Rockford Rescue Mission 
The information on this page was last updated 6/16/2023. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
Starting with a hot meal and a safe place to sleep, our services are designed to serve physical, emotional, spiritual and relational needs. Rockford Rescue Mission is recognized as the region's primary provider of assistance to the homeless, near-homeless, addicted and working poor in the Rock River Valley.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Rockford Rescue Mission
PO Box 1958
Rockford, IL 61110
Website: rockfordrescuemission.org
Phone: 815-965-5332
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 366132381
CEO/President: Sherry Pitney
Chairman: Ann Dittmar
Board size: 10
Founder: Ray Stewart
Ruling year: 1966
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 09/30
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 2014
Purpose
Our services are designed to serve physical, emotional, spiritual and relational needs by empowering people to move from despair and hopelessness to hope and life-change. They include case management, medical, dental, and chiropractic treatment, counseling, life skills classes, spiritual mentoring, educational assessment and support, vocational training, and transition back into society. We also offer support programs to help the families of those in recovery.
Mission statement
Rockford Rescue Mission shares hope and help in Jesus' name to move people from homelessness and despair toward personal and spiritual wholeness.
Statement of faith
We believe the Scriptures to be the verbally inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority in faith, practice and rule of life (II Timothy 3:16,17).
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:1, John 10:30, John 4:24).
We believe in the deity of Christ (John 10:33); His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:35); His shed blood for atonement (Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14); His bodily resurrection (John 11:25); His ascension (Acts 1:11); His advocacy (I Timothy 2:5, I John 2:1); and His personal, soon return to earth to consummate His kingdom (John 14:3, Revelation 11:15).
We believe that God the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, regenerates the sinner, secures, assures, indwells, teaches and enables the believer to live a Godly life (John 16:8, John 3:5, Ephesians 4:30, I John 3:19, I Corinthians 6:19, John 14:26, Romans 8:26,27, Galatians 5:16, Romans 8:14).
We believe that all are sinners by nature (Psalm 51:5), by choice (Isaiah 53:6) and by practice (Romans 3:23); depraved and lost, making it necessary to born again (Isaiah 1:4-6, John 3:3, Romans 3:9-20, Ephesians 2:3).
We believe that believers are justified on the grounds of repentance and faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 1:15, Acts 13:39), apart from good works (Ephesians 2:8,9).
We believe in the eternal hope of the believer (John 10:28,29) with a continued relationship to God (Romans 8:38-39, Colossians 1:27, John 5:24).
We believe that Christ's church is constituted of all true believers and is organized into local, visible congregations (with which we identify) for the purpose of fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 18:20, Acts 2:41-42, Hebrews 10:25, Matthew 28:19,20).
We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost: the saved unto a resurrection of life, and the lost unto a resurrection of damnation (Daniel 12:2, John 5:28-29).
We believe all shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ in Heaven where the righteous will receive reward and will dwell forever with the Lord (II Corinthians 5:10). We believe that Hell is a place of conscious eternal punishment of all unsaved (Matthew 25:26, Revelation 20:7-10, I Corinthians 10:13).
We believe that Satan is a person whose purpose is to deceive the unsaved, to tempt and mislead the saved, who will finally be overthrown by Christ, and cast into hell (Genesis 3:13-14, I Peter 5:8, Hebrews 2:14, Romans 16:20, I John 3:8, Matthew 25:41, Revelation 20:7-10, I Corinthians 10:13).
We believe the Lord's Day, the first day of the week, to be a Christian institution of regular observance, to commemorate the resurrection of Christ from the dead, to exercise worship and spiritual devotion both public and private (Matthew 12:1-12; 28:1, Mark 16:1-7, I Corinthians 16:1-2, Exodus 20:8-11, Revelation 1:10).
