JANUARY 2009 NEWSLETTER AND FEBRUARY CALENDAR

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me. Matt: 25:40

Lakewood Nursing Home Salem Village Nursing Home
Rosewood Care Center Paradise Park Assisted Living

Sometimes a spoken word just does not cover it. . . . you just burst forth into singing. David, the psalmist, knew how to sing. His sin had been great, his repentance sincere, and his forgiveness complete. Naturally it follows that he would be filled with rejoicing. In Psalm 13:5 David says, “I trust in your unfailing love. My heart rejoices in your salvation.” His confidence in God coupled with God’s response to his struggles led him to remember that God is faithful and good. No one sees, knows, and cares like the Lord. There is no substitute for getting in “tune” with God and His purposes. It would be impossible to know how many difficulties we avoid just by singing the Lord’s song of full salvation.

There is an attraction to the joy-filled life. Those under the pressure of this world of sin can see the contrast and be drawn to the example they see. What an opportunity to tell them of One who can give them full forgiveness and newness of life.

One of the residents who attended the services at Paradise Park was amazed at how happy our Ministry team is. She told me a couple of times, “I just can’t get over how happy all of you are”. I think that is one of the best compliments you could give our Ministry team because it is an example of what Jesus Christ really means to each one of us. The joy and happiness just radiates from each face. We have an amazing team of people, so full of love and encouragement to one another. I can not say enough about our group. I have never seen a team of people that fit together so perfectly, like pieces to a puzzle, and I believe with all my heart, that God brought us all together to work in this Ministry for His Honor and Glory. There is such a sweet, sweet spirit when we are together.

Betty Tan and I visited the Lakewood Nursing Home last week and we gave out “sugar free candy” and “happy birthday tracts” to all the residents with birthdays in January. The little box has 3 pieces of candy in it and they are so proud of that little box, it’s like we have given them an expensive gift. It really opens the door to tell them about the greatest gift that was ever given, the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We spent about 40 minutes with one of the residents sharing the plan of salvation. She was frustrated and angry about things that are happening in her life and I shared with her, how much Jesus loves her and even though she did not pray the sinner’s prayer, she was very interested in what we were saying. I will meet with her again.

Another gentleman was sitting in the hallway just outside the doorway to his room and he was so sad. His wife shares a room with him and she was sick. I stood by his wheel chair for a long time and just listened to his stories, the stories of his life, the good years that have quickly passed and now the struggles that he is facing. Their children do not come to see them very often, nor seem to care. Even with all the health problems he and his wife are going through, he is concerned about his children and wants to see them so badly. I prayed with him and will be going back to see him again.

As he was talking, I couldn’t help but think about how much God cares for us and how He loves us, and I thought about how He would like for us to talk with Him more often, to pray, to read His word and draw closer to Him, and yet, so many times, we are like this gentleman’s children, we are cold and we go our own ways. May God have Mercy on all of us.

Our services are working out well with the new meeting place at Salem. We have moved from the Sunken Garden in the Lower Level to the main floor in the dining room. It is so much easier for the residents. They don’t have to walk as far and it is much easier for us hauling in all the equipment. We are also having more visitors now that we are on the main level. They come in to see their loved ones and while they are waiting for the elevators, they hear the singing and several have asked if they could come to the services. We had several visitors last month and that is exciting.

God continues to work all things out for His Glory and the Windows of Heaven are open and the Blessings just keep on coming and for all this we give Him all the Praise and all the Glory. Before sending His disciples out as witnesses, He commanded them to wait for the promised Holy Spirit. Herein is the secret to victory over the world, the flesh and the devil. There is no lack of power while the Spirit abides in his fullness. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens each one of us.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone? What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets? What if we flipped through it several times a day? What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it? What if we used it to receive messages from the text? What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it? What if we gave it to our kids as gifts? What if we used it when we traveled? What if we used it in case of emergency? I believe that is the way God intended it to be. He wants to be first in our lives.

