You never know what tiny little spark is going to start a person on the road to a new life. It might be a simple nutritious meal served with kindness by a volunteer. Maybe it is a nice, hot shower and a good night’s sleep somewhere other than the streets where a person has to watch their back every minute. Or it might be receiving a gently-used coat to replace a tattered and torn one. Or, perhaps, just the fact that as human beings, a person never wants to give up hope that someday things will change.

 

The Nashville Rescue Mission, offers the greatest foundation of hope there is—Jesus. He was born in a stable. His mother was a virgin, his father a carpenter. His parents were poor. His people were slaves. His friends were a lowly crowd. He suffered a horrible and cruel death on a cross. Three days later He rose from the dead. But people living in darkness saw light in Him and found hope in the freedom He gave.

 

“As we celebrate Easter, let us rejoice in the hope Jesus represents,” exclaims Sam Hollis, Director of Men’s Guest Services. “For some, Easter represents spring sunshine after a dark winter. For others it is a time of Easter eggs, Easter baskets, new shoes and attending a sunrise service at church. But the true meaning of Easter is hope—hope for a better life, hope for a tomorrow with enough food and shelter, hope for change, and most important, hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what we offer to everyone who comes to the Nashville Rescue Mission.”

 

“While our annual banquets at Thanksgiving and Christmas bring lots of attention and activity, Easter is without a doubt, the most important holiday we celebrate at the Mission,” said President and CEO Don Worrell. “We know many of the people we serve view Easter as just another day of being homeless, hungry and alone. But it is our prayer that with the greeting of a smile, followed by a full plate of nutritious food served by a kind and gentle stranger, we can bring joy to those who are often forgotten and remind them there is a God who loves them and is willing to change their lives if they’ll let Him.”

 

This year, the Nashville Rescue Mission will serve a special Easter meal to guests on Good Friday, as well as Easter Sunday. The meal will include many of the same traditional items served in homes across the country on this special holiday, like ham, green beans, mashed potatoes, rolls and don’t forget a piece of pie. For the men, women and children who find themselves homeless and hungry, there is no doubt they need food, but they also need hope for a brighter future.

 

The message of Easter is the gift of hope—for those who believe, there is redemption. The Mission, shares the good news that Jesus Christ is risen, and He offers new beginnings to those who have given up on life. He has the ability to transform lives.

 

“The purpose of Easter is to celebrate Christ’s victory over death and the promise of new life—the promise that through His sacrifice and resurrection we may become a new, redeemed people, restored to a loving God,” said Worrell. “That opportunity is also what our life-recovery programs are all about. These programs work for two reasons: first, they give individuals the opportunity to truly build new lives; to be physically and mentally released from the destructive grip of alcoholism or drug addiction or homelessness through recovery, rehabilitation and education. Second, these programs add a new dimension to peoples’ lives—a spiritual component that is often missing or has been lost. Jesus promises He can touch the pain in their lives and give them a living hope for their tomorrows, as well as a new heart and new start for today!”

 
The lives of men, women and children are transformed at the Nashville Rescue Mission because they have found hope. If you would like to be a part of sharing hope with those in need, please send an email or click the “volunteer” button below to sign up online.