A look back at the year.

It’s that time of year when we begin to think about all the people and things we are thankful for. There is no way for us to list everyone who has made a major impact on the Dream Center this year, for one the list would be forever and a day and for two I know that I would miss someone on accident and I would never want to do that, so instead let’s look at some of the amazing things you all have accomplished as volunteers.

• Angel Food distribution has gone wonderfully each and every month, which was yet again proven just last Saturday. We want to thank the tireless volunteers who rise early one Saturday a month to help us accomplish this feat.
• Adopt-a-block has helped to strengthen a community. Taft Homes is continuing to undergo drastic changes, thanks to the loving volunteers who traverse the unknown terrain each week.
• Athletics has grown tremendously! This wouldn’t be possible without the dedicated coaches and officials who help teach and wrap the youth in love.
• The HOPE Store would in no way be possible without the droves of volunteers stepping forward to straighten, hang, and sort. Not to mention the numbers of people willing to open their closets to share items they no longer need or have a use for.
• Ladies Night Out has continued to be a steady staple of love and comfort offered each Wednesday night to women wanting to connect to other women. Without steadfast volunteers willing to give up each and every Wednesday to open their arms to another this wouldn’t be possible.
• Metro Kidz continues to be a light to children in Taft Homes. The creative and energetic volunteers who come to share the love of Jesus have made the children crave more!
• FAITH Warehouse is a small but in no way forgotten ministry. The guys keep amazing us with their commitment to furnishing each home that has a request.
• Mission Peoria is such a huge event once a year that we request all hands on deck and that is exactly what we see. With all your help, every stone was turned and all eyes were dotted.
• Backpack Peoria was a huge success! We were able to give away 2500 backpacks but not without you.
• The first year of AOK (acts of kindness) went well. We learned what we should do again and what we should change. Without the Church coming together as one body, that wouldn’t have been possible.

We just want to extend a hand of gratitude to each one of you who help out with a DCP ministry this year. We look forward to all the things we’ll be able to accomplish together next year with God’s Blessing! May you and your family feel the warmth of God this holiday season!

We have a winner!

Andy King, our executive director, was honored Thursday, November 6th at the 40 Leaders Under 40 banquet.

"Over the past four years, Andy King has made a substantial impact on the lives of thousands in need in the Tri-County Area as executive director of Dream Center Peoria, an organization committed to impacting individuals, families, schools, neighborhoods and cities within central Illinois through acts of practical, social and spiritual service. King has been instrumental in the development and oversight of nearly 20 programs, each focused on serving the needs of the poor and underprivileged in the community.

While his job responsibilities at the Dream Center include daily operations, programming development, marketing and promotions, community outreach, and human resources, King works with a volunteer’s heart, strongly committed to the organization’s mission. He tirelessly leads a staff of three and ranks of volunteers, many of whom have no affiliation with a faith-based entity, but are bound together by a desire to serve. His proven leadership skills enable him to reach out to others, breaking down walls and encouraging unity among both secular and faith-based organizations in serving the needy of Peoria’s inner city.

King has coordinated the Center’s efforts to partner with Methodist Medical Center, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, Peoria School District 150, Heartland Community Health Clinic, Lowe’s, Department of Children and Family Services, Children’s Home, Peoria Art Guild, American Red Cross, Wal-Mart, Catholic Charities, Peoria Housing Authority, WMBD Radio and the Peoria Journal Star.

Many notable community leaders, have recognized King for his leadership and service in the community. The efforts he has made thus far at the Dream Center have been reported at length in the Journal Star, and King can be heard regularly on WMBD radio with Phil Luciano and Jamie Markley.

In King’s case, it is difficult to know where professional duties end and volunteerism begins. He is very involved in his congregation at Riverside Community Church, where he serves on the praise and worship team and organizes conferences and concerts. King challenges all those with whom he works, especially those who have given up on themselves. He is a man of integrity, faith and conviction, whose spiritual journey drives him to serve others."

(As noted in the November issue of iBi)

CONGRATULATIONS ANDY!!!

Dream Center locker room undergoes change

Check it out!

http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1332253917/Dream-Center-locker-room-undergoes-change

Mission Peoria

Did you have a GREAT time at Mission Peoria?
Do you have a funny or memorable story to share?
Did Mission Peoria make you think differently or change your life?

WE WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT!

Leave us your story in the comment box!

And start getting hype for next summer!!!

Teens Impact Peoria and its only day 3 - Mission peoria

I am writing to you all on Day 3 of Mission Peoria to keep you updated.

It has been an incredible week so far. Over 160 students and adults are here (our biggest crowd ever) from 11 different churches. Most are from the Peoria area, but there are kids here from churches as far away as lake Zurich, Tinley Park and Rock Island. There are even two teens from England(!!) who are here on vacation staying with their cousin who happened to have signed up for Mission Peoria ..... so they came along too.

