NEWS FROM BREEZEWOOD TRUCKER TRAVELER
THE YEAR IN REVIEW 2015
P.O. Box 286, Breezewood, PA 15533;  (814) 977-6964
	Greetings and grace to all in the Penn West Conference!  We appreciate your partnership in this marketplace outreach.   The Breezewood Trucker and Traveler Ministry is blessed to record the following:	         (2012) (2013)  (2014)  (2015)
            958     750       548       1033  trucker contacts.
          1009   1350       817      1258  traveler contacts.  	
           533     497       631	        663   employee/staff contacts.  
     	   93       69        67           69   spiritual/emotional assistance for truckers.
           129     141        94           91   spiritual/emotional assistance for employee/staff.
           265     295       238        237   pastoral care calls in the community.
           104     798       875        947   food resource provided.
             91       72       134        108   nights of lodging provided.
             60       79         69          44   persons assisted with gasoline.
             52       60         59          71   persons provided with transportation(including bus).
             59       36         40          58   food bank/coupons, showers, cash, or clothing.
             86     124         94          69   traveler's "Zip Lock" care packages given.
           255     245       260        205   Bibles or New Testaments given.
         1400     900       800        350   Care Notes/Prayer Notes/Faith Notes distributed.
           135     125       115        126   families/individuals served during Christmas food drive.
             15       13         15          12   local church sponsored holiday hospitality tables.
             24       23         23          23   ministry presentations/preaching
             90       97         90          92   Bible studies/ prayer service/ worship offered.
         2266  1954     2213        2149  professional staff hours worked.
         2161  1837     1875        1930  hours served by volunteers.
		
Member: National Institute of Business and Industrial Chaplaincy.
	Student Chaplains: Two Wesley Theological Seminary students completed 10 day “Immersion.”
		             
The allure of the open road and the American love affair with the automobile is undergoing some changes in our area.  The PA Turnpike Commission fulfilled a great purpose in the 1930s paving a critical pathway for Pittsburgh steel enroute to Philadelphia ship yards hastening the construction of warships during WWII.  The PA Turnpike built an interchange(toll booth) at Breezewood and the small farming community grew into a hospitality hub.  Interstate 70 continued the local growth.  Travelers and truckers have been well served for many years in Breezewood, yet financial considerations (toll costs, vehicle expenses, etc.) have changed the landscape to some extent.  Many travelers/truckers are opting for toll free routes, and many travelers do not have adequate resources to stop and enjoy a restaurant meal, lodging, on top of fuel costs.  Some of the little communities that sprouted up around the Turnpike interchanges are finding fewer and fewer patrons coming off the highway.  Breezewood is adjusting to the changing travel habits, and renovating itself.  
The Biblical standards of hospitality remain unchanged.  The radical welcome of Christ is unconditional.  Come as you are and accept the free gift of God’s love and grace that expresses itself in so many different ways in Breezewood.  The Holiday Hospitality Tables continue as one example of God’s hospitality in action; numerous churches and groups have participated in the outreach(Give us a call if you want to know more).  We give thanks for the opportunities we enjoy to share the Word in Bible Studies, to share food resources, a night of lodging, some gasoline, or transportation for those in need.  A special thank you to Sally Seifert(St. John’s Bedford), Jenny Pittman(Bedford), and Paul Claycomb(retired, Friends Cove) for their service on the Management Committee.   
WHAT CHANGES ARE UNDER WAY IN YOUR HEART?