When the Lord led me to CSM in June 2010, I learned that the organization was almost a million dollars in debt and had only a handful of faithful donors. I had no idea how God was going to eliminate this debt and breathe new life into this ministry, but I knew God had directed me to CSM and determined to trust that “He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.” (I Thess. 5:24) I also knew from Scripture that God calls us to be wise stewards of all of the resources He has given to us. During those first days, God brought together a new Board of Directors who were deeply committed to God, to CSM and to making wise and tough business decisions. We have been so blessed by their experience and faithfulness.Over the years, I have seen God work in amazing and unexpected ways. He has allowed us to operate very lean and still impact the city in great ways. At this time, we have only seven full-time paid staff, but many full-time volunteers and over 5,000 seasonal volunteers who help us accomplish our mission. We have seen God bring financial resources in miraculous ways and have been faithful to put those resources toward the debt.
During our recent meeting the Board voted to make the final payment on the debt. As of Friday, March 10, 2017 we are DEBT FREE! God is so good and faithful. The money to pay the debt came through small acts of kindness and from many unexpected places. The day after the board meeting, we paid the final installment to the bank, and to celebrate, my friend Marc Malnati from Chicago sent Lou Malnati’s pizza for the staff. It was exciting to acknowledge together how far God has brought this ministry.
 |
| The Board of Directors busy at work to ensure the wise stewardship of CSM |
From this new position of freedom, the staff and the Board can look forward and seek God for this next season. Each week this year, we have had pastors from our partner churches come to our staff meeting to share their heart and what God is doing in their churches and communities. Our staff is rallying around their efforts, building strategic partnerships, and are committed to changing our great city to a greater city with Christ as the center.
We have also watched our campus change from “just a warehouse” to a place where people come and feel connected and valued. More than 5,000 volunteers come annually and we are designing our campus to better facilitate those opportunities. This campus is a place where regular volunteers come to fellowship, grow, and work together. These volunteers work at the front desk greeting all who come to visit; work with our construction team improving houses throughout the city, and help with our food ministry and our gardens to ensure we provide great resources for our partners. We are also working to teach healthy living principles with our partnerships in small groups through Healthy Cooking workshops, with plans for an on-campus teaching kitchen.
Throughout the year we host programs with our partners. Our next event is our 6th annual Mother’s Day luncheon: Love For Moms. We have 15 tables that are sponsored by churches, groups, and individuals for $50. The ladies are from various churches and ministries around the city and we treat them so special. We also partner with 15 nursing homes and pair them with churches to provide more than 1300 gift bags for the residents. We Celebrate Moms is also a great way for your church to love on the elderly. If your church would like to sponsor a nursing home or a table for the luncheon, please email Jamie at Jamie@csmission.org.
The Lord has guided us all along the way in this journey and we are now free to serve our Lord in special ways.
 |
| Pizza shipped from Chicago to celebrate the "Tracy Way"! |