Each morning the students have been in 3 different district 150 schools (Manual, Woodruff and Peoria High) doing service projects (laying mulch, weeding, painting). The maintenance staff and media that have visited are all amazed by the fact that all these students are taking a week out of their summer break to do this; that they’ve paid to be here; and that they’re smiling while they do it!! They are all a great testimony to Dream Center and Jesus.

http://centralillinoisproud.com/media_player.php?media_id=20181#

In the afternoons they are running 6 different baselines (kids outreach programs) around the city. From the South Side to Taft to Morton Square Park, we have seen 100’s of children come out to play games, ride water slides, get their face’s painted and hear a fun presentation of the gospel message. One of the groups showed up at Martin Luther King park yesterday on the south side. We have never run a baseline here before. Slowly kids started to trickle in from the surrounding community as the word got out of what we were doing. By the end of the afternoon we had 70 kids at that one baseline!!

Each evening we have been holding services for the Mission Peoria students in the sanctuary at RCC. Through intense worship and powerful messages we have already seen God challenge and change the hearts of these students. It’s hard to say that I have a favorite part of the day, but I do love watching teenagers who have been working hard and giving out all day go running to the altar in the evening to dance and sing and worship God.

If you are in need of a spiritual boost, and would like to get a little taste of what Mission Peoria is all about, please feel free to come along to one of our evening meetings at RCC tonight and tomorrow. The meetings begin at 7:15 and normally wrap up at 9:00. There are plenty of adults there, so you won’t stick out :) If the message or music don’t move you, the response from the teenagers will.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support this week (especially with the office being a little more hectic than usual with teens running up and down the halls). Please continue to pray. Friday night is our final big outreach where we will bus all these kids into the Riverplex and Aubrey will present the gospel. Then Saturday morning we will be giving out 2500 backpacks to families from all over the city. Then Sunday we plan on all going to bed and sleeping for 24 hours straight!!(after church of course).

Dave Jane

Mission Peoria and DCP on TV - Tuesday 29th july

Be sure to catch-
Mission Peoria and DCP on the news at 5:00,6:00 and 10:00PM tonight on channel 25WEEK and 31WMBD.
And for you night owls-
Third Day will be on Jay Leno tonight, channel 25WEEK following the news.

On Wed or Thur Peoria Journal Star have an article on Mission Peoria and DCP. (www.pjstar.com)

Mission Peoria has had some exciting growth with the number of churches and number of students involved this year over last. Spread the good word of this news coverage with others and inform them of the great things happening with Mission Peoria and DCP.

Leaving Your "Shoes" At Church

I love going to a church that is willing to step out on the edge and make a difference. 6 or so years ago Riverside Community Church stepped out in faith and sacrifice to launch and pioneer Dream Center Peoria.
Today at church was no exception. The service as a whole was an "ok" service until my dad (Pastor John King) challenged people like never before. He had been speaking on "Sacrifice." It's a hard subject to speak about in this day in age as many people don't live lives of sacrifice. The message had been challenging. Speaking about Abraham and Issac and the ultimate Sacrifice that he was willing to do, to kill his son to God.

Then dad switched gears and talked about how Moses was reminded of his Sacrifice and calling to God by his shoes or lack of them. When Moses was asked at the burning bush to take off his shoes, he was never told to put them back on. Interesting. The rest of his days as he walked with the children of Isreal he would always be reminded of his call and sacrifice by the pain and scars he would feel on his feet.

The Challenge - Then dad challenged the people in the nice comfortable church to make a sacrifice today for someone else who was in need. He asked the people at church to come forward and take off their shoes and leave them at the alter as a sign of Sacrifice.

All the shoes then were going to be given to families and individuals that come to The Hope Store, a free clothing and household store at Dream Center Peoria. The Hope store helps over 1000 families a month with items.

The alter was full of nice shoes that people sacrificed for people that they never knew. What a sight seeing people walking out of church in just socks or bare foot. www.riversidepeoria.com

Judge praises Dream Center Peoria

The Judge and The Speech

Written by Phil Luciano in Peoria Journal Star.

Once in a while, even a federal judge can feel the weight and frustration of crime.

We think of judges as stoic and impassioned, stock-still in their black robes as they dole out rulings from the bench. But sometimes, as they oversee the steady hum of the wheels of justice, they hit the brakes and say, "Hold on a second. What's going on here?"

Though not with those exact words, that's what happened the other day at the federal courthouse downtown. U.S. District Judge Michael Mihm, in the midst of a typical day of typical drug cases, couldn't help but pause and slowly shake his head.

Before him stood another crack dealer. But this one was different. He'd had a decent childhood. He had strong family support. And, perhaps most remarkably, he was disciplined enough to say no to drugs. He didn't do crack - just sold it.

Mihm expressed dismay at the entire situation. So, he gave The Speech.

Mihm doesn't often do The Speech. But it pops out when he gets particularly frustrated.

"The people in court are getting tired of hearing me give The Speech," Mihm says with a light chuckle.