PLEASE NOTE: All contributions to our ministry should be made payable to “Sonshine Outreach Ministries”. You can mail your gift to SonShine Outreach Ministries, c/o Joyce Mancke, 509 Rhonda Dr., Lockport, IL. 6044l. Your gifts are tax deductible and you will receive an end of the year statement.

Our schedule for February is as follows;

Lakewood Nursing Home, Plainfield – Feb 1st @ 2:30 p.m.
Salem Village, Joliet – Feb 8th @ 2:30 p.m.
Rosewood Rehab Ctr. –Joliet -Feb.15th @ 2:00 p.m.
Paradise Park, New Lenox –Feb. 22nd @ 2:00 p.m.

Everyone is welcome to come and join us, we need your talents. You will make a difference and God will bless you for it.

Respectfully submitted by Joyce Mancke
Email: jmancke@sbcglobal.net
Telephone: 815-351-7659

BERNIE LUTCHMAN INTERVIEW WITH SEAL AMERICA'S TRAVELLING PRAYER MINISTRY THROUGH 50 US STATE CAPITOLS - SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS; SEPTEMBER 20, 2008

DECEMBER 2008 NEWSLETTER, AND JANUARY 2009 CALENDAR

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me. Matt: 25:40

Lakewood Nursing Home Salem Village Nursing Home
Rosewood Care Center Paradise Park Assisted Living

Something to think about: What does it mean to give more than 100% of you?? ? Have you ever thought about it or have you ever made a commitment to give 100% of your life to serving the Lord.

I received this from a friend and thought it was very interesting. If the alphabet were represented by numbers, that is, A = 1, B = 2, C = 3 and on through the alphabet. Every letter in the alphabet would be represented by a number and once you have spelled out the word using the numbers, you would then add the numbers together to get the total. Hardwork and knowledge would get you close to 100%. Knowledge actually adds up to 96% and hardwork adds up to 98%. If you spell the word Attitude, it would actually equal 100%. But even with all the ” knowledge”, “hardwork” and your “attitude” you are still not over 100%, however, the “Love of God” will put you over the top. Spell out “Love of God” and you will be at 101%.

It doesn’t matter how much knowledge we have or how hard we work, or even the attitude we have, without the “Love of God” where would we be. Only through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will our lives make a difference as we serve Him. My commitment for 2009 is to keep a right attitude, a clean heart, and use the knowledge He has given me and through our hardwork as we labor in the mission fields wherein He has called us, to share the Love of God with everyone we come in contact with.

As I have personally experienced His Blessings the past 3 ½ years, it makes me want to work even harder the next 3 ½ years to see even greater things happen for His Glory. Like Jabez, I pray that the Lord will continue to Bless this Ministry and that He will enlarge our territory, that His hand would be upon us and that He will keep us from evil. I believe that is the heartbeat of each one of our people that work in this Ministry.

What an exciting month we have experienced with all the Nursing Homes. December is always a busy month, singing Christmas carols and passing out gifts. It's such a Blessing to see the residents faces light up and see how happy it makes them when they receive a gift. There is no greater joy than that of serving others and as we give the gift to each of the residents, it reminds us over and over of the greatest gift that was ever given, when our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, gave His life that we may have eternal life through Him. “He paid a debt He didn’t owe, because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay”. All because of the “Love of God”.

We had great attendance at all the Nursing homes this month and great participation. The First Baptist Church choir sang the Cantata “Christmas is a Birthday” at Lakewood and Salem Village. We had about 75 residents and volunteers attending the services at Lakewood and approximately 80 at Salem Village. We gave almost 200 blankets and sweaters away between all the homes, as well as, seniors or shut-in outside the homes.

We had un-expected participation in our service at Salem Village. What we thought was going to be a problem, turned out to be a Blessing. A black children’s choir from Christ Temple church in Joliet was suppose to perform at 1:30 at the home and they did not arrive until 2:30 which is the start of our service. I invited them to sing only 2 of the songs they were prepared to sing, at the beginning of the service and they did a great job. They sure have a way of expressing themselves, it was really good.

