Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Advent Conspiracy!




Looking for a way to conspire? Here are some ideas...
  1. Commit to serving for a day, weekend or week with CSM this next spring with your friends/small group/Bible study! Email us to find out what dates are available.
  2. Partner financially with CSM! You can donate towards a specific team member or to our ministry efforts as a whole.
  3. Gather in-kind donations for one of our cities. Many sites are in need of "hygiene kits" or other items to pass out to our homeless friends. Check out each city's Wish List:
    1. Chicago 
    2. Denver
    3. Houston
    4. Los Angeles
    5. Nashville
    6. New York City 
    7. Philadelphia
    8. San Francisco Bay Area
    9. Washington DC

Monday, November 21, 2011

Deeper Look at Poverty in the US

Poverty may not look like we think it should.  As the number of people in our country face poverty on a day to day basis, Time Magazine, has decided to put some faces to the impoverished state so many find themselves in.  Poverty may not always look like what you expect, I would encourage you to scroll through the 31 images taken in various cities across the US.  Beautiful.

-Robyn Elmore, CSM Washington DC City Director

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Adopt a Child with CityTeam


CSM Philadelphia is honored to partner with CityTeam as they serve the great city of Philadelphia.

Learn how YOU can serve with CSM in Philadelphia!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Operation Exodus


One of our ministry partners, Operation Exodus, is trying to win the online Chase Community Giving competition. Chase will give away a share of $3 million to non-profits who rank amongst the top 100 organizations with the most votes. Right now they are in the top 100, but voting doesn't end until Nov. 22, so please vote!

If you have a Facebook account and want to help, click here, and click on the green "vote and share" button. Keep following directions until is says "thank you for voting." 
For more info about Operation Exodus: operationexodus.org

-Tracee Henneke, CSM New York City Director

Learn how YOU can partner with CSM in New York City!

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Give to the Max today!


In this struggling economy, many small non-profits feel the effects of less donations coming in exponentially.  In DC, for example, one of our partner organizations has recently had to decrease its staff by seven (there were only 10 employees to start with!).  And the need for our partners' services has only increased.  Today in DC, many of our partners are participating in "Give to the Max," a mass fundraising competition.  There are prizes for nonprofits who raise the most money, as well as those who have the most donors.  That means that any donation, no matter how small, can mean a lot!  Check out: http://give2max.razoo.com/

Some of our ministry partners that are participating are:
- Food & Friends
- Little Lights
- The Fishing School
- Thrive DC

-Kristen Erbelding, CSM Washington DC City Director

Increasing Poverty in Houston

The Brookings Institution has released new analysis of the poverty situation in Houston.  This article sums up the discouraging statistics.



-Paul Randall, CSM Houston City Director


Learn how YOU can partner with CSM in Houston!

Monday, November 07, 2011

"Food Stamp Challenge" Challenges Leaders in DC

One in every four residents of DC are on food stamps.  Recently a group of religious and political leaders were challenged to take the Food Stamp Challenge, and imagine how they would eat off of a budget of $31.50, the average weekly food stamp stipend for an adult. This Washington Post article details the perspectives of those who participated. 


-Kristen Erbelding, CSM Washington DC City Director


Learn how YOU can serve with CSM in Washington DC...

Friday, November 04, 2011

Want to know if a slave made that chocolate? There's an app for that!

The Not For Sale Campaign has always been on the cutting edge of educating and raising awareness about modern day slavery. They now have app (for iPhones and Adroids) that lets you scan a barcode to find out if certain items were manufactured by slaves!
Check out a recent article about this new technology...

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Letting God be Enough

Moving into a lifestyle of "enough" is a hard thing! Author Eugene Cho reflects on the struggle in this article and encourages us to head the words of G. K. Chesterton:
There are two ways to get enough: one is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.