Donor confidence score
Transparency grade
A
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Rescue Missions/Homeless Shelters
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 896 of 1115 | 111 of 141 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 627 of 1116 | 82 of 141 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 919 of 1116 | 107 of 141 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 716 of 1115 | 97 of 141 |
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 12% | 13% | 12% | 12% | 14% | 17% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 10% | 14% | 11% | 12% | 14% | 14% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 93% | 112% | 95% | 95% | 97% | 81% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 11% | 15% | 16% | 16% | 16% | 14% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 7% | -12% | 5% | 5% | 3% | 19% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 78% | 73% | 74% | 75% | 77% | 78% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 92% | 94% | 68% | 71% | 89% | 94% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 73% | 68% | 50% | 53% | 68% | 73% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 8% | 6% | 32% | 29% | 11% | 6% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 5% | 2% | 14% | 12% | 4% | 3% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 9% | 13% | 10% | 9% | 8% | 8% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.53 | 0.30 | 0.29 | 0.30 | 0.32 | 0.39 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 2.85 | 1.94 | 1.99 | 2.15 | 2.50 | 2.98 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.82 | 0.59 | 0.57 | 0.65 | 0.79 | 1.17 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 12.60 | 38.43 | 34.79 | 32.83 | 19.87 | 17.07 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.07 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.05 | 0.06 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 5.87 | 19.81 | 20.40 | 17.94 | 14.40 | 9.62 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 9% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 5% | 2% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 154% | 324% | 343% | 326% | 301% | 249% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Cash | $1,433,598 | $1,889,553 | $2,306,225 | $4,509,315 | $3,086,983 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $422,870 | $622,505 | $400,107 | $467,092 | $1,262,595 |
| Short-term investments | $9,765,416 | $8,232,367 | $6,712,159 | $2,187,958 | $1,209,695 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $11,621,884 | $10,744,425 | $9,418,491 | $7,164,365 | $5,559,273 |
| Long-term investments | $929,229 | $484,514 | $362,766 | $51,958 | $39,860 |
| Fixed assets | $9,939,011 | $10,064,633 | $10,363,507 | $10,630,102 | $10,933,930 |
| Other long-term assets | $61,755 | $74,414 | $60,234 | $67,032 | $11,119 |
| Total long-term assets | $10,929,995 | $10,623,561 | $10,786,507 | $10,749,092 | $10,984,909 |
| Total assets | $22,551,879 | $21,367,986 | $20,204,998 | $17,913,457 | $16,544,182 |
| Liabilities | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $302,415 | $308,854 | $286,923 | $360,516 | $325,714 |
| Other current liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current liabilities | $302,415 | $308,854 | $286,923 | $360,516 | $325,714 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $3,278 | $4,174 | $0 | $489,512 | $0 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $3,278 | $4,174 | $0 | $489,512 | $0 |
| Total liabilities | $305,693 | $313,028 | $286,923 | $850,028 | $325,714 |
| Net assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Without donor restrictions | $21,105,368 | $19,914,161 | $18,777,298 | $15,917,672 | $15,068,121 |
| With donor restrictions | $1,140,818 | $1,140,797 | $1,140,777 | $1,145,757 | $1,150,347 |
| Net assets | $22,246,186 | $21,054,958 | $19,918,075 | $17,063,429 | $16,218,468 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Total contributions | $8,123,252 | $8,585,407 | $8,109,613 | $6,226,494 | $5,640,155 |
| Program service revenue | $10,252 | $12,357 | $12,315 | $11,302 | $1,205,812 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $252,962 | $120,063 | $140,608 | $59,608 | $50,269 |
| Other revenue | ($1,106,046) | $302,643 | $308,389 | $100,274 | $68,906 |
| Total other revenue | ($842,832) | $435,063 | $461,312 | $171,184 | $1,324,987 |
| Total revenue | $7,280,420 | $9,020,470 | $8,570,925 | $6,397,678 | $6,965,142 |
| Expenses | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Program services | $4,975,116 | $4,545,603 | $4,554,857 | $4,344,770 | $5,063,469 |
| Management and general | $860,140 | $590,558 | $565,229 | $429,184 | $516,283 |
| Fundraising | $1,021,491 | $1,001,715 | $986,495 | $896,027 | $945,309 |
| Total expenses | $6,856,747 | $6,137,876 | $6,106,581 | $5,669,981 | $6,525,061 |
| Change in net assets | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $423,673 | $2,882,594 | $2,464,344 | $727,697 | $440,081 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $423,673 | $2,882,594 | $2,464,344 | $727,697 | $440,081 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Cheryl Pitney | Chief Executive Officer | $415,416 |
Compensation data as of: 9/30/2023
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 6/16/2023. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
1963: Ray Stewart, a recovered alcoholic, comes from the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago to establish a similar mission in Rockford.
