11 min read
UGM Gathering 2025
At this year’s Gathering, we heard real stories from real people about how they—empowered by the tools, resources, and support UGM offers—have...
“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
4 min read
The Community's Role in Resurrection
As we approach the Easter season, I feel gratitude for the Christian heritage that brings a deeper meaning to the season than Easter egg hunts,...
4 min read
LC Valley Church Partner: Shann Profitt
Currently, a safe, clean-and-sober shelter does not exist in the LC Valley area, but UGM’s new shelter will provide a pathway out of homelessness for...
UGM Core Value: Christlikeness
Union Gospel Mission : October 28, 2016
By Sonny Westbrook, UGM Director of Ministries One of the core values we hold dear here within UGM is Christ-likeness. Christ-likeness is the...
A One-Word Resolution
Barbara Comito, former marketing director : December 31, 2012
Have you heard about the My One Word project? Tired of the inevitable failure of their New Year’s resolutions, the authors came up with the idea of...
Union Gospel Mission Core Values
Union Gospel Mission : December 14, 2012
Editor's note: This blog post, originally published in 2012, was updated in 2019. A Culture of Life Transformation One Sunday in 2003, Phil...