In November 1981, a man was found dead on the steps of First Presbyterian Church. He died from exposure to the elements because he was too poor to afford a place to come in from the cold.

To prevent another such tragedy, Dr.  Rev. Louis Zbinden, senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church, called an emergency meeting of nine downtown Protestant and Catholic Churches (the Downtown Ministers Alliance) to start a life-saving ministry. This group of determined people rallied to respond to the cry of the needy. On January 1, 1982, they began offering a safe, warm place for homeless men to sleep in the old USO building owned by First Presbyterian Church.

The first night, 39 men found their way to the newly opened shelter. Volunteers provided a mat on which to sleep, a sandwich, piece of fruit, hot coffee or tea, paper towels and a small bar of soap. Word spread quickly on the streets about the shelter and soon they were serving 100 men each night. As the demand for services grew, so did the support from the community.

The original founding group from the Downtown Ministers Alliance was joined in their mission to help the homeless by San Fernando Cathedral and Trinity Baptist Church. With three ministers serving as the Board of Directors; Louis Zbinden-First Presbyterian; Steve Rode-Christ Lutheran; and Ernie Lantz-Grace Lutheran, San Antonio Metropolitan Ministries was incorporated as a 501(c)3 on August 31, 1983 and signaled the "official" start of a ministry to the homeless best known as SAMMinistries.

Once a month University United Methodist Church unloads a truck full of skateboards, ramps, and, most importantly, helmets at our Transitional Living and Learning Center. As soon as the truck pulls into the driveway, our kids grow excited to get outside, meet the volunteers, and learn new skills.

However, it is apparent that learning to ride a rail or land a jump aren’t the only skills these volunteers are teaching. Through encouragement, cheering, and support, volunteers help the kids believe in themselves and develop greater self-esteem.

“We believe that God loves and wants everyone to enter into a relationship with Him, regardless of what the world thinks about them. . . We were led to offer skating at SAMM because it is a fun activity and simply one of the most portable ways we know how to bring the message of Love and Mercy of Christ to others. We also like to show kids how positive skating is instead of some of the negative images others would like to associate with skateboarding.”-Pastor Kit Tomlinson

We would like to thank the "Skate Church" volunteers from University United Methodist Church!
You've made a difference in the lives of our kids!

Click on the presenters' pictures to download pdf copies of their
PowerPoint Presentations
given at the November 10, 2012 conference
"Realities of Overmedication and Medication Abuse"

Presenters

2012 Fiscal Year Program Services Report

Below are the statistics representing each of our programs' 2012 fiscal year totals. Fiscal year reporting time periods vary from program to program. The figures shown below are the actual numbers reported for each program based on their individual fiscal 2012 reporting time period.

SAMMinistries Program Strategies, Goals, and Evaluations FY13

Highland View Church of Christ-Tennessee Youth Group blessed SAMMinistries with their service in June. After they went back home, they spoke to their congregation about their "Aha moments!" If you ever thought about volunteering, this is a must see.
But first, you might want to grab a tissue!

As a young widow, Christy has raised her boys on her own since her youngest son was 11 months old. With a bachelors degree in Management and two masters degrees (Healthcare Management and Finance), Christy said, “I am a proud, college-educated,  single mother of two wonderful children and never once thought I would ever be in this position.”

In the spring of 2011, she was laid off from her well-paying job. While she was looking for a new job, in May of 2011 Bryce, her youngest son, was hit by a car.  Although he was not seriously injured, since the accident he has experienced severe anxiety, seizures and debilitating tics. This resulted in several visits to specialists, hospitals and issues with medications. If she didn’t already have her hands full, in June of 2011 her 14-year-old son, Zane, was hospitalized for the 30th time in his young life. (Zane remained in the hospital until Thanksgiving. )

July 2011 brought its share of ups and downs. Christy found a job and was working for a great company. She was given family leave when she needed it, but, with medical appointments for her sons pulling her away from the job, she was out of money and looking at a possible eviction. “I used to think there was no such thing as someone becoming homeless unless they didn’t care to try.” She moved to another apartment complex close to her children’s schools, but it was really beyond her financial reach. Within months, she was facing another eviction; this time with both of her kids by her side.

Scared for the health of her sons if they were to become homeless, Christy contacted SAMMinistries’ Homeless Prevention Program. Her situation was assessed and she was told that SAMMinistries could help, if she moved to a more affordable apartment. The deposit and first month’s rent were provided so she could get settled in a new place. Since the move, Christy realizes the new apartment is a blessing.

Thankful not to be on the streets with her special-needs children, Christy says, “Because of SAMMinistries, we now have a new home and a new start on life! On behalf of myself and my two children, Thank you to all the donors of this wonderful  program.”

Food and fellowship were poured out on our
Transitional Living and Learning Center families when two congregations united to prepare and serve a special Father's Day BBQ. 