We also had good attendance at Rosewood and several visitors, relatives and friends of the residents, attended the service. We had a full house. We always have a small crowd, approximately 10 or 12 residents, at Paradise Park as it is a small Assisted Living home with a maximum capacity of 16 residents in each home but there are 4 homes. We walked around and visited all the homes and gave out gifts to the Memory Care residents. It was a great service.

To all of you who helped us during the month of December, “thank you, thank you, and thank you”. We appreciate you all so very much. I wish I could list every name but will not do that for fear of leaving someone out. Thanks to all of you who helped with the sweat shirts, buying, cutting, sewing whatever your part, we thank you. For all who sang in the cantata and with the worship team or sang special music or played an instrument, we thank you. For the devotional and the preaching, we thank you. For those who helped with hauling in the equipment and all the boxes of blankets and sweaters, especially during the one Sunday when it was so cold, windy and icy, we thank you. For passing out program, pushing wheel chairs, serving refreshments, whatever your part, we thank you and most of all God loves it when we are all busy doing His work. What a Blessing it is.

As the Ministry continues to grow, we are seeing more and more people join us and we are so happy to have you. You are making a difference and each one of you bring a special talent that fits right in. It doesn’t matter how large or how small your talent is, when you use it, God will multiply it for His Glory.

The story was told of a young woman who attended a church service one night when she felt the tug of God at her heart. She responded to God’s call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. The young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs and prostitution but the change in her was evident. As time went on she became a faithful member of the church. She eventually became involved in the ministry, teaching young children. It was not very long until this faithful young woman had caught the eye and heart of the pastor’s son. The relationship grew and they began to make wedding plans. This is when the problem began.

You see, about one half of the church did not think that a woman with a past such as hers was suitable for a pastor’s son. The church began to argue and fight about the matter so they decided to have a meeting. As the people made their arguments and tensions increased, the meeting was getting out of hand. The young woman became very upset about all the things being brought up about her past. As she began to cry, the pastor’s son stood to speak. He could not bear the pain it was causing his wife to be. He began to speak and his statement was this; “My fiancée’s past is not what is on trial here. What you are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin. Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial. So, does it wash away sin or not”.
The whole church began to weep as they realized their mistake and had judged to quickly. Forgiveness is a very foundational part of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. If the blood of Jesus does not cleanse the other person completely, then it cannot cleanse us completely and we would all be in a lot of trouble.

PLEASE NOTE: All contributions to our ministry should be made payable to “Sonshine Outreach Ministries”. You can mail your gift to SonShine Outreach Ministries, c/o Joyce Mancke, 509 Rhonda Dr., Lockport, IL. 6044l. Your gifts are tax deductible and you will receive an end of the year statement.

Our schedule for January is as follows;

Lakewood Nursing Home, Plainfield – Jan. 4th @ 2:30 p.m.
Salem Village, Joliet – Jan. 11th @ 2:30 p.m.
Rosewood Rehab Ctr. –Joliet -Jan. 18th @ 2:00 p.m.
Paradise Park, New Lenox –Jan. 25th @ 2:00 p.m.

Everyone is welcome to come and join us, we need your talents. You will make a difference and God will bless you for it.

Respectfully submitted by Joyce Mancke
Contact Information: jmancke@sbcglobal.net
Telephone number: 815-351-7659

NOVEMBER 2008 NEWSLETTER

Lakewood Nursing Home Salem Village Nursing Home

Rosewood Care Center Paradise Park Assisted Living

The month of November was a challenge to say the least and the devil tried so very hard to destroy our joy and our desire to continue on but “PRAISE THE LORD” he did not succeed. We are committed to serving our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. With Him on our side, we cannot fail.

When we arrived at Lakewood Nursing Home, the first Sunday of the month, we were unloading all the equipment, (we have 2 four wheel carts full of equipment) and we heard an announcement come over the speakers that was loud enough for us to hear outside by our vehicles where we were unloading. They were making an announcement to all the aides, asking them to bring all the residents to the dining room for a piano recital by a group of youth and it was to be held at the same time that our services were to begin in the same dining room.

