Category Archives: Uncategorized

Dear Friends,

We are so grateful for you and for all of the ways you come alongside us to help and bless and lift up the men who come to the Mission looking to rebuild their lives. Your prayers and financial support, the special meals your provide, the items you send in from our needs list, the hours you volunteer, the information you share about available resources and job openings, and so many other things – the Lord uses all of it to restore men to homes and families and jobs and life. We couldn’t do it alone. Thank you!

Please pray for a specific need we have for a few tech-savvy volunteer tutors who can come in for a couple hours during the day each week and sit with a gentleman in our computer lab to help him fill out online job applications. If you’re interested in exploring this volunteer opportunity yourself, please give me a call at (215) 438-3094 x 103. Thanks!

Computers are a gateway to so many things these days. But for people experiencing homelessness, many times, that gateway is locked. Reliable internet access from an actual PC (rather than just a smart phone), along a with a good printer (not to mention a supply of toner and paper), is critical for successfully connecting with many resources, supports and services. But access isn’t enough. You have to know your way around. If you weren’t born into the generation that lives and breathes technology, using a PC for the first time can be difficult. It’s like trying to find your way in a foreign land where you don’t know the language. Still, using a computer is necessary for everything from creating a resume and applying for a job, to doing online banking, balancing a personal budget with a spreadsheet, downloading pay stubs, and so much more.

That’s why we not only keep our computer lab well-stocked and up-to-date with the latest equipment and software, but we also teach every man who enters the New Life Program how to use a computer. We have a 4-week Introduction to Computers class as well as more advanced classes, incentives to spend time in online typing tutorials, and individualized coaching. When Moses first came into the New Life Program, he was terrified of computers. He laughs when he recalls how afraid he was to even touch one! Now, Moses is on staff with us, and he encourages new men not to be afraid. He assures them that if he can learn, then they can, too!

Thank you again for partnering with us to share God’s love in words and in actions. We thank God for you! The Lord richly bless you and yours with His mercy, love and grace!

Grace and peace,

Heather L. Rice, D.Min.
Executive Director

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Germantown where the Lord continues to do great things! Sometimes those things are big and loud. Other times they’re quiet and subtle. But we rejoice in them all. We celebrated with two New Life Program graduates who just moved into their own places this past month. Another gentleman was invited to his 7-year-old daughter’s kindergarten graduation. He made her a card and a ticket for one free movie outing with dad (which she redeemed that very afternoon!). They had a lovely daddy/daughter date. There’s much to celebrate.

The Lord has also been working in the heavier, harder things. Two of our residents recently lost loved ones. Another man received a tough medical diagnosis. Each of these men has stayed through the trial thus far. They are plugging into community and reaching out for help rather than running away to hide or relying on old habits to numb the pain. We rejoice in this good work of God, too, even while we grieve, pray, love, and hope.

And then there are the men who just keep plugging away through the ordinary obstacles of life. They’re choosing to keep on doing one right thing after another and trusting God to bless and provide. Will is one such gentleman. He recently shared a bit of his story. You can read it here. I think you’ll enjoy it (especially if you like Tastykakes). I certainly do.

My late dad was a Tastykake guy for most of his career. One evening, when I was little, we were all sitting around the dinner table after dad got home from work. When we had finished, he said “Hey Heather, I have something for you in my jacket pocket.” I excitedly ran to the next room and fished in his pocket for what I was sure would be a banana creamie, my favorite Tastykake at the time (they don’t make them anymore!). Instead, it was a digital Cabbage Patch Kid watch with a purple leather band that he picked up from a guy on his route. I declared “A Cabbage Patch Kid watch! That was my next guess!” After my parents finished laughing, my dad said “No it wasn’t! You didn’t even know such a thing existed until now!” He had a point.

When I saw that watch, I realized it’s what I would have wanted, if only I knew it existed. Often, it’s the same way here at the Mission. Men come looking for one thing – help overcoming an addiction, getting a job, or a place to stay. But then they encounter the love of Jesus and realize that God wants to give them so much more – peace, joy, forgiveness, hope, and a good future. Thanks for your part in helping men find not only what they came for, but so much more.

