HARBOR LIGHT
MUSKEGON RESCUE MISSION TRI-ANNUAL NEWSLETTER
Happy Thanksgiving!
Grateful for God’s Provision and Your Support
So Much to Be Grateful For p. 3-4
“I Just Have to Have a Relationship With God” p. 5
FA L L 2026
Harbor Light is a publication of Muskegon Rescue Mission and is produced tri-annually. Mission Statement We exist to demonstrate and proclaim God’s love to the less fortunate and homeless people of West Michigan. Muskegon Rescue Mission 2735 E Apple Ave Ste D Muskegon, MI 49442 231.727.6090 muskegonmission.org Board of Directors Roger Doctor – President Rick Ebeling – Vice President Bryan Betten – Secretary Chris Thompson – Treasurer Dave Barham Jennifer Hamdorf Dan McKinnon Patrick Wittkopp
Faithful in Every Season
There is something about the changing of seasons that reminds us that while some things change, the things that matter most remain steady. This is a meaningful season for Muskegon Rescue Mission. As we prepare for a transition in executive leadership, I am deeply grateful for the strong foundation God has built through this ministry and through the faithful leadership of Dan Skoglund over the past 16 years. And while Dan is preparing to step away from executive leadership, we are grateful that he will continue serving Muskegon Rescue Mission as President Emeritus through the end of 2028, helping provide continuity and support during this season of transition. As Board President, I have seen the care and prayer that have gone into preparing for this next chapter. While leadership may change, our mission does not. We remain committed to demonstrating and proclaiming God’s love and helping individuals and families escape poverty spiritually, emotionally and financially. That work continues every day as meals are served, shelter is provided, families receive food, children learn and grow, and men and women take meaningful steps toward stability and lasting change. As we look ahead, I am excited about what God has in store for Muskegon Rescue Mission. We have much to be thankful for and much to look forward to. Thank you for your prayers, generosity and faithful partnership. Please continue to pray for our Board, our staff and the neighbors we serve as we faithfully follow where God leads next.
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Serving Together, Roger Doctor Board President
So Much to Be Grateful For Thanksgiving season is one of our favorite times of year here at the Mission. It’s a special time to pause, look back and share all the good God has done through you. This year, there is so much to be thankful for. Your generosity is transforming lives, every single day. Men and women who once carried the weight of sorrow and desperation are finding healing, hope and a fresh start. Children are thriving — excelling in school, making friends and learning about Jesus. As you read on, we hope you feel what we feel: deep gratitude for a God who restores, and for friends like you who help make it all possible.
I’m thankful for the Mission for giving me a place to stay. I’m homeless. I’ve been through a lot and I’ve been having a hard time. Being here, it feels like a lot of warmth.
- James
These people help people. They’ve helped me when I was down. The Mission gives me a place to go, get my head right and get help. When you really need them, it’s here for you. This place has been good to everyone. It’s a blessing for people who really need the program.
- Scott
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I’m thankful for a place to sleep at night.
- Arthur
[Community Resource Director] Miss Regan is such a blessing. She is just so encouraging, just so nice and polite. I told her, ‘I like how you give me direct eye contact, that just raises my selfesteem. Thank you because it makes me feel like I am worth something.’
- Simone
The Rescue Mission is a really great place. It helps people get on their feet and provides programs and services ... They really try to help you out so when you get out there in the real world, you’re able to get a job, pay your own bills and move forward. It’s more than a family because God’s in the midst of all of it — Jesus and the Holy Spirit in the midst of it all.
- Billy
There’s not really a bad person here. Everybody’s willing to help. You have a question and if they don’t know the answer, they will find it and let you know. So that’s been really helpful.
- Wayne
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“ I Just Have to Have a Relationship With God”
After a lifetime of striving, you helped Joe find what he was missing. Joe has accomplished nearly everything he set out to do. In high school, he was a state wrestling champion and All-American. During his 20-year career in the U.S. Army, he was a member of the esteemed Sergeant Morales Club and deployed 14 times, serving four tours in Iraq. After the service came 15 successful years with a company here in Michigan.
Orphaned as a young child and raised as a ward of the state, Joe passed through four foster homes on his way to adulthood. Looking back, he sees God’s hand throughout it all. “People were put in my life to help me, or guide me through,” he says. “I’ve always had people who led me in a good direction and kept me out of trouble.”
“I’ve always been very focused,” Joe says. But it never felt like enough.
But when Joe lost his last job, he also lost his place to live. He spent nearly eight months living in his truck, his savings dwindling, searching for direction. “I need to find what it is I’m supposed to be doing,” he told himself. That search led him to Muskegon Rescue Mission — and to the relationship with God he had been longing for all his life.
“I knew that no matter what I had done, no matter how successful I was, there was something missing,” he continues. “There was no fulfillment in it.”
Joe joined our Man of Integrity (MOI) Program last October. Today, he is transformed. He is active in his church and is grateful for mentors who have stood by him I need to find what through it all. “I have some leaders it is I’m supposed in the program that help teach me things when I have questions,” he to be doing. says. “I don’t have to fight the world.” Most importantly, Joe has stopped striving and started surrendering. “Everything that I was able to accomplish wasn’t me,” he says. “He gave me the talent to do the things that I was capable of doing. He helped guide me away from life’s curveballs. Then I think He nudged me and said, ‘Okay, it’s time.’” We’re excited to share that Joe has joined the Mission’s staff as a Guest Advocate at our Men’s Shelter. Congratulations, Joe. We can’t wait to see the impact you’ll make! 5
Come Experience the Heart of the Mission Join us on the third Wednesday of every month from 12:00 to 1:30 for Lunch & Tour at Muskegon Rescue Mission. Come share a meal, take a short tour and hear powerful stories of transformation and hope. You’ll see firsthand how lives are being changed, thanks to the support of friends like you. We’d love to have you with us! To learn more and RSVP, visit muskegonmission.org/lunch-and-tour
Give a Family More Than a Meal This Thanksgiving
For hundreds of local families, a Thanksgiving meal isn’t something they can take for granted. That’s why Muskegon Rescue Mission is preparing to distribute more than 900 Thanksgiving baskets, each filled with everything needed to enjoy a traditional holiday meal at home.
You can help make it possible. We’re collecting food donations to fill every basket, and every gift — large or small — helps provide nourishment, hope, and the reminder that no family has to face the holidays alone. Thank you for helping us fill 900 tables with gratitude this Thanksgiving!
Items Needed: • Frozen turkeys • Boxed stuffing • Boxed potatoes • Canned corn and green beans • Boxed mac and cheese • Boxed brownie or cake mix Drop-off location: Muskegon Rescue Mission Community Resource Center 6
15-MSKMI-0926-N