The bottom line to the story is, Nursing Homes have a hard time keeping employees and they had recently hired a new Director and she knew nothing about our Ministry, thus she scheduled the recital. It didn’t take her long to figure out that she had made a mistake as several of the residents were very upset because we were unable to have the service. One of the homes has had 5 new directors since we started 3 ½ years ago. Most of them do not know the Lord and often do not appreciate our Ministry. SonShine Outreach Ministries has actually stayed at the Nursing Homes longer than most of the employees. We sometimes feel like we are working with foreign missions.

The second week, we were at Salem Village Nursing Home and the Director there decided we did not need heat and she had maintenance turn it off. The residents were not happy because it was too cold for many of them to come to the service. Our attendance was about half as many as we usually have and we had to cover a few of them with blankets. Those are the ones who really appreciate the Ministry and are committed to it.

The third Sunday at Rosewood Care Center was good. We had good attendance and we were privileged to have Lisa Brinkman join our Ministry Team. She sings and plays piano which is a Blessing. Thank you for coming Lisa, we need you. By the third week, we also needed the encouragement and it was great to be blessed with Lisa joining our team.

The fourth Sunday, at Paradise Park Assisted Living, was a great service and we had great attendance, but we were all very sad. One of our very biggest supporters, Ruth Doctor, had just dropped dead on Monday before the service and we missed her so much. She was always there to greet us when we arrived at the home and she always made sure she attended every service. She was a very special lady. We get attached to so many of the residents and they are like our family. It hurts when they leave us, but we Praise the Lord, that we know some day we will see Ruth again. She loved the Lord and we know she is home now.

Well despite all the trials and little problems that happened in November, the Blessings by far, surpassed all the disappointments. Praise the Lord, its great to be a child of God and know He is watching over us every minute and every hour of the day. I serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords; we can’t fail when we are on the Lord’s side. I’m so glad He loves me and cares for me and even with all my failures and disappointments to Him, He still looks beyond all my faults and supplies every need I’ve ever had. Hallelujah!!! What a Savior. I love Him so much.

December will be a great month. We have a lot going on at all the homes in December. It will be a very busy month but an exciting one. First Baptist Church choir, along with several other volunteers from various churches, are planning to sing the Cantata, “Christmas is a Birthday” at the Nursing homes.

The sweaters are done and ready to pass out. We have 110 sweaters and approximately 65 blankets to give out. The gifts are only given to the residents who attend the services. Gospel “Christmas” tracts are passed out with the gift. I have already received word from one of the homes that our attendance will be larger in December because they know they are receiving a free Christmas present.

That’s o.k. I’ll be happy to give them two gifts if they will give me the chance to tell them about Jesus and His love for them which is the greatest gift they will ever receive.

A young preacher was walking with an older more seasoned preacher in the garden one day and feeling a bit insecure about what God had for him to do; he was asking the older preacher for some advice. The older preacher walked up to a rose bush, handed the young preacher a rosebud and told him to open it without tearing any of the petals. He looked in disbelief at the older preacher and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his wanting to know the will of God for his life and ministry. But, because of his great respect for the older preacher, he proceeded to try and unfold the rosebud while keeping every petal intact. It wasn’t long before he realized how impossible this was to do. Noticing the young preacher’s inability to unfold the rosebud without tearing it, he began to recite the following poem:

It is only a tiny rosebud, a flower of God’s design; but I cannot unfold the petals with these clumsy hands of mine. The secret of unfolding flowers. is not known to such as I, GOD opens this flower so sweetly, Then, in my hands, they die. If I cannot unfold a rosebud, The flower of God’s design, Then how can I have the wisdom, To unfold this life of mine? So, I’ll trust in Him for leading, Each moment of my day. I will look to Him for His guidance, each step of the Pilgrim’s way. The pathway that lays before me, only my Heavenly Father knows. I’ll trust Him to unfold the moments, just as He unfolds the rose.

May we run the race with patience, knowing that God is the author and finisher of our faith?