1964: Ray rents a building at 116 Kishwaukee St. for $100 a month and opens the doors of the Rockford Rescue Mission in May. The sign on the front door reads, "All are welcome here. The alcoholic, the addict, the stranger, the sojourner, the pilgrim, the poor. There is hope for all who enter here."
1965: At Ray Stewart's recommendation, the Board appoints his pastor, Rev. G.O. Pitney with his wife, Nadine, as new director. The first newsletter is published, later called The Rescuer.
1967: All debts are paid off. Rev. Pitney appeals in The Rescuer, "Won't you help us build a modern city rescue mission which any Christian would be proud of and upon which the world would look with greater respect?"
1969: Forty to fifty churches are supporting the Mission and The Rescuer circulation reaches 2,000.
1971: The Mission buys the 21,000 square foot Germania Club at 121 South Madison St. for $30,000. The building, built in 1892 with a ballroom, bar and Rockford's first automated bowling alley, is converted into a place of refuge, redemption and recovery. The new Mission motto is: "Help all the people we can, in all the ways we can, as long as ever we can."
1974: The Mission partners with Christian Love Acres, a 60-acre farm near South Beloit, to provide work rehabilitation for the men through doing chores, caring for animals, buying and selling hay and painting tractors.
1975: Women and children are included in outreach services; a literacy program began, and free clothing is distributed to the needy through Family Day program.
1979: The abandoned Poole Hotel at 730 West State St. and the house behind it on Elm Street are purchased from Salvation Army for $10,000 to care for women and families. "Ye Rescue Shoppe" opens in a rented building at 309 Seventh St. to sell donated goods to support the Mission. Mission founder Ray Stewart dies in an auto accident. In tribute, G.O. Pitney writes, "If it had not been for Ray Stewart, there would not be a Rockford Rescue Mission."
1980: A house at 723 Elm St. is purchased for $32,000 for staff housing and "Kiddie Kare" children's ministry.
1982: Perry Pitney (oldest son of G.O. and Nadine Pitney) and his wife, Sherry, are hired to lead the programs (Perry is named Associate Director in 1984 and Director in 1987).
1984: "The Pitney Family Gospel Singers" begin touring to give concerts in order to raise awareness and funds for the Mission.
1985: The Christian Care Center, with eighteen rooms for women and children's recovery, is dedicated after six years of renovations.
1987: "The Pitneys" are named "Contemporary Gospel Bluegrass Group of the Year" by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America.
1988: "The Helping Hand" at 125 Madison St. opens to distribute free food and clothing to those in need.
1992: An area auto dealer donates a 46,000 square foot building at 1201 Broadway, which is later sold for $119,000 to be designated as a building fund.
1994: The Mission purchases and develops 42 acres in Southwest Rockford for a children's day camp and recreational/agricultural programs known as Mission Acres.
1995: The Rockford Register Star presents the Mission with its Excelsior Award for outstanding contribution to the community.
The Launch of Hope Place
1996: The Mission purchases 5.5 acres of property at 600 and 700 West State St. for $150,000 from Bill Hembrough Buick, which includes a gift in kind of $392,000. "Ye Rescue Shoppe" is sold and the Mission opens a new thrift store, "Keepers Unlimited" at 1405 Kishwaukee St.
