Features Hrali atl&Ut Features
KLAMATH FALLS. OREGON. Sl'NDAY. FEBRUARY 17, 1963
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MISSION HEADQUARTERS The Gospel Mission was formerly the old First Cove
nant Church on Walnut Street, but extensive improvements have been made to the
structure since it was opened as a temporary home for transient men in 1958. The equip
ment and building are now valued at $60,000, with a balance of $12,000 to be paid
on the original building. The Mission is a community project governed by a board of
16 local church laymen and affiliated with the International Union of Gospel Missions.
CHAPEL PROGRAMS Hour-long serviess are conducted in the chapel of the Mis
sion each night at 7:30 by ministers of local churches. The men particularly enjoy
singing hymns, and many of them request individual spiritual counseling following the
program. More than 30 churches are regularly scheduled to assist with the service!
which have been attended by 73,524 men in the past five years.
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'Brotherhood' In
Klamati
By Jl'NE A. JOHNSON t;ilo harvest, and wiM refer some-
Working on Ihp nrincinlp tliatione
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LOUNGE AREA A place to gather and talk or to read a variety of magazines and
newspapers is offered by the lounge located in the basement. Most of the furniture it
worn, but the over-stuffed chairs and sofas still provide comfort to the men who have
walked or hopped freight trains to get to the Mission. The sign in the background was
painted by one of the talented travelers ts proclaim the age of the establishment.
Celebratinq another anniversary Feb. II, the Mission can proudly paint the number
"five" in the vacant space.
II men are brothers, The Na
tional Conference of Christians
and Jews sponsored Brother
hood Week, Feb. 17-24, for the
30th consecutive year. On the
local scene, an effort to con
tinually promote 'brotherhood"
has been carried on successfully
for five years by the Klamath
Falls Gospel Mission.
The non-profit shelter for un
fortunate men, which celebrated
its filth anniversary Feb. 11. is
dedicated to emphasizing t h e
prime worth of each person as an
individual, regardless of race.
color, or creed.
The Mission vas organized at
a meeting held at Immanucl Bap
tist Church, Dec. 22, 1(157. Thirty
two representatives from various
churches were present to confer
with an official of the Interna
tional Union of Gospel Missions,
and after lengthy discussion the
group decided that such an enter
prise would be beneficial to
Klamath Falls.
The. old Covenant Church at 823
Walnut was purchased as head
quarters for the Mission, and a
hoard of directors was elected
from those attending the organiza
tional meeting. On reference from
the IUGM, John I'ederscn, an ex
perienced rescue mission worker
from Fresno, Calif., was cm
ployed as superintendent, and
the Gospel Mission 0ie!ied its
doors Feb. II,
Although affiliated with the
IUGM. the Klamath Falls Gos
pel Mission is a local operation
controlled and governed by a
board of up to 18 members in good
standing in Klamath Basin evan
gelical churches. The six origi
nal boai-d members included
Reuben Larson, president; Leon
ard Burkhart. secretary, and Gene
Bathe, treasurer. The dircctorsl
have a permanent status, and if
vacancies should occur, the rc
placement is elected by the re
mauling members. Sixteen men
now direct the policies of the
Mission.
Misfiion'fi Function
The Mission is open to all tran
sient men as a possible stimulus
to rehabilitation and provides)
them with shaves, haircuts.
meals, lodging, clothing, and spir-
itual counseling. The men are al
lowed to Slav overnight for a
maximum of three nights in the
winter and two nights in the
summer, but the rule is flexible
and based on the needs of the
individual.
Tlie restriction was made sci
transients would not be encour
aged to remain in Hie citv. To
receive the supimrt of local
thorities. Die directors assured
them that all necessary steps
would be taken to guard against
problems ensuing from the tran
sient situation. On the average,
the homeless men stay only one
night and move on.
Many of the men do find lem
porary work and may remain in
town several weeks, but the Mis
sion does not solicit employment.
However, (he Mission receives
numerous calls for w-orkers for
short term jobs, particularly
around the haying season and po-
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CLOTHING ROOMS All types of clotfiinq from undergarments to hats ere do
nated to the Mission by church groups and interested individuals. The articles ere
usually clean when sent, and those too dirty are discarded. After mending, the cloth
tnej it stored on racks and shelves in the men's clothing room or in the room desig
nated for women end children. Since the mission opened, more than 50,000 articles
of clothing have been distributed.
Operating Expenses
Statistics compiled from the
lopemng of the Mission to Jan
uary, liMi3, reveal the scope of
the operation. Thousands of men
have taken advantage of the serv
ices offered, including 73.534
who attended chapel services;
000 received spiritual counsel
ing after the services; 2,24S, re
ceived overnight shelter; 157.612
eceived free meals, and 30,078
eceived shaves. The articles of
clothing distributed in this period
numbered 50,158.
The building and equipment is
valued at 560,000, and ?I2,000 is
till owed on the original build
ing. The cost of operating the
Mission is approximately $1,000 a
month, with the biggest expenses
listed as utilities and tlie month
ly payments on the building.
Surprisingly, food is not a large
expense, although an average
100 meals per day arc served, in
cluding three daily meals for the
staff. Approximately 40 men are
present for both tlie breakfast
and dinner meals provided each
day.
