1 min read
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: April 10, 2020
Ever since my husband and I started a family more than 30 years ago, Easter has been a big deal at our house: New dresses for the little girls, suspenders and crisp shorts for the little boys. Corsages or big bunches of daffodils. Coloring eggs and...
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5 min read
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: April 1, 2020
Jessie hated homeless people. “I despised anyone who was living off the system. I blamed them for my life being hard. In a drunken rage, I threw beer...
5 min read
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: March 26, 2020
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:5 Emily was in a dark, dark place. Her addiction ended her 14-year...
4 min read
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: March 17, 2020
You’ve probably heard us say it before, but we don’t want there to be any mistake: UGM cannot change a person’s heart. Only God can do that. True...
4 min read
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: March 11, 2020
Last fall, just before Thanksgiving, a couple acquaintances of mine were on the verge of homelessness. It was crazy timing. They didn’t know each...
4 min read
Union Gospel Mission: March 6, 2020
Louise is disciplined and faithful in her relationship with the Lord. She reads her Bible every day and keeps a list of things she is grateful for—a...
3 min read
Union Gospel Mission: February 26, 2020
In honor of Black History Month, we’re turning the blog over to three men for whom we have tremendous respect.
5 min read
Union Gospel Mission: February 21, 2020
Clai, who works in the kitchen at the UGM Men’s Shelter, has come to have a deep and dynamic relationship with God. God has placed him in a job in...
5 min read
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: February 13, 2020
UPDATE: Due to COVID-19, the Negative Split has been postponed until September 27. “Start strong. Finish stronger.” That’s the tagline for the...
4 min read
Union Gospel Mission: February 6, 2020
Dr. John Wolfe’s family has partnered with UGM in one way or another for decades. His father was an advocate for getting medical clinics at UGM...
6 min read
Union Gospel Mission: January 30, 2020
During my first couple of weeks as the Staff Writer at Union Gospel Mission, I was tasked with helping interview seven volunteer case managers who...
5 min read
Union Gospel Mission: January 22, 2020
Laurie Johnson, “L.J.,” as she’s called at the UGM Thrift Store, is as dedicated a volunteer as they come. Over the years, she has volunteered with a...
3 min read
Union Gospel Mission: January 15, 2020
Meet Jaclyn, Manager at the UGM Downtown Thrift Store By Christy Zapata, UGM Volunteer - Although she couldn't see it at the time, God had been...
3 min read
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: January 9, 2020
The Union Gospel Mission exists because of an extensive community of people like you. People who recognize that they have been blessed and want to...
5 min read
Lynn Yount, UGM Volunteer: January 9, 2020
“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” – Proverbs 16:9, NLT Mary Beth Salisbury’s upbringing could seem like it has a...
4 min read
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: December 31, 2019
"He has told you, O man, what is good; a nd what does the Lord require of you, b ut to do justice, to love kindness, a nd to walk humbly with your...
2 min read
Union Gospel Mission: December 24, 2019
The already brimming schedules and to-do lists most of us carry are magnified and exacerbated during the holidays. Even as the American “holiday...
6 min read
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: December 18, 2019
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” – 1 John 1:8. I have pretty much always been a good girl. I grew up...
5 min read
Union Gospel Mission: December 4, 2019
By Lynn Yount, UGM volunteer - At the UGM Thrift Store in Spokane Valley, you'll find more than bargains on high-quality clothing and housewares....
3 min read
Union Gospel Mission: November 26, 2019
By Christy Zapata, UGM volunteer - Although you may not know her face, you likely know her work. Meet Jessica, UGM Art Director. Jessica is the...
4 min read
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: November 21, 2019
“Breaking bread – it’s a community thing” – Bethany Kuhn, UGM sous chef. Food is about so much more than food. It symbolizes grace, warmth,...
1 min read
Phil Altmeyer, Executive Director: November 13, 2019
Here at UGM, we talk a lot about the reverberations that go out from one changed life. A mother who becomes the parent her children need affects...
5 min read
Union Gospel Mission: November 12, 2019
“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.” – Psalm 25:16 For decades, Debra was a self-described “functioning drunk,”...
4 min read
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: November 7, 2019
“Humans connect to other humans at so basic a level that when we disconnect, our souls shatter into a thousand little pieces.” – Peter Leithart When...