PLEASE NOTE: All contributions to our ministry should be made payable to “Sunshine Outreach Ministries”. You can mail your gift to SonShine Outreach Ministries, c/o Joyce Mancke, 509 Rhonda Dr., Lockport, IL. 6044l. Your gifts are tax deductible and you will receive an end of the year statement.

Our schedule for December is as follows;

Lakewood Nursing Home, Plainfield – Dec. 7^th @ 2:30 p.m.

Salem Village, Joliet – Dec. 14^th @ 2:30 p.m.

Rosewood Rehab Ctr. –Joliet -Dec.21th @ 2:00 p.m.

Paradise Park, New Lenox –Dec... 28^th @ 2:00 p.m.

Please come and join us, we need your talents. You will make a difference and God will bless you for it.

Respectfully submitted by Joyce Mancke jmancke@sbcglobal.net. 815-351-7659

SURVIVOR GIANNA JESSEN - BEST EVIDENCE FOR BEING PRO-LIFE AND LOVING CHRIST!

OCTOBER 2008 NEWSLETTER

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me. Matt: 25:40

Salem Village Nursing Home Paradise Park Assisted Living
Rosewood Care Center Lakewood Nursing Home

October was a good month, good services at all the Nursing Homes, good attendance, lots of Blessings that only God Himself can give and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner/fellowship with lots of good singing. Thanks to all of you who came and also to those who participated with special music. Many thanks to those who helped with the dinner or brought food or drink. We appreciate ALL of you. We couldn’t do all we do without “U” and we appreciate so very much, your encouragement. There were nine churches represented so you can see how spread out we have become.

We also appreciate each one of you who are so faithful in giving every month. Your support has allowed us to do more for the residents and even the elderly who are sick at home. Whether you are a resident or a shut–in at home, everyone enjoys a visit, homemade cookies or just knowing someone cares and will be praying for them. If you know of someone who has a need and you think a visit from one of us will help, just let us know.

The past three years, we have given out “lap blankets” to all the residents during the month of December and we have approximately 60 on hand for this year, which were either donated or left over from last year. (We gave out 99 blankets last year). Instead of buying more blankets this year, Barb Durham, suggested a wonderful idea to us and, that is, to buy the fleece sweat shirts and cut them down the middle and sew a border down each side making a sweater out of them. Thanks Barb, we love your input. We purchased 110 sweat shirts at $4.50 each, which was a great sale, and we have 11 or 12 different colors. Thus, we have about 8 ladies sewing and singing as we go. How exciting is that. We will give the residents a choice this year between the blankets and sweaters. It is so exciting to see God working in our lives and the Ministry. We purchased the shirts in October and we are almost done with the sewing, we have had so many volunteers that said, “I want to help”.

He not only provided the volunteers to do the sewing, He provided the money to buy them. We had spent approximately $350.00 on the Chili/sandwich fellowship and the sweat shirts cost $500.00 plus we bought material for the borders and that really brought our bank account down, however, we are a people of faith and without a doubt, we KNOW that GOD will provide.

After the dinner/fellowship was over and we announced our plans to buy sweat shirts, the word got around and money started coming in from all over. We received over $1,100.00 in October. Praise the Lord. I believe with all my heart that God is using this Ministry and I am so grateful that He allows me to serve Him in this way. I’m humbled when I see Him working through the lives of His people and in the lives of others. It’s not work, it’s a privilege to serve the Lord and to tell others about our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Its ALL for HIS Glory.

I think of the story of Jesus healing the blind man. He touched his eyes and asked him, “Can you see at all?” The man looked up and said, “I can see people, but they look like trees walking around”. So Jesus touched his eyes a second time – and then he saw men as Christ saw them. I pray with all my heart, that God will give each one of us a “SECOND TOUCH” that we may see people as He sees them, that we may love as He loves and that our nation will come back to God and our churches and its people will experience a real revival.

