Core values: Christ-likeness

“We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did,” I John 2:3-6. 

Christ-likeness is the target for anyone who claims to be a Christ follower and is the standard of behavior for all UGM staff and residents.

Jesus walked this earth with all of the temptations and challenges we face on a daily basis; however, unlike us, the Bible tells us He was without sin.  Jesus lived His life with the perfect balance of strength and compassion.  Each day on this earth, He determined to look for where the Father was working and went and did that thing.  I am confident that, over the course of His life on earth, He passed on doing many good things in order to do the better things of the Kingdom of God.  Jesus lived a radical life.

It is my desire to walk as He walked, talk as He talked, and love as He loved.  The only way I can possibly do this is to spend time with Him.  As I read my Bible, I see Jesus hanging with the poor and hurting, and I figure if that’s where He is, then if I hang out with those same people, He will show up.

In the self-evaluation process, staff and residents daily evaluate their behavior based on this question: Did my choice draw me closer to or further from the standard of Christ-likeness? What happens when you look back on your day with that question in mind?

- Rich Schaus, Director of UGM Crisis Shelter for Women & Children