Rather than outward conformity to a new set of behaviors, UGM LIFE Recovery is about transformation from the inside out. From building healthy relationships to dealing with unwanted thoughts and feelings to finding meaningful employment, recovery that lasts addresses the whole person.

The four men and women featured here want more than sobriety. They recognize the importance of addressing recovery in every area of their lives and plan to continue doing just that.

I remember the day very clearly. I was a junior at Northwest Nazarene University, walking across campus…I can even tell you the spot on campus where I stood when I just said, “I’m through. I surrender to you, Lord,” and I just dropped everything. That’s the point at which my whole life changed – my focus, my career trajectory, my plans for the future. That’s when Christ became real for me, and I did “the 180,” so to speak. I set aside the things I was doing that I knew were wrong and not pleasing to God, and I decided I wanted to please Him more than anything else.

On June 21, 2016, men and women in UGM LIFE Recovery will graduate – the culmination of nearly two years of hard work.

But graduation really marks the beginning of a lifetime journey, and attending graduation is one way you can encourage these men and women in their ongoing recovery.

For nearly two years, the men and women in UGM recovery live in an uplifting community where there is constant access to support, and then, they must re-enter society. As Brenda mentioned in the cover story, “It’s scary.”

For Founder George F. Whitworth’s 200th birthday, Whitworth University initiated a creative partnership with Union Gospel Mission. The university threw a birthday party and asked attendees to bring books for the children in UGM’s shelters.