2020 SGM Annual Report

Gospel Ministries
Year in Review 2020
Building Connections in a
Time of Separation

From the Desk of Our Executive Director and President
Table Of Contents
The year 2020 will forever be remembered as an anomalous
year. COVID-19 came out of nowhere and has not subsided in
its devastating effect. In March, Sunshine Gospel Ministries was
left with no choice but to close its doors for youth programming,
cancel Familyhood trainings in schools and other onsite locations,
and disable the hosting of Bridge Builder cohorts, but COVID-19
did not prevent us from exuding the resilience that we seek to
empower our youth and families with.
We are so grateful to our generous donors; your support and
encouragement created a lifeline for us to thrive in serving and
meeting the needs of families in Woodlawn in very significant ways.
In the pages that follow you will hear and see the testimony of
community members and the creativity of staff that reflect the
power of Christ at work through our ministry.
As we live our lives masking and social distancing, racial and
systemic realities continue to be unmasked and there is a call for
justice – “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in
Heaven”. It is my joy to serve alongside Joel Hamernick and with
staff in emulating our mission of justice, mercy and humility in our
collective desire to be an impactful catalyst in the renewal of our
community. We have a dynamic staff who, during this pandemic,
has reimagined and expanded our service to our community
rooted in their sincere expressions of the fruits of the Spirit –
“love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no
law” (Galatians 5:22-23)
I awake every morning with the
God-given hope that it is possible
to be an integral part of bringing
about transformation and justice,
and I am grateful that I have the
privilege to pursue my call with
our Sunshine Team of staff
and donors.
For His Glory,
PAGE 2
Letters from Executive Director,
President
PAGE 3
Table of Contents and Financials
PAGE 4
Staff photo, Job Titles
PAGE 5
Seeking Shalom in a Time of Separation
PAGE 6-9
Mercy Fund Overview
and Staff Reflections
PAGE 10-11
Chefs Tiffany Williams and
Sheffel Dismuke Feature
PAGE 12-13
Introduction of Kimberly Salley,
Executive Director
PAGE 14
Special Thanks and Acknowledgements
PAGE 15
Board of Directors and Letter from
the Chairman of the Board
Kimberly Salley
Executive Director
Arnold Sojourner, a leader of our staff here at Sunshine, signs
every email with “Remember the Love”.
In this simple statement, he reminds us that people may not
always remember the words we say, but they will remember
how we made them feel. As we reflect on 2020 and look
ahead to 2021 I wonder how we, as followers of Jesus Christ,
will have made the world feel. Will they know us for our love?
Among the many changes this year, the Board of Directors
at SGM worked carefully and painstakingly to reconsider our
leadership model. After spending time with all of our staff,
analyzing everyone’s strengths, weaknesses and feedback, the
Board came back with two critical recommendations. First
they added a new senior leadership position of “President”.
Second, they asked me to take on this new role and invited
Kimberly Salley to become the Executive Director.
This took both courage and wisdom and God has honored
and blessed that leadership. In reference to the change,
people have asked me recently “How do you feel?” and my
response has been: “I feel free.” I have to add that I also feel
loved and better able to lead in love.
This new model of partnership empowers both Kim and me
to utilize our strengths in leadership. It allows each of us
to use our gifts and to focus them for effectiveness. Pastor
Henri Nouwen once said. “When we appear by ourselves,
we look a lot like ourselves. When we appear together, in
partnership, we look a lot more like Jesus” (my paraphrase).
I pray this shift will allow the leadership at Sunshine Gospel
Ministries to be an expression
of the body of Christ, an
expression of love in the
middle of a season in which
our world suffers under intense
division and conflict, challenge
and injustice. I am thrilled to
labor alongside Kim as we seek
the renewal of our community.
Joel Hamernick
President
CHURCHES
1%
EARNED
REVENUE
26%
INCOME:
Total budget: 1.725 million
INDIVIDUALS
52%
FOUNDATIONS
6%
CORPORATIONS
15%
2 www.sunshinegospel.org
www.sunshinegospel.org
MANAGEMENT
13%
DEVELOPMENT
7%
EXPENSE:
PROGRAMS
80%
3