Grace and peace,

Heather L. Rice, D.Min.
Executive Director

Dear Friends,

Blessings to you and yours! As I think about the “yours” of that last phrase, I think about family – both family by blood and family by love. Sometimes, in the brokenness of this world, families drift apart. Addiction, homelessness, and incarceration, among other challenges, have a way of driving families apart even farther. It can get lonely. But thankfully, the Lord delights to place those who are lonely in families. Psalm 68:5-6 says it this way, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, He leads forth the prisoners with singing…” This is what He does at the Mission all the time!

There is healing that happens in relationship. As men come to the Mission and form deep bonds of love and friendship with fellow residents, the Lord has a way of lessening the loneliness. Many times, as men grow and change while working hard to rebuild their lives at the Mission, opportunities to reconnect with long lost family arise. But when that happens, sometimes it comes with new waves of grief. Some men reconnect with family only to find out that while they were lost to the streets or their addiction, a loved one died, and they are now buried and gone. Sometimes that loved one is a parent or grandparent, or perhaps an aunt who raised them.

Our own Rev. Dr. Bob Emberger’s sister, Kay, recently passed away. Keep him in prayer. Losing a loved one is always hard, but it’s especially difficult to officiate at their funeral as Bob did for Kay. By God’s grace, the Embergers are blessed with the gift of family in the midst of their grief, including a brother/uncle/father/cousin in Bob who could minister to them and point them to the sustaining love of Jesus in the midst of their sorrow. But imagine the added layer of sorrow for someone who misses out on the support that comes from being together as a family in the midst of their grief. When this happens to our men, they are left to grieve alone. It’s at times like these that the Mission family naturally and spontaneously reaches out to surround and uphold their brother. They encourage and help one another like family.

Thank you for your part in making it possible for the Mission to be such a safe, rich, and nurturing family. May God bless and keep you and yours!

Grace and peace,

Heather L. Rice, D.Min.
Executive Director

Dear Friend of the Mission,

This past year has been a challenging roller coaster of a ride for the Mission with COVID still with us. But through it all, our doors stayed open to welcome with kindness and hope broken and hurting homeless men. We never closed. And through it all, you kept us going.

As we come to the holidays, we need your help. Click here for some of the ways you can make a big difference in the lives of our men. The fall also marks the beginning of workplace giving campaigns. The happy news is that through your workplace giving campaign, you can designate your gift to the Whosoever Gospel Mission.

• The United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey – donate to the Mission through United Way’s Donor Choice Option. Our Code Number is 1045.
• The Combined Federal Campaign – federal employees can choose the Mission to receive their gift through the CFC. Our Code Number is 69784.
• The City of Philadelphia Employees’ Combined Campaign – the Whosoever Gospel Mission is listed in the Contributor’s Guide under the category: Independent Charities Vetted by America’s Charities. Our Code Number is 30-0047.
• United Campaigns in other states and regions – you can still designate your gift to the Whosoever Gospel Mission even if you live and work in another state or region of the country. Check your campaign booklet or ask your workplace United Way coordinator.
• America’s Charities, Network for Good, the Benevity Community Impact Fund and the Blackbaud Giving Fund as well as others provide administrative services for several workplace giving campaigns throughout the country – check with your company’s workplace giving coordinator to find out how you can designate your gift to the Mission if your workplace uses one of these organizations to conduct their giving campaign.
• Matching Gift Programs – many companies will match their employees’ gifts to a non-profit dollar for dollar. Check with your employer to see if they have a Matching Gift Program. You can double your gift to the Mission at no additional cost to you.

Your gifts are being used every day to give life and hope to our men, along with a smile, some good fun, and the powerful medicine of laughter. Thanks so much!

Pressing on with joy and hope,

Robert A. Emberger, D.Min.
Executive Director

Thank you for your prayers, your support and your friendship!