We had a new Activity Director at Lakewood in Plainfield this month and she is wonderful. The Worship Team sang “I Saw the Light” and she had the residents singing and clapping their hands. (We had approximately 45 residents present) She also brought us a list of residents with Birthdays. We had 13 birthdays to celebrate and, as you know,

We give out sugar free fudge to all residents with birthdays. It is nicely sealed in plastic wrap and placed in a small gift box with our name “SonShine Outreach Ministries” engraved on top of the box.

A “Happy Birthday Tract” is also included. It’s the first time we have ever had an Activity director bring us a list of birthdays and make it easy for us to recognize the residents who are having birthdays. WELL, guess who forgot to bring the candy?? ? I was really beating myself up, not realizing that it all happened for a reason and God knew it all ahead of time. I kept apologizing and promised the residents that I would make a special visit to all of them who had birthdays in October.

During my visit to the Home to make good my promise, I wasn’t there long until I understood why it all happened the way it did. Despite the fact that I made a mistake, forgetting the candy, God had a plan all along. I had some of the most incredible visits and was able to share the love of Jesus with so many of the residents. I came away from the Home that day, thanking God that through all my human errors and faults, He can use me for HIS Glory to serve others. It was a wonderful day.

EXERCISE DAILY, WALK WITH THE LORD

PLEASE NOTE: All contributions to our ministry should be made payable to “Sonshine Outreach Ministries”. You can mail them to c/o Joyce Mancke, 509 Rhonda Dr., Lockport, IL. 6044l. if you are a member of First Baptist Church of Lockport, and would like to give through the church, just indicate on your offering envelope the amount you want to designate to the ministry. All other gifts should be made payable to Sonshine Outreach Ministries. Your gifts are tax deductible and you will receive an end of the year statement.

Our schedule for November is as follows;

Lakewood Nursing Home, Plainfield – Nov. 2nd @ 2:30 p.m.,
Salem Village, Joliet – Nov. 9th @ 2:30 p.m.
Rosewood Rehab Ctr. – Joliet - Nov. 16th @ 2:00 p.m
Paradise Park, New Lenox – Nov. 23rd @ 2:00 p.m.

Please come and join us, we need your talents. You will make a difference and God will bless you for it.

Respectfully submitted by Joyce Mancke jmancke@sbcglobal.net. 815-351-7659

SEPTEMBER 2008 NEWSLETTER

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me". Matt: 25:40

Salem Village Nursing Home Paradise Park Assisted Living
Rosewood Care Center Lakewood Nursing Home

Just a little humor…..Two elderly ladies had been friends for many decades. Over the years, they had shared all kinds of activities and adventures. Lately, their activities had been limited to meeting a few times a week to play cards. One day, they were playing cards when one looked at the other and said, “Now don’t get mad at me….I know we’ve been friends for a long time….but I just can’t think of your name! I’ve thought and thought, but I can’t remember it. Please tell me what your name is.” Her friend glared at her. For at least three minutes she just stared and glared at her. Finally she said, “How soon do you need to know?”

I can relate to those two ladies. The past few weeks have been so busy; I can hardly remember my own name. Trying to balance all the responsibilities of home, children, grandchildren, church, choir, Nursing home services and visitation, as well as, all the quarterly tax reports and payroll of Verlin’s cleaning business and the continuous care of his mom who has cancer. Then on top of that, we haven’t been successful in selling a house we own and so desperately wanted to sell, so we had to get it ready to rent which created a lot of work.

This morning when I got up, after going for my 2 mile walk, which I do every morning, I started thinking about the many things I had to do today, and how they were stacking up, one on top of the other, and after praying about it all and asking the Lord to help me get it all accomplished, the answer came. Although, He didn’t answer the way I was expecting Him to, my heart was telling me to set all the chores aside and go to the Nursing Home. Someone needed a friend to pray with them today. (I visit regularly on Thursdays, but today was Tuesday). When I arrived at the Nursing Home, one of the residents had just lost her sister and she needed a friend. I sat and listen to her talk about her family and about growing up with her sister as a child. We discussed several verses of scripture and we prayed together. We talked about life and we talked about death and what it will be like when our time comes to go home to be with our Lord. To see Him face to face where we will be rejoicing and praising Him forever and forever. No more tears, no heartache and no more pain. We shared a very special time together. I left her room to go visit another resident and realized she had just died and I was able to spend some time with her roommate. After leaving her room, one of the nurse’s aides came running up to me and hugged me very tightly and ask me to pray for her and her family. After the day was done, I then knew why the Lord said, “Go, someone needs you today”.

