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Union Gospel Mission

Jim and Ken
Sonny MB Phil_featured

7 min read

Get to Know Sonny Westbrook, UGM's Pastor

As Director of Ministries, Sonny Westbrook oversees all of UGM’s programs serving the poor and homeless. But you could also just call him our pastor. Staff, volunteers, and residents alike, we are all blessed by Sonny’s example, his caring heart and...

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Anna leads a team that accepts over $4.2 million worth of donations every year to feed the hungry.

9 min read

Feeding the Hungry: Behind the Scenes

Anna Havercroft is our warehouse manager, managing the in-kind donations that come into UGM. As you'll see in her interview below, that is more than...

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Residents in UGM programs are urged to connect their career path with their passions, something our Business Partners have made possible time and again. Meaningful work is a cornerstone of recovery.

3 min read

Business Partners Get People Back to Work

Work is a key ingredient of the process of ending homelessness one person, one family at a time. And while you’ll find current and former residents...

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Gwen, UGM's Director of Ministry Advancement, helps our ministry partners

7 min read

Giving from the Heart

Gwen Schwartz’s journey into her position at UGM was so much more than a job search. God prepared her with the passion, experience and skills she...

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4 min read

Stay with the Shepherd

UGM Resident Advisor Shane shared this message in chapel at our Men's Shelter this month. In reflection on the birth of Christ, Shane's childhood...

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5 min read

The Thrill of Hope to a Weary World

Pastor Danny Schulz of Sun City Church gave this talk to the staff at UGM for our Christmas party this morning. We were encouraged by it and wanted...

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3 min read

Thank You, God, for this Blood Clot

Editor’s note: Our final post in our November mini-series on gratitude comes from Men’s Recovery Counselor Mike Sholtz, who is thankful for a medical...

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3 min read

Gratitude on the Recovery Journey

By Kirste Richards, UGM Counselor - Gratitude plays an important role in my ministry as a counselor at the UGM Center for Women and Children in Coeur...

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Sonny Westbrook is the Director of Ministries for UGM. He urges us be thankful for God's constant blessings.

4 min read

In Everything, Give Thanks

Thanks to Sonny, our wise and beloved staff pastor, for kicking off a mini-series about gratitude on the Impact Blog during this season of...

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6 min read

Lessons from 10 Years Working With Homeless Men

The inimitable Dean Whisler just marked 10 years working at the UGM Men’s Shelter, where he’s now the Social Services Manager. We asked him a few...

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2 min read

What You Should Know About Helping the Homeless

Perhaps you saw one of our volunteers holding a sign that said #EndHomelessness or Homeless Human on World Homeless Day. And you’re wondering just...

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4 min read

Loving Women in Crisis: Karen Herford

Karen Herford brings high energy and broad experience to her new role as volunteer coordinator at the Crisis Shelter for Women and Children. We asked...

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2 min read

UGM Camp: The Gospel Sinks In

In our last blog post from UGM Camp 2017, we’re reminded of one of the key ingredients for many of the life transformations we see at UGM: time....

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1 min read

Student Impact: Like Family

By Shatara Flowers, Student Impact Center resident intern - A year ago I would have never imagined I’d be in such a place, experiencing life in such...

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2 min read

UGM Camp: Love and Loyalty

By Danielle DePace, Youth Outreach Administrative Assistant - 10-year-old Leo could be seen wandering by himself away from the rest of the campers,...

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Luci and Annie

4 min read

UGM Camp: The Luckiest One

By Annie Crain, Youth Outreach volunteer - “I must be the luckiest boy in the whole world!” These were some of the sweetest words I’ve ever heard....

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4 min read

Volunteer Profile: Gary Leonard

By James "Rocky" Curtiss - Strangely enough, Gary Leonard’s commitment to volunteering at UGM started with a pillow. UGM had put out a newsletter...

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2 min read

UGM Camp: No Longer Alone

By Danielle DePace, former Youth Outreach administrative assistant - Looking at Hailey, you would think that she’s like any other 13-year-old,...

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2 min read

Writing for Their Lives

Writing is one of the key subjects we work on in our Vocational Education classes. We want to prepare our residents to communicate well in their...

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6 min read

Is Addiction a Sin or a Disease?

You may notice we’ve changed the name of the annual event we used to call "graduation," and here’s why: The former name gave the impression that...

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5 min read

Jesus Came to the Mental Asylum with Me

Heather Pollock wrote this blog post while in Women's Recovery at Anna Ogden Hall. Since it was first published in 2017, Heather has been living in...

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3 min read

How Failure Revealed My True Calling

In the last blog post, we talked about the paralysis and shame some people experience as adults because of their perceived failures in the past....

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Trevor in Vocational Education

4 min read

Recovery and Vocational Education Go Hand in Hand

When trauma and schoolwork intersect By Joel Brown, UGM Director of Ministries It is 9:25 in the morning and Billy (named changed to protect privacy)...

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4 min read

Christ is the Light of the World

As spring begins, we thank God for light – more sunshine and longer days. They aren’t just conveniences. They remind us, after the cold and darkness...

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Gwen portrait

3 min read

UGM Core Value: Thankful and Generous

Gratitude to the Rescue By Gwen Schwartz Since joining the UGM ministry team almost two years ago as the Director of Ministry Advancement, God has...

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