Seeking Shalom in a Time of Separation
List of Staff (From L to R)
Lauren Hamernick, Youth Outreach Programs and Resources Coordinator
Marvanna Cash, Elementary Programs Director
Kimberly Salley, Executive Director
Joel Hamernick, President
Arnold Sojourner, Managing Director of Community Outreach
Andy Combs, Managing Director of Operations and Programs
Jeremiah Holmes, Youth Outreach Staff
Trenton Blythe, Director of Major Gifts
Lamar Simms, High School Programs Director
Donnell Williams, Middle School Programs Director
Paula Hamernick, Director of Stewardship and Development
Sasha Simmons, Familyhood Director
Kym Hubbard, Executive Assistant
Piper Kirkpatrick, BridgeBuilders Coordinator
CW Allen, BridgeBuilders Director
Jennifer Bentley, Accounting and Administration
Holly Daly, Communications and Development Coordinator
CW Allen - Director of BridgeBuilders
The last 10 years of my life can be defined in one word;
change. These days I’m the father of a precious oneyear
old daughter. I’m an author and a homeowner on
the Southside of Chicago- a community I fell in love
with a decade ago. All the former youth I worked with
in youth ministry are adults, and the ministry work I
am doing has changed. Not only am I changing, but so
is our country. The Coronavirus has stolen the tender
moments of our human interaction. Sports are being
played in a bubble and Zoom has become our go-to
means of connection. But out of all these changes, the
one that will mark 2020 in my mind is watching our
country brutally confronted with the evils of her past.
We have a broken system and it’s painfully obvious. My
emotions are everywhere, but part of the discipline I’m
called to in this season is to pray, hear from God, and
then help articulate the pain of my community.
Australia Anderson, Youth Outreach Staff
4 www.sunshinegospel.org
*Not pictured - Marissa Butler, Human Resources Generalist
BridgeBuilders (BB) has changed as well. In March all of
our year’s trips were cancelled overnight. As our work
pivoted to community crisis outreach, it was obvious
to me that I was experiencing a new story that would
inform the BridgeBuilders narrative.
Soon after shutdowns from COVID-19, I saw our
country rocked again by the murders of Brianna Taylor,
Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd. Riots ensued in
our community. Grocery stores were closed, Chicago
Public Schools halted its daily meals for students, and
downtown Chicago raised its bridges as the Southside
plummeted into chaos. We had to be an advocate for our
community and help our BridgeBuilders family around
the country process it all, which led to BB Online.
BB Online has been up and running since July and we
have had six groups engage in our five week course
which covers various topics and questions; Why do
riots start? What does God have to say about poverty?
How has COVID-19 affected underserved communities?
How does being white shape one’s view of the world in
these tense times? I believe these times have been eye
opening to new participants and affirming to those who
often are forgotten or frustrated as they continue their
BridgeBuilding journey.
As my colleague Piper Kirkpatrick has said, “I believe
God is calling the white church into a season of lament.
In our attempts to find solutions to problems, we
move past the full weight of suffering and lose sight of
ourselves, others, God’s heart, and the groanings
of creation.
Lament is not a position of hopelessness. Instead, it is
the acknowledgement that things are not the way that
they are meant to be. It is joining in with the groaning of
creation for things to be made right. In lament, God is
able to give eyes for us to see more clearly as we slow
down to recognize that we cannot make things right
without the intervention of God.”
In the coming months we will be releasing new resources
for our BB community. We will have a landing site, podcast,
videos, and merchandise surrounding these important
topics of faith, race, and justice. I’m grateful to partner with
you as we seek God’s Shalom for the city and His people.
Thank you for being a BridgeBuilder with us!
5