Dear Friend of the Mission,

Our current fiscal year, October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021, has at times been a wild roller coaster ride. The COVID-19 pandemic continued to profoundly impact the Mission in our daily operations (e.g., no volunteer youth groups, required mask wearing and social distancing, no outside churches conducting chapel services or providing special dinners, COVID testing for residents and staff, quarantine and isolation rooms for residents infected with COVID or waiting for their test results, etc.). The Mission itself suffered its own COVID outbreak in December with 7 residents and 6 staff members getting sick; our counselor Joe McAvinney and I were hospitalized, Joe for 8 days and me for 6 days. On a personal note, I had a lot of medical tests and procedures in the first part of 2021 and ended up having major open heart surgery on May 14th to replace my prematurely worn out artificial aortic valve (I am still recovering from the surgery and not yet back to my pre-surgery work schedule). And sadly, we got word that 6 of our former residents/graduates died this past year; two of them were former staff members.

But through all of this, God was faithful, and you, our friends, stood with us. On behalf of the Whosoever Gospel Mission, please accept my heartfelt thanks for your fervent prayers, your generous support, and your encouraging friendship. Our fiscal year ends on September 30, 2021. Thank you for helping us to weather a stormy year, and to also celebrate with us all of the good things that happened in and through the Mission in spite of these hardships. We were able to share God’s love in word and deed with the 45-55 homeless men who lived at the Mission on any given day. Our services to our residents were never interrupted. In fact, they even increased. One of our newest initiatives is to provide 50% of a man’s security deposit for an apartment when he is ready to graduate. Many of our men need to pay 2-3 months’ rent up-front as a security deposit to move into their own apartment. We feel compelled by the love of Jesus to help our men with this huge expense. Not all of our residents graduate, but those who do will be helped in a huge way. We are hoping to get foundation grants and donations from friends such as you to fund this new endeavor to secure decent housing for our graduates.

In closing, I want to give a shout out to all of our staff who kept the Mission going throughout all of these troubles and trials. Not one staff member ever complained or failed to show up for work. I want to give special recognition to Dr. Heather L. Rice, our Associate Executive Director, who has so aptly directed the Mission during my convalescence. Heather first started volunteering at the Mission as a freshman at Central High School in 1993. She earned her bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees while working at the Mission. She even turned down a full scholarship as a full-time student working on a PhD at Temple University in order to continue working at the Mission while going to school part time for her doctorate. Heather has faithfully served at the Mission for 28 years and is poised to be my successor as Executive Director when I retire from full-time ministry in less than two years. She has already even offered me a part-time job!

Thank you again for standing with us this past year. As we end our fiscal year on September 30th and begin our new fiscal year on October 1st, we need your continued prayers, your continued financial support, and your continued friendship. We will be sure to celebrate with you all of the good things that the Lord will accomplish in and through the Whosoever Gospel Mission.

With gratitude and joy,

Robert A. Emberger, D.Min.
Executive Director

Dear Friend of the Mission,

Happy summer! Things are perking along nicely here at the Mission. We recently had the pleasure of celebrating with Aaron, our newest New Life Program graduate, as he moved out into his own apartment. Vince and William are looking to graduate and move out soon. Ten others are employed and working on their budgets while they save up and start their apartment hunt. There’s a growing excitement around the Mission as the job market seems to be opening up and more men are finding work.

We’re also pleased to report that after a year-long hiatus, we were able to once again have students from Drexel School of Medicine run a health screening clinic at the Mission. They saw about 24 of our residents on a Saturday morning in June. Each resident was able to review his medications, get his blood pressure and blood sugar checked, review his general health, and speak with an on-site physician about any concerns. We’re also excited to have Great Faith Vision scheduled to come back on July 31st to offer full eye exams (complete with free prescription eye glasses!) to any of our residents who need them.