1998: "The Pitneys" win the Rockford Area Music Industry (RAMI) Award for Best Christian music group. Nadine Pitney receives the YWCA Marcella Harris Award for Community Service.
1999: The Mission relocates to Hope Place. This new facility is made possible by a $4.5 million capital campaign. The Women's Crisis Center, Hope Clinic and a second thrift store are opened. The staff increases to 102 employees. G.O. and Nadine Pitney retire.
2000: Perry Pitney resigns, and Dr. Pat Clinton becomes interim director. The Innovative Education Center opens, and community outreach support groups are launched.
2001: Keepers Unlimited opens a third thrift store at Southgate Shopping Center. Sherry Pitney is appointed Executive Director.
2002: The Mission is licensed by the Illinois Department of Human Services as a State Certified Recovery Home. Hope Dental Clinic opens.
2004: The Mission celebrates its 40th anniversary. Rescuing the Raggedy Man: The History of Rockford Rescue Mission by Perry Pitney and Jim Killam is published.
2005: Former Executive Director Perry Pitney is killed in an auto accident.
2009: The building at 625 West State St. is renovated to house Restoration Cafe, a vocational training center and cafe open to the public. The Mission's "Mother of Rescue," Nadine Pitney, dies after a long battle with cancer. The Mission celebrates 10 years at Hope Place and 45 years of ministry. The Mission receives the Spirit of Caring Award from Crusader Community Health.
2010: Rev. G.O. Pitney dies at age 80 after battling Parkinson's Disease for 26 years. The block of Horsman Street between State Street and Mulberry Street is designated "Pitney Place" in honor of G.O. and Nadine Pitney.
2011: The Mission expands its State Street campus with the purchase of the building at 212 N. Rockton Ave. to accommodate needs of the facilities department.
2012: The Mission purchases the former 56,000 square foot Bob's Hardware to expand the Thrift Store operation. The Mission receives a $750,000 grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank in Chicago to fund renovations at Hope Place.
2014: The Mission celebrates its 50th anniversary with "What's your story?" theme.
2015: The Mission receives "Partners in Success Guardian Award" from Carpenter's Place.
2016: A $7 million building expansion called Pitney Place is completed. The women and children move in May 10, 2016. The Jay and Christine Akely playground is dedicated. The former Pregnancy Care Center at 611 West State is purchased for expansion.
2017: Drive-thru to Restoration Cafe opens. The Mission opens expanded education and career program called Works! Center. Remade shop opens at 611 W. State St. The former Jay Tronics building located at 124 N. Rockton Ave. is purchased for future expansion.
2018: The William Howard and Lucille D. Dittmar Performing Arts Center opens. Men's Remade begins. Restoration Cafe wins first-place Business is Blooming award from the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau for its attractive and inviting exterior.
2019: The Mission celebrates its 55th anniversary. In the Works! Center, the GED testing center opens, offering hundreds of tests to increase local job seekers' employability.
2020: As an essential service during the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic, the Mission perseveres and innovates. For the first time ever, all community meals and the Thanksgiving Feast and Christmas Banquet are served to-go. The Restoration Cafe and the Remade shop combine as Nettie's Mercantile, on the site of the former Restoration Cafe.
2021: As the pandemic continues, periodic quarantines and lockdowns for portions of the Mission continue to keep residents, guests, volunteers and staff members safe. The Life Recovery Program meets requirements and standards as a quality program provider of the Genesis Process. The Life Recovery Program achieves a success rate of 63 percent. CEO Sherry Pitney is elected vice president of Citygate Network's Great Lakes District.
Program accomplishments
Shelter: 54,052 nights of lodging last year
Food: 142,617 meals last year = avg. of 391 per day
Job Training: 430 job training and education assistance participants
Health care: 5,440 medical, dental, and chiropractic appointments
Recovery: 87 men and women life recovery program residents