Chicago , IL. Having vacated the State Street location it has occupied for 84 years, Pacific Garden Mission is making preparations to celebrate its first Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year holidays in a new three story, state-of-the-art building at 1458 S. Canal Street.
The new structure was dedicated on October 13 when the Mission hosted an overflow crowd of over 3500 supporters and guests who filled the building for tours, lunch and a worshipful Dedication service featuring stirring music from the PGM Men’s Choir. The day concluded with a live taping of PGM’s long-running Unshackled! radio program, complete with live sound effects and distinctive organ music. Appropriately, Moody Bible Institute Theology Professor, Dr. Louis Barbieri delivered the keynote address. It was evangelist D. L. Moody who gave the 130 year-old mission its name when it moved from its Clark Street location in 1880 to what is now 67 East Van Buren Street into a building vacated by the former Pacific Beer Garden . Mr. Moody suggested dropping the word “beer” and substituting the word “mission.”
Among the attendees were Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Sen. Richard Durbin [D-IL], Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, 2nd Ward Alderman Robert Fioretti, Acting Commissioner of the City of Chicago Department of Housing, Ellen Sahli, and Lori Bush, Project Coordinator with the City of Chicago Planning and Development Department. PGM President David McCarrell and the building’s architect Stanley Tigerman led the group on a building tour which featured a rooftop visit for a close-up view of 100 solar thermal panels. The panels were donated by the City of Chicago under its Renewable Energy Program and will aid in providing warm water for the Mission ’s needs. Grants for the solar project were also received from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity [$132,198], and the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation [$113,175].
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity administers the Renewable Energy Resources Solar Thermal Grant Program to encourage the utilization of renewable energy and supports programs that focus on increasing the employment of alternative energy technologies in the State of Illinois.
The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation invests in clean energy development and land preservation efforts, working with communities and citizens to improve environmental quality in Illinois. The Foundation supports programs and projects that will improve energy efficiency, develop renewable energy resources and preserve and enhance natural areas and wildlife habitats throughout the state.
Speaking at a podium beneath a giant banner proclaiming, To God be the glory, great things He has done, Mr. Daley told the group assembled in the new auditorium, “You can rebuild the mind and the body, but you also have to rebuild the soul. And that's what Pacific Garden Mission does."
PGM President David McCarrell addressed the group by proclaiming God’s faithfulness in keeping the Mission open for over 47,000 consecutive days since its opening on September 15, 1877 . He stated, “When Colonel George and Sarah Clarke opened the doors of the Clark Street Mission in 1877, they had no idea that 130 years later a 150,000 square foot building would be dedicated.”
With 55% more space PGM can now accommodate over 950 people nightly, including 200 women and children. It is America ’s first such green rescue mission, a prototypical facility with a number of self-sustaining elements. It contains a 5,000 square foot clinic offering free medical, dental and eye care, and a greenhouse to grow needed produce and help train the homeless in horticultural skills. The Mission welcomes and assists homeless people of all races, creeds, and national origin on a non-discriminatory basis. No one is ever turned away. Mr. McCarrell added, “Last winter on some nights, we slept over 1,000."
PGM is not a soup kitchen, but addresses the physical and spiritual needs of each individual by providing rehabilitation programs, one-on-one counseling, and educational program options that include Career Development, Life Skills Training and Bible courses. These include computer skills, GED and other educational assistance, money management, goal setting and other life management instruction. Assistance in resume creation and job placement is also available. Other ministries include Bread of Life outreach to nearby housing projects, and Jail Ministry in addition to the PGM Men’s Choir and Unshackled! broadcast.
Clarifying the Mission’s purpose, Mr. McCarrell stated, "Our goal really is to have people who come to us as transients, to have their lives changed through the power of Christ, get into our Bible program for a year, develop skills and to move back into society as productive Christian citizens."