Mercy Fund Overview and reflections
“I was able to get a large picture of what Sunshine was doing, and I was seeing all the pieces
come together to show how Sunshine was impacting the community holistically.”
-Piper Kirkpatrick, BridgeBuilders Coordinator
MARCH
APRIL
MARCH 16, 2020
MARCH 22, 2020
In person programs
Began surveying
were shut down in
families within our
alignment with CPS
Sunshine network to
and we pivoted to
assess & meet needs
online and one-on-one
interactions with our
students and families March 28, 2020
“I personally heard and
felt the desire of our
supporters to be part of the
solution during those initial
months of COVID-19.”
-Trenton Blythe, Director
of Major Gifts
MARCH 17, 2020
Started fundraising for
COVID-19 Mercy Fund,
received first donation from
Kehe Cares Foundation
Launched Helpline and
comprehensive list of
community resources
on website
Disparities in Our community:
April 17, 2020
Dispersed school
supplies from partner
organization, Enchanted
Backpack
Amount Raised:
$165,100
Breakdown of Giving:
Foundation - $130,945
Individual - $34,155
APRIL 20, 2020
Hundreds of masks
are donated from
Chicago NFLPA
April 18, 2020 Generous
Individual donations allowed
for first 77 care packages
to be dispersed
“What mattered the most was the quality of the
work I was doing versus the quantity.”
-Marvanna Cash, Director of Elementary Programs
BREAKDOWN
OF USAGE:
MEAL
PROGRAM
27%
DIRECT
BILL PAY
14%
APRIL 23, 2020
Care packages with grocery
cards and household supplies
are assembled and dispersed
daily to the community from
helpline referrals
APRIL 24, 2020
Hot meal voucher program launched,
giving our moms a night off from
cooking and supports Exquisite
Catering courtesy of Lavin Family
Foundation #feeditforward grant
CARE
PACKAGES
59%
6
“As I helped pass out care packages, I would pray with individuals. Some people
shared that the prayer was even more important than the food.”
-Arnold Sojourner, Managing Director of Community Outreach
7

Mercy Fund Overview and reflections, CONT.
“I wanted to serve them in a manner that preserved their dignity, even at a dire time.”
-Sasha Simmons, Familyhood Director
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
MAY 7, 2020
90 Mother’s Day
gift bags handed out
with items from local
businesses Kodi Blu
Hair, Agortles Dessert
Shop, and Iris Botanicals.
MAY 11, 2020
In less than a month,
Mercy Fund reached
$100,000
MAY 15, 2020
Grant from A Better
Chicago Emergency
Relief Fund provided
our families with bill
pay assistance
“Without being reckless, we ran
into the pandemic, caring for
those in our neighborhood
with desperate needs.”
-Andy Combs, Director of
Operations and Programming
MAY 21-JULY 9, 2020
Received weekly food box
donations from Grace and
Peace Church to distribute
in our community
JUNE 19, 2020
20 Father’s Day gift
bags handed out with
gifts from local business
BeaYOUtifully Abundant
“Although I had relationships
with many of the parents,
this was an opportunity
to get to know them on a
deeper, more real level.”
-Lauren Hamernick, Youth
Outreach Programs and
Resources Coordinator
JUNE 26, 2020
2nd round of hot meal vouchers,
hand sanitizer & masks from the
Chicago Fellowship provided
family meals and funding
for Exquisite Catering and
Rubianna’s Rasta Pasta
JULY 18, 2020
“Family Night at the
Movies” experience thanks
to Bryce Bowman at
ChiTown Movies
AUGUST 18, 2020
3rd round of hot meal
vouchers, hand sanitizer and
masks from the Chicago
Fellowship provided family
hot meals through Exquisite
Catering and Rubiana’s
Rasta Pasta
Number of care packages
handed out:
636
Number of people fed
through meal program:
6,050
“My favorite quote comes from one
of our Sunshine moms, ‘Sunshine has
become the community we didn’t know
Number of households served:
1,045
Number of food boxes distributed:
1050 with an average of 150
per week for 7 weeks.
we would need during this time.’”
-Paula Hamernick, Director of
Development and Stewardship
Total number of people
receiving relief items:
3,000
Chromebooks delivered:
69
“During times such as these, prayer
is essential to those that may have
uncertainty, fear, and hopelessness. I found
8
Bill Pay Assistance Program:
$25,000 distributed to 93 familiesaverage
of $269 per family
this act of care to be awe-inspiring.”
-Kym Hubbard, Executive Assistant
9

