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G O D STILL PERFORMS M IRACLES IN THE HEARTS OF SINFUL MEN
R YOUNG man, very much under the influence of liquor, staggered up to the stranger on the street, and asked, drunkenly, “Where’s the nearest bar?” “ I don’t know,” was the reply, “ But you’ll find Heaven right around that corner.” “ That corner”— often called “ the toughest spot on the Pacific Coast”—is Fifth and Los An geles Streets, and while the Los An geles Mission, a hundred feet from that infamous corner, is not Heaven, nevertheless it has been directing lost men to that blessed place for the last fourteen years. It is estimated that in that time it has brought hope and help to a million and a half sin-sick souls. The Los Angeles Mission was founded in 1936 by Rev. Ira L. Eldridge, who was saved in the Mel Trotter Mission of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Having been associated with various missions, Mr. Eldridge, as superintendent, with the aid of his two capable assistants, Mr. Lester Gilpin and Mr. Carlisle Tangen, has incorporated into the work many workable techniques which he has seen operate successfully elsewhere, as well as new ideas of his own. First housed at 114 N. Los An geles Street, which location has been purchased as the site of the new 12- million dollar police headquarters, the Los Angeles Mission now resides in a new $90,000 three-story brick build ing with full basement at 443 S. Los Angeles Street. The main floor is composed of a meeting hall and audi torium, with a seating capacity of nearly 500; the second floor comprises a modern kitchen, dining room with accommodations for 278, offices for the executives and a combination prayer, recreation and sewing room; the third floor contains clean, well-arranged
dormitories and shower rooms. At present there are beds to take care of seventy-two men. The purpose of the Los Angeles Mission is, first, to win lost men to the Lord Jesus Christ, and then to restore them to society as decent, self-respecting Christians with a tes timony to the transforming power of God, and a life consistent with that witness. The Mission operates on the Scriptural principle that the new birth through personal acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ is necessary before any permanent reformation o f the outward life can take place. To fur ther this end, gospel services are con ducted every noon from 12 to 12:30, and every evening at 9:00 o’clock. The unwritten law of the Mission, “ If they eat our food and sleep in our beds, they must listen to our Gospel,” is strictly adhered to. So after the men have attended a gospel service at noontime, they are served a hot, appetizing meal. At night, they are required to check in at 7 p.m., after which no one may leave the building. They listen to a message from the Word of God again at 9 p.m., and that service is also followed by a nourishing meal. In the winter, the “ harvest time” for missions, the attendance at these services averages 400. But evangelistic meetings, free sleeping accommodations, and two daily meals are only a fraction of the services rendered to these men with lost souls and broken lives. Showers, shaves, haircuts and clean clothes are freely furnished, and play a large part in their rehabilitation. Seeking jobs for the converts, placing them in con tact with their families, and counsel ing and praying with them day and
night keep the Mission workers “ ever lastingly at it.” Some people have the mistaken no tion that the only men who find their way to a rescue mission are illiterate, irresponsible “ bums” and “ ex-cons” who have never been any good to themselves or to anyone else. Nothing could be farther from the truth. While it is true that some of this class at tend the services and make use of the facilities of the Mission, the greater number have held responsible places in society, have been employed in re munerative positions, and have had the advantages of education and afflu ence. In many instances, their visit to the Los Angeles Mission is their very first contact with an institution of that nature. Never would they have found their way to such a place had they not come to the “ end of the rope,” in despair, often on the verge of suicide, without funds or jobs or friends. Often the Mission staff is asked what brings respectable men to such depths of degradation. Much probing o f human hearts by these “ surgeons of souls” has revealed that in a large percentage of cases some great per sonal tragedy in the life, such as in fidelity on the part of a mate, betray al by friends, the loss of a job, death of a loved one, or some overpowering temptation has started a man on the road to ruin. He may turn to drink or dope or lust for escape, but the result is always the same; he goes from bad to worse until he finally “ hits bottom” and is a real “ down- and-outer,” sunk in the pit of his own digging. Sometimes on this downward path, he may have landed in prison, and when released, found the world a cold and friendless place. Fortunate indeed are these hopeless souls if
Supt. Mr. I. L. Eldridge
Asst. Supt. Mr. C. Tangen
Asst. Supt. Mr. L. G. Gilpin
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