Dairies, groceries, bakeries arid
pastry shops 111 the community
donate food to the Mission regu
larly, and several Sunday School
classes stage canned food drives
periodically. With these dona
tions, verv few (nod items are
purchased and it has not even
en necessary to buy a pound
of coffee in three years.
However, Mr. I'ederscn said
the Mission seldom knows from
month to month where the mon-i
ey for operating costs will come
from, yet when the bills arrive
the expenses are always met.
(Jilts of money from local in
dividuals and businessmen who
are interested in the type of min
istry conducted at the Mission
provide the largest source of in
come. A few of the churches vol
untarily inchide the Mission
their yearly budgets and give a
small amount each month, but:
this regular income docs not cov
er a fraction of the expenses,
Other churches contribute at var
ious times, hut it was decided
when the religious groups helped
organize the Mission that they
were not obligated to supjioi't il
Church Assistance
Discounting financial a i d
churches have an important role
the work of the Mission.
round 30 churches are sched
uled to assist with the chapel
services, with each minister con
ducting one service a month. Oth
er churches, not regularly sched
uled, volunteer to take the extra
davs in a given month. The chap
el services, lasting an hour, are
held before the evening meal at
p.m., seven days a week. An
hour spent in the chapel has en
couraged many men to find them
selves and return to a normal hie.
Women from the local churches
also play a vital part in the oper
ation of the Mission. The first.
Thursday of each month is desig
nated as 1-adics Aid day. and
from 13 to 20 women attend each
meeting to mend, sort, sew on but
tons and generally prepare the
articles of donated clothing for
distribution. The sewing sessions. jnoon ami from 1 to 3 p.m. Men
conducted by Mrs. redcrscn, alsojasking (or clothing receive any
include making gowns and bedjt"g they need, including a com-
sheels. The material for such
items is donated by the church,
women. I
Getting the clothing ready for
distribution is a tremendous
task in itself. So many garments
are donated by individuals and
churches that it is necessary to
have two storage rooms. One con
tains women's and children's ap
parel, and the second contains
men's clothing. Everything from
undergarments to coats and shoes
are available to those in need.
To facilitate distribution, hours
for tlie clothing line have been
established from 9:30 a.m. to 12
pletc change, and can walk di
rectly from the line into an adjoin
ing shower room to bathe and dis
card their old garments.
Tlie women's and children's'
clothing is stored as a service
to tlie community and is avail
able to anyone who phones or
comes to the Mission during the
hours set for the clothing line.
Staff Duties
Tlie duties of mopping and pol
ishing, cooking, and doing the
laundry are delegated to a staff
of from six to eight rchabili-
(CorUnucd on Page !
CARE.. YOU SEEING PRAYED FORb":
THESE SPONSORS THAT YOU MBHTC0t:
TO KNOW THE ONE WHO SAYS'CM WHO
ME ALL YE THAT LABOUR AND ARE VY
LADEN AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST'
CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE This sign hanging in the new ;
50-bed dormitory reflects the Christian atmosphere of ;
the Gospel Mission and gives credit to the people of the
community who have contributed to its successful opera
tion. As well as providing food and lodging, the Mission
offers spiritual counseling end guidance which hay
benefited many of the unfortunate men.
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LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT The washer, dryer and ex
tractor obtained by the Mission in October were wei
come additions to the laundry. Mr. Pedersen, pictured,
said before the new equipment arrived, the numerous
towels, sheets, pajamas and gowns were washed in a
household washer in the basement end carried to the
roof for drying weather permitting. The equipment
is valued at $2,000, but through the efforts of local busi
nessmen, the Mission was ebli to purchase the units for
$650.
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DINING ROOM The dining room, which hat a capa- 1 the entire length of the front wall. The Arizona desert
city of 150, is open for breakfast at 6:30 a.m. and din- 1 scene was painted last year by one of the transient men
ner at 8 p.m. An average of 40 men are present for ! who completed the wort in let then five days. A similar
the two meals served each day in the pleasant pastel 1 mural enhances the staff dining area. ;
room. The focal point is a brightly colored mural aovering I
LADIES AID The Ladies Aid, headed by Mrs. Peder.
sen, meets et the Mission the first Thursday of each
month to mend and sort the donated clothing. Nearly
all of the churches in the Klamath Basin ere represented
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DETAILS CHECKED John Pedersen, superintendent,
checks with Paul White, staff member, on one of the
many details of the daily routine. Paul, who hat been a
member of the Mission staff for over tix months, it one
of the men in charge of cleaning, laundering, and dis
tribution cf clothing. The ttaff it usually eomposed of
from six to eight rehabilitated men.
by the women, who often bring their own donation of
material to make sheets and gownt for the men. The
everage attendance at the tewing tetsiom it 15 to 20.
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BARBER SERVICE A haircut and a thav. are ttand
ard tervicet at the Gospel Mission. The Mission fufnishei
soap and blades, end the barber ft any o of the tran
tientt who happent to have a talent for cutting hair.
Many of the men stopping there ere licensed berbert.
Fortunately, when one barber leaves, it it only a matter
of one or two dayt until another man appears to replace
him.