Mercy Fund Allows Local Chefs to Feed
Community and Employ Others
When COVID-19 first hit in March, two local businesses were brought to the brink of
closure. With the help of Sunshine’s Mercy Fund, they have not only been able to meet
basic payroll, but have increased their businesses during quarantine. In addition to their
business growth, the community has benefited through fresh, hot, quality meals.
“6050 people benefited from hot meals through these restaurants”
Tiffany Williams and Exquisite Catering and Events
Tiffany Williams is owner of Exquisite Catering and Events.
She is a well-known, respected, and sought-after caterer based
on the southside of Chicago. In early March of 2020, Tiffany’s
business was booming. She had contracts all throughout the
Spring. In mid-March, her business came to a crashing halt due
to COVID-19 shutdowns. Tiffany had to lay off employees and
did not know where her own paycheck would come from. She
started reaching out to other chefs to see if there was work
anywhere in the city.
In April, Sunshine received its first grant toward its hot meal
program from The Lavin Family Foundation for $20,000 as part
of their #feeditforward initiative. These initial funds allowed
Sunshine to pay Tiffany to provide fresh family-style hot meals
for families affected by COVID-19. Sunshine families were
given meal codes to redeem and then Sunshine reimbursed
Exquisite Catering for the cost. She was able to reach 2,000
individuals through this initial grant funding. Since then, more
than 4,000 additional individuals have been fed as ongoing
grants totalling $36,500 have been received from The Chicago
Fellowship, Chicago Community
COVID-19 Response Fund, and the
Christian Church of Clarendon Hills.
This has also allowed Tiffany to rehire
9 staff members! She is also now
positioned to open a brick and mortar
shop in the old Greenline Coffee space!
Sheffel Dismuke and Rubianna’s Rasta Pasta
Sheffel Dismuke is the owner and operator of Rubianna’s
Rasta Pasta. Following his graduation from Sunshine
Enterprises’ Community Business Academy, Sheffel and his
wife opened Rubianna’s in 2018, initially as a food truck
operation. In late 2018 they opened their brick and mortar
retail location here in Woodlawn at the corner of MLK Drive
and 63rd Street. While Sheffel appeared well positioned
before COVID-19 hit through supplying meals to the USPS,
CPD, and hospital workers in the Woodlawn area, he still
had to lay off nearly all his staff when the shutdowns were
put in place. In fact, Sheffel found himself in a significant
financial hole going into the pandemic. Fortunately, through
increased business with the groups mentioned earlier and
the partnership with the SGM Meal Program, he has now
arrived at a break even point financially, as well as rehired
all his staff. Sheffel views the partnership with SGM as divine
intervention as he was very close to moving away from
the food business all together. Now, he is in a position to
continue pursuing a long held dream of opening his own
restaurant in South Holland, Illinois.
Tiffany and Sheffel are both graduates of our sister organization Sunshine Enterprises.
www.sunshineenterprises.com
10 www.sunshinegospel.org
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11

