am·bas·sa·dor [for Christ]

Editor's Note: This is the first blog post published by UGM back in 2012. It reflects the intended purpose of sharing stories here - that all of us (staff, residents, volunteers and community at large) are bound together by our humanity, our universal need for Jesus, and the command to love one another. From that common ground, we can each of us tell the story of what God is doing in our lives. Those are the stories we hope to share here, encouraging us all to be ambassadors for Christ.

We’re launching this blog with a series of posts on what it means to be ambassadors for Christ within the ministries of the Union Gospel Mission. 

noun \am-ˈba-sə-dər: 1 an official envoy; especially : a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment

2 a : an authorized representative or messenger; b : an unofficial representative <traveling abroad as ambassadors of goodwill> (from Merriam-Webster online).

Considering the definition above, it’s interesting to think of ourselves as “official envoys” for Christ. He is indeed sovereign royalty and we represent Him, carrying His message of grace to a hurting world.

We invite your comments at any point along the way: What do you think it means to be an ambassador for Christ? What does that look like in your daily life? How do we recover from the times when we do not represent Him well?

Won’t you join us as we consider the words of 2 Corinthians 5:20:

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

We are also  hoping that you will be an ambassador for the Union Gospel Mission, telling the story of what God is doing through this ministry to people in your circles of influence.

Even though UGM has been around for 65+ years, we still find that many people are not familiar with the scope of the ministry. They think "homeless shelter" and envision a dirty, rundown, slightly scary soup kitchen or they don't realize we serve women and children, provide long-term recovery, have free medical clinics, or that we opened a Center in North Idaho in 2012.  

Being an ambassador is easier than it might sound. Here are several simple ways you can help us spread the word:

• Be informed. Read the newsletter. Subscribe to the blog. 
• Seek to understand the issues surrounding homelessness - underlying causes, childhood trauma, addiction and domestic violence.
• Share what you know in conversation. When the subject of homelessness in our area arises, be an advocate for UGM's approach.
• Share UGM blog posts and Facebook stories with your friends.
• Forward interesting emails to others who might be interested.
• Invite a speaker to your church or small group. (Contact Wil Wilhelm at wil.wilhelm@uniongospelmission.org)

Thanks for partnering with us to tell the story! 

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