I arrived home shortly after noon and all the chores that had to be done today, started falling in place and I simply prayed, “Thank you Lord, it’s been a good day”. I’m so glad I listened to the still small voice and obeyed because if I had not listened, I would have missed the Blessings.

We are looking forward to the coming months. The holidays will soon be approaching, we are making plans for presenting some special music during the holidays for the Nursing Homes and we are already buying Christmas gifts to pass out during the month of December at all the Homes. We will be announcing our plans for the coming months at our October Fellowship and will provide more information in our October Newsletters.

If you are not involved in the Nursing Home Ministry, you are missing out on all the Blessings. Please consider joining us. We appreciate all the volunteers. Thank you all so very much.

Many Thanks to Pastor Palmer and Pastor Steve Holdren for giving the devotional at the Nursing Homes during the month of September as Karl took a much needed break. It was great and we enjoyed you being with us.



Also, Thanks to Tricia Holdren and daughters for special music presented and to Nellie Anglin and Jennifer for singing the song that Jennifer wrote. Kim and Margie did a beautiful job singing. It was all very special.

We welcome Karl back, all rested and ready to go. It’s not easy to be committed to every Sunday of the month and we realize from time to time, we all need a break. It’s much better to take a break then get burned out and not come back at all. We continue to thank the Lord for all of you who are so faithful.

There was an old deacon in a church who often prayed and when he did so, he would always pray, “Lord, prop us up on our leanin’ side”.

After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he prayed that prayer so fervently.

He answered, “Well sir, you see, it’s like this….I got an old barn out back. It’s been there a long time, it’s withstood a lot of storms, and it’s stood for many years.

It’s still standing…but one day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit. So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on the leaning side so it wouldn’t fall.

Then I got to thinking about that and how much I was like that old barn. I’ve been around a long time.

I’ve withstood a lot of life’s storms. I’ve withstood a lot of bad weather in life, I’ve withstood a lot of hard times and I’m still standing too.

But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the Lord to prop us up on our leaning side, because I figure a lot of us get to leaning, at times.

Sometime we get to leaning toward anger, leaning toward bitterness, leaning toward hatred, leaning toward a lot of things that we shouldn’t. So we need to pray, “Lord, prop us up on our leaning side, so we will stand straight and tall again, to glorify the Lord.

Many times we are like Jonah, we don’t blatantly turn our backs on God, and we just get on a ship going in the opposite directions.

We can make a difference in our daily walk if we “EXERCISE DAILY AND WALK WITH THE LORD”.


PLEASE NOTE: All contributions to our ministry should be made payable to “Sonshine Outreach Ministries”. You can mail them to c/o Joyce Mancke, 509 Rhonda Dr., Lockport, IL. 6044l. If you are a member of First Baptist Church of Lockport, and would like to give through the church, just indicate on your offering envelope the amount you want to designate to the ministry. All other gifts should be made payable to Sonshine Outreach Ministries. Your gifts are tax deductible and you will receive an end of the year statement.


Our schedule for October is as follows;

Lakewood Nursing Home, Plainfield – Oct. 5th @ 2:30 p.m.
Salem Village, Joliet – Oct. 12th @ 2:30 p.m.
Rosewood Rehab Ctr. – Joliet - Oct. 19th @ 2:00 p.m
Paradise Park, New Lenox – Oct. 26th @ 2:00 p.m.

Please come and join us, we need your talents. You will make a difference and God will bless you for it.

Respectfully submitted by Joyce Mancke
Email: jmancke@sbcglobal.net.
Telephone: 815-351-7659