Perhaps one of the biggest changes right now is that you’re hearing from me, and not from Executive Director Bob Emberger. Much has transpired since Bob last wrote you in May! He had a successful surgery on May 14th to remove his failing artificial aortic valve, replace it with a larger one, and do one coronary artery bypass. Recovery has been slow and not without its ups and downs. But all in all, Bob is doing well. I speak with him daily, often relaying messages of encouragement from friends such as yourself. We’re glad Bob is on the mend, but we miss him here at the Mission. Lord willing, he will be back on-site with us in August.

Even though we’re short staffed without Bob at the helm, we are grateful for the team the Lord has brought together here at the Mission. I’d like to introduce you to one such team member, our dorm supervisor, Mark Reeder. You can read about him here. The Lord blesses us through Mark every day. I trust you’ll be blessed, too. Thank you for your partnership in this great work. Together, by God’s grace, as Mark says, we can “carry on!”

Grateful to “carry on” with you!

Heather L. Rice, D.Min.
Associate Executive Director

Dear Friend of the Mission,

You might recall that chest pain and trouble breathing is what brought me to Abington Hospital on Sunday, December 20, 2020. I was diagnosed with COVID and was admitted to the hospital for six days through Christmas until my discharge on December 26, 2020. During my hospitalization, my cardiologist told me that once I recovered from COVID, we needed to find out why I experienced chest pain. COVID was obviously stressing my heart, but my cardiologist was concerned about my underlying heart conditions. I have an 8 year old artificial aortic valve and coronary artery disease with a total of 7 stents. Since the end of January, I made two additional trips to the hospital with one five-day admission and a bunch of diagnostic tests. The results are all in. Yesterday, I saw a cardiothoracic surgeon at Abington Hospital. My artificial aortic valve is wearing out prematurely and will need to be replaced through open heart surgery. The less invasive TAVR procedure is unfortunately not an option for me. My surgeon is also going to try to enlarge the area of the aorta in which my artificial valve is placed in order to give me a larger aortic valve which would improve blood flow. In addition, since my stents will not last forever (two in fact are completely closed in one artery), my surgeon is going to try to do up to three coronary artery bypasses. He won’t know how many he can do until he actually sees my heart. I would certainly appreciate your prayers. This is a big surgery that is quite a bit more complicated and difficult than the open heart surgery I had 8 years ago to replace my aortic valve. But I am resting in the truths of Psalm 121 – the Lord is my help and sure hope.

As it stands now, my surgery will be on Wednesday, May 12th. I should be in the hospital for about 6 days and convalescing at home for the better part of 3 months. I want to thank you in advance for your prayers and your ongoing financial support of the Whosoever Gospel Mission. The Mission is in good hands with the Lord and with my dedicated staff. As our Associate Executive Director, Dr. Heather L. Rice, who has served in various capacities at the Mission since 1993, will be directing the Mission in my absence. In fact, Heather has been appointed as my successor when I retire from full-time ministry at the Mission in about two years (she has already offered me a part-time job writing grant applications to private foundations!). I have enjoyed watching Heather grow up serving the Lord at the Mission from a young 13 year old freshman in Central High School into an extremely gifted and highly qualified godly woman. By God’s grace, the Mission is in excellent shape with Heather at the helm

Resting in the love of Jesus,

Robert A. Emberger, D.Min.
Executive Director

Here at the Mission, we’ve had a different holiday season than we anticipated! Five residents and six staff members all contracted COVID in December. The Lord has very mercifully been teaching us that when we are weak, then He is strong! We are happy to report good news all around.

Executive director Bob Emberger was among the sick and was hospitalized for 6 days of treatment. He has responded well and is back to the Mission as he continues to build up his stamina.

The other staff who had been infected are all doing well and are either officially back to work or scheduled to be so within a week. All of our sick residents have recovered and as of today, we have no known COVID cases onsite! All tremendous answers to prayer!!!

Now, we can look to rescheduling our special Christmas lunch and give out the rest of the wonderful gifts everyone collected for our residents! Stay tuned for photos of our delayed Christmas festivities (safely distanced, of course!) in the next couple of weeks. We think we’ll leave our trees up in the chapel and lobby until then!