Thirty-eight volunteers from Community Baptist and Free Grace Baptist churches brought 168 hamburgers and hotdogs, salads, chips, beans, corn and homemade desserts!

They fired up the grill and the fun began! While the cooks were preparing the food, a special Father's Day devotional was delivered that touched everyone-whether they were a father or not! Trees provided some much needed shade for mealtime! It was the perfect place to sit back and relax on a summer day!

Basketball, volleyball and ultimate Frisbee followed a
wonderful meal and fellowship.

Our thanks go to these wonderful volunteers for a day of food, fun and fellowship!

Mark will be the first to tell you that he used to think he was the reason he is still alive, but now Mark says, "I know that God has had His hand over me; He's not done with me, yet!" He is quick to also credit SAMMinistries and their amazing donors and volunteers for giving him a purpose in life. "If it weren't for the donors, I wouldn't be working for SAMMinistries and I wouldn't have a purpose in life."

Mark's journey started as a young boy in Michigan. When they married, his mother and father each had 5 children from previous marriages. They then had Mark, making him the 11th child out of 12. Not wanting to dwell on the past, Mark did share that he started drinking alcohol at 12 years of age to "deal with things that had happened".

After his father retired, the family moved to live year round in an area of Michigan that is best known as a summertime playground. Affluent families would fill the houses on the shores of the lake that would remain empty most of the year and bring their own 'party supplies' with them to the beach. They were more than willing to share their drugs with the local teenaged boy. Soon Mark was hooked and his life forever changed.

He had once been a student-athlete, but now he needed the time he spent in school to get money to support his growing habit. He earned his GED, quit school, made new friends and spent his time using drugs and finding money for drugs, any way possible.

Soon he started having run-ins with the law. Since his parents had split up, Mark went back and forth between the households.When he would get in trouble in one parent's community, he would move back to the other parent. He went back and forth several times. He also was sent to boot camps, job corps and rehab. The law and his parents tried everything to get him to stop, but nothing worked. When he turned 18 and his old friends were graduating high school and going to college, Mark started serving a three year sentence for burglary and drug-related charges.

His 78-year-old father visited him frequently while he was in prison, making the long trip to tell him how much he loved him and believed in him. Mark knew when he got out things were going to be different, better. He would make his parents proud again. Sadly, within months of his release, both of his parents died within six days of each other. Things were going to be different, but certainly not better.

For the next 30 years Mark describes his life as a 'functioning heroin addict'.  When he wasn't in jail, he was working. "I tried to fool myself that I could control it. I used heroin everyday and would go to my jobs and nobody knew." Then he would get in trouble with the law. "I was doing a life sentence on an installment plan . . . 30 days, 90 days, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years . . . but I knew if I went to prison in Texas, I would not come out alive. That scared me!'

So after nearly 40 years of addiction, Mark had had enough. He went through a program and, this time, he really worked it. He has been free of heroin since May 22, 2007. A lifetime of spending on drugs left him with no money to fall back on. So, when his roommate relocated to another city, Mark could not afford the rent. He was referred to SAMMinistries by his drug counselors and, in March of 2010, with three years of being clean and sober from heroin under his belt, Mark entered our doors at 910 W. Commerce.

He was one of our first men to move to our new location on the Haven for Hope campus and he soon was enrolled in our Job Training and Employment Development Program. After some testing, he was found to have aptitude in several areas. Now, for the first time since 1974, he was going back to school. Mark also started working at the Donations' Warehouse and then moved up to the Furniture For A Cause Store as a part of our Job Training Program. He attended classes to learn how to present himself at a job interview, how to dress, what to say, how to write a resume, all the skills he had missed growing up.

Mark was thankful for all of these lessons and felt encouraged and empowered as he learned these new skills. At the time, he never imagined what would happen next. Upon completion of his training, Mark interviewed for and received a job working for SAMMinistries. In July of 2011, Mark moved out of the SAMM Shelter at Haven for Hope and into his own apartment.

Now he is working full-time for SAMMinistries, going to school part-time and supporting himself without any drugs. He has become the man his father always knew he could be. He is our Donations staff member who leads volunteers in the Donation Warehouse on Saturdays. His favorite part of the job is telling his story to the volunteers who look at him in disbelief.

Some volunteers come from difficult situations and he enjoys being an encouragement and the voice of reason to those who might be struggling with issues that he knows about all too well. When asked what he has learned from his experience, Mark said,  "I know there is a reason why I am still alive and in this place. Most people like me die or end up in prison the rest of their lives. It's not because of me and it's not just luck. I think God has given me this chance to help others. I want to give back." Then he quietly added, "Let them know, they will hear more about me in the future!"

Use these links to help others like Mark:

• volunteer (read a list of volunteer opportunities for registered volunteers)
  

• donate in-kind items (read a list of needed items and contact info)
  

• make a gift using the "Donate Now" button above