Introducing OUR New Executive Director Kimberly Salley
“When Kim Salley was promoted
to Executive Director I felt like I
was being promoted! Grateful for
the humility of Joel Hamernick and
the Board to not only give a mic
for black voices, but also the seats.
Representation matters! “
-Lamar Simms, Director of
High School Programs
Kimberly Salley officially assumed her role as the new
Executive Director of Sunshine Gospel Ministries on
September 15, 2020. Kimberly is a servant leader who
brings to Sunshine years of developing, implementing, and
running programs for youth and families. As an advocate
for justice and equity, she is focused on creating, building,
and maintaining teams and collaborative efforts internally,
externally, and cross culturally to identify and provide
resources, opportunities, and support needed to maintain
and improve our service in the Woodlawn community.
“The things I am excited to see Kim
bring to her new role as Executive
Director are her strong faith and
love for the Lord, outstanding
organizational skills and attention
to detail, and her passion for
people and staff development.
Welcome aboard Kim!”
-Jennifer Bentley, Accounting and Administration
Kimberly Salley was born and raised on the Southside
of Chicago. She is a graduate of Howard University,
and worked in Corporate Accounting/Treasury for
many years. She received her MBA from Northwestern
University in Public/Nonprofit Management, Management
& Organization, Entrepreneurship & Innovation. She
has served on community and other nonprofit Boards
and held leadership positions in various organizations.
Kimberly has been a founding member of two church
plants, New York Covenant Church (New Rochelle,
New York), and New Life Christian Fellowship Church
(Chicago Heights, Illinois), her current church. In 2008,
she founded a Christian Nonprofit Organization to
advocate for youth in Chicago Heights, IL. She has served
in youth ministry and camping for over 25 years.
Kimberly enjoys praise dancing and spending quality
time with her family – her bi-vocational husband of 31
years, Pastor Christopher
Salley and their four young
adult children.
Kimberly believes strongly
in equipping, training, and
walking alongside staff as
it relates to vocational and
professional development
and spiritual formation.
Kimberly values and
considers it a necessary
catalyst to engage with
community members
and leaders to discuss
ways to elicit change and
sustainability that can
eradicate challenges and
invoke unity that empowers
the implementation of
strategies, goals, and plans
L to R Kyle, Christin, Kimberly, Chris, Courtney, and Kendall
in Hawaii December 2019
Kimberly leads a praise dance with a missions group she helped lead in Zambia.
“Kim is really intentional on seeing staff grow spiritually and in their skill sets. I met
her when she worked for Young Life and was really excited when she came on staff
with Sunshine. There’s a quote I’ve read that really reminds me of Kim- ‘Getting the
most out of life isn’t about what you keep for yourself but how much you pour into
others.’ This is really the heart of who Kim is.”
-Donnell Williams, Director of Middle School Programs
that will hopefully yield viable and equitable solutions
in the Woodlawn community. Kimberly says, “It is both
my joy and privilege to seek solutions to injustices
in under-resourced and
underserved communities
where there are systemic
nuances that actually
exclude, demean and divide.”
She will continue to build
relationships with Woodlawn
community stakeholders in
assessing needs, solutions
and best practices to ensure
that our impact is both
meaningful and measurable.
She is excited to partner
with Joel as they serve
Sunshine’s mission to see
that justice is done, while
letting mercy be our first
concern, and walking humbly
in obedience to God (Micah
6:8 CEV).
12 www.sunshinegospel.org
www.sunshinegospel.org
13

Special thanks to
foundations and volunteers:
Deng Deng Kur, Jan Mostrom, and Christa Bolt who spent countless hours volunteering
with our Mercy Fund outreach. They tracked data, fielded calls, assembled care packages,
and prayed with many who called our helpline. We could not have successfully implemented
this wide-scale outreach without them!
Volunteer Deng Deng Kur Volunteer Jan Mostrom Volunteer Christa Bolt
Thanks to our corporate sponsors, we were able to come alongside the
most vulnerable in our community during a time of crisis.
Letter from Richard Wilson
This year has been marked by an unprecedented series of events. Yet, in the midst of
these challenging times the staff at Sunshine Gospel Ministries remained faithful to the
mission of renewing the city through the ministries of discipleship, justice, and mercy. I
would like to thank the staff for their tangible expressions of love and their sincere acts
of compassion.
And I would also like to thank our donors, whose generous support and fervent prayers
enabled SGM to provide the Woodlawn Community with a tangible presence of love,
hope and encouragement during a year marked by so much grief and pain.
Finally, I would like to give thanks to our Board of Directors. During a year when it
would have been understandable to disengage from providing support and leadership,
they have done the opposite. By giving of their time, prayer, wisdom and support, SGM
board members have worked to help provide guidance that reflects the affirmations of our core values.
I hope that you have been blessed to read this report summarizing God’s hand working on and through
Sunshine Gospel Ministries during the cataclysmic year of 2020.
To Him be the glory.
SPACE FOR IMAGE SIGNATURE
Richard Wilson
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Richard Wilson
Chairman of the Board
Kim Lodewyk
Vice Chair
Wendell Davis
Secretary
Jay Schommer
Treasurer
Cathy McNeil-Stein
Trustee
Rebecca Gutwein
Trustee
Peter Kisluk
Trustee
Tuan Huynh
Trustee
Kimberly Salley
Trustee
Joel Hamernick
Trustee
14 www.sunshinegospel.org
15

Ephesians 4:15-16:
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become
in every respect the mature body of him who is the head,
that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held
together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds
itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
500 E 61st St, Chicago, IL 60637
(773) 904-9800
www.sunshinegospel.org