a young boy he grew close to his uncle and aunt, who lived nearby. He loved his grandmother and his uncle and aunt very much, but he grew up clearly aware of the fact that “my mother didn’t want me.”

click here to read the rest of Victor’s story