|
"Reaching Out...Changing Lives" is a 100-page softcover history which paints a picture of the economic and religious times in Utica that led to the mission's founding in 1891 by the First Presbyterian Church of Utica.
Siegenthaler traces the mission's early work with the canal workers and lumberjacks who ran out of money or drank too much alcoho, to new challenges in the latter part of the 20th century -- when the mission moved to its present location and expanded the scope of its outreach to better help those suffering from addictions, homelessness, poverty, and mentally illness and were left wandering the streets.
Dedicated to David and Jenette Sanders, who headed the mission from 1974 to 2004, the book includes some photos from earlier days, profiles some of the people helped in recent decades, and ends with an overview of the current ministry.
"Reaching Out...Changing Lives" is available from the Rescue Mission for a donation of $20 (including shipping). To order a copy, call the Mission at 315-735-1645 or click here to order online.
"Purchasing the book will not only provide an enjoyable read, but also support the work of the mission," noted Mission Executive Director Rev. Bill Dodge. The "mission is not simply a non-profit amoung other non-profits in the city," Rev. Dodge wrote in the book's Forward. "It is one of the first organized outreaches to the need in Utica. As such, it has been a part of the city for almost 120 years."
Rev. Dodge and David Siegenthaler speak at Oneida County Historical Society - click here to read article.
|