But Mihm, 64, can't always subdue his vexation, not after 25 years of seeing drug cases continue to burgeon.

"I don't know how many people I've sent to prison on drug charges," he says with a sigh. "The line never ceases."

The Speech centers on one, maddening question: "Why are so many people bent on self-destruction?"

It goes on from there: "It's not just the people doing the drugs who are destroying themselves, but also their families."

Plus, there is the burden to society, from the costs of courts to the ravages of crimes that support drug abuse. As a study this week shows, for the first time more than 1 percent of Americans are incarcerated - "the majority probably for drugs," Mihm says.

Mihm readily acknowledges The Speech doesn't uncover any new ground: The same dilemma faces all urban areas.

But Mihm just wants people to listen: "I think every community has to have a full discussion on this. I'm not sure we're doing that."

Mihm says that in the supply-demand view of drug trafficking, law enforcement does an efficient job at attacking supply. But society - Mihm, you, me - must address the demand.

That's the hard part, as Mihm admits. The Speech had no solutions. Even after a quarter-century of observing the problem, Mihm has been unable to grasp solid resolutions.

"Maybe I should have more ideas before making statements," he says quietly.

Still, he has yet to abandon hope. He doesn't want to spend the rest of his judicial career simply sending more and more convicts to prisons. There's got to be another way, he says.

He thinks some people in town have some interesting ideas. For instance, the other day he decided to pay a visit on Dream Center Peoria. Just a few years old, the not-for-profit organization focuses on turning kids and adults around, giving them skills and attitudes aimed at pushing them away from crime and along the straight and narrow.

"I was impressed," Mihm says.

Who knows? Maybe one day The Speech will have a different ending, one with less frustration. And maybe even one day, Mihm won't have to give The Speech nearly so often.

Volunteers Are Our Lifeline

Dream Center Peoria hosted its inaugural Volunteer Banquet last Friday, February 8th. Approximately 175 volunteers from 5 area churches and agencies were honored for their hard work and dedication in 2007. Dream Center programs would not exist without the faithfulness of volunteers, and videos shared during the evening reflected this fact. Some highlights of 2007 include:

• 1,000 families per month received clothing and household items from Hope
Store.
• 70 families received furniture and/or appliances from FAITH Warehouse.
• 175 of 200 homes at Taft were reached through Adopt-A-Block.
• 2,100 back packs given away during Back Pack Peoria.
• 4,000 pairs of socks were distributed during Back Pack Peoria.
• 20 Ladies per week grow in relationships with each other and God through
Ladies Night Out
• Over 300 families participated in and were fed at the Fall and Summer Cookouts.
• Over 5,000 families were helped with groceries through Angel Food.
• 200 families received free groceries through Operation Angel Food.
• Up to 80 kids attended Metro Kidz each week. 60% received Jesus.
• 250 adults and children participated in DCP athletics.
• 125 young people impacted the city through Mission Peoria.

At the banquet, volunteers received DCP t-shirts, small tokens for their efforts. If you volunteered for Dream Center in 2007 but were unable to attend the banquet, please contact Amy at 676.3000 x 250 regarding t-shirt availability.

One of the highlight of the evening was seeing the faces of the volunteers as we showed them different videos that we had put together. I have put them on Youtube so that you can see for yourself what our amazing volunteers have been doing.

God of this City - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwq56Lx6EDU

God Is Smiling - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8QE8qxcHZw


Dream Center wishes to extend another big THANK YOU to all of its volunteers!!

This Post is For Position Only

This is just text to fill space. It is not meant to be read for sense. And, the photo at right has no relation to the text—it's just a sample. Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath at his home, 16250 Greenwood Lane, in what is now Monte Sereno, California. Set during the Great Depression, the novel focuses on a poor family of sharecroppers, the Joads, driven from their home by drought, economic hardship, and changes in the agriculture industry. In a nearly hopeless situation, they set out for California's Central Valley along with thousands of other "Okies" in search of land, jobs, and dignity. The novel is meant to emphasize the need for cooperative, as opposed to individualistic, solutions to social problems brought about by the mechanization of agriculture and the Dust Bowl drought.

Position only from Andy's Blog

Then on my day off yesterday i get a call from the leading talk radio station from the top show DJs on the station asking me to come on and chat about dream center and they feel Dream Center will be an answer to the crime problems in Peoria. they love DCP and wanted the world to know. I agreed to go in and went on at 3:30pm. I finished at 5pm and then the guys carried on for another 30-45 min about dream center and how people need to help, volunteer, donate and support DCP. Now here is a non christian radio station promoting us and talking in depth about all of our programs. It was amazing. Another God surprise. we look forward to seeing what God has planned for the future but all I know is Peoria are hearing the message loud and clear. Also every Monday now at 4:00pm I will be a live call in guest for 10 minutes on whats happening at DCP. Here's the link, note the DCP web link, you can also hear the podcast from Apr 30, there is 3 episodes as I was the longest interview ever on the show. Take a listen and spread the word about DCP.