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LIFE
at the
Mission

Inside stories of hope,
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Jim and Ken
anne

9 min read

No Gray Areas: Inside the Payroll Office

Anne Graves’ working world is black and white. Well, not in the sense that she doesn’t enjoy color – her wardrobe suggests quite the opposite. But when it comes to doing things right, she draws a hard line. To take you behind the scenes in UGM’s...

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mission_photo-1

3 min read

A Brief History of UGM, Part 2: 1987 to Present

Part 1 of the history of UGM covered our founding in 1951 through the retirement of Executive Director Harry Altmeyer in 1987. We pick up as his son...

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Rita featured

3 min read

Let God Transform You

By Christa Inouye, former Youth Outreach staff member - “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new...

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The Pacific Coast Mission held chapel services and served meals to homeless men.

3 min read

A Brief History of UGM, Part 1: 1951 to 1987

In the autumn of 1951, a group of businessmen from Spokane attended a dinner hosted by Albert Arend, where they heard testimony from a former...

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Trust-building exercises help friendships grow at UGM Camp.

3 min read

What Winning Looks Like at UGM Camp

This summer, dozens of children each week are enjoying a chance to get out of their urban neighborhoods and enjoy brand-new outdoor experiences at...

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Janie Edwards garden

2 min read

Beauty from Ashes. Literally.

Two years ago, UGM Women’s Recovery at Anna Ogden Hall became a non-smoking program and facility. Lots of discussion, work and ongoing challenges...

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Bitz family

7 min read

Working Where God is at Work

Behind the scenes at UGM, you’ll find a number of people who don’t like to attract attention, but whose work is essential to the mission of reaching...

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ben2

4 min read

Defining Toughness

Ben Riggs knows tough. A former Marine from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment, Ben was a soldier’s soldier, part of a “grunt unit,” infantry, “tip of...

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Camp Annabelle crop

2 min read

UGM Camp: Faith Like a Child

By Christa Inouye, Youth Outreach - How much can an 8-year-old understand about the kingdom of God? Sometimes, people become discouraged in...

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Rex Reishus found out his small church needed him as much as he needed it.

3 min read

Why Get Involved in a Church?

Many of those who come to UGM for help have no family, or their families are still stuck in brokenness and addiction. Years of scrambling to survive...

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Mike Doggett, UGM Aftercare manager, knows what his clients are going through because he is two decades into his own recovery.

4 min read

Long-Term Recovery: The Right Kind of Hungry

Having recently celebrated the 2018 LIFE Recovery Commencement, we know the story is just beginning for the honorees. Their time at UGM was a time of...

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Camp featured

2 min read

Facing Fears at UGM Camp

By Christa Inouye, Youth Outreach - “Hey bud, what’s going on? Do you want to join the others in the group game?” At UGM Camp, this is a frequently...

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Greg Barclay has been director of volunteers at UGM since 2005.

5 min read

One Man, Two Careers in Service

Greg Barclay has been UGM's Director of Volunteers for more than 13 years and has overseen exponential growth, both in our volunteer workforce and in...

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Stephanie and a few friends from the Center for Women and Children competed in Hoopfest together in 2017.

3 min read

Recovery from Abandonment

Stephanie sums up her childhood in just a few phrases: “A lot of broken promises, fighting, a lot of neglect, never being told I love you. No...

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jn2

4 min read

Recovery: Facing Anger at God

“I was really angry with God and confused about…Well, if God really loves me, then how come I had to go through all this stuff? You know, there’s...

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samcropped

4 min read

The Emotional Toll of Fatherlessness

A common thread among many people who enter the LIFE Recovery program is an absent or abusive father. Samantha’s story reflects the devastating...

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Adam and Jerry

4 min read

Forgiving Yourself as Part of Recovery

Shame says… You are ugly. You are stupid. You are worthless. If people knew the real you, they would hate you. Work harder, do more, try to earn love...

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IMG_4255-1

4 min read

Youth and the Future of Ministry

By Ryan Brown, UGM Youth Outreach Director - Three and a half years ago, I was called back to a place where God transformed my life: Spokane’s Union...

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Meredith McFall is a resident intern at the UGM Student Impact Center.

3 min read

The UGM Residents You Didn't Know About

For years, the reader board at the UGM Crisis Shelter for Women and Children on East Sprague read, “Hope starts here.” The Crisis Shelter has a...

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All children who attend UGM Camp are exposed to the Gospel and God's great love for them.

2 min read

3 Ways UGM Campers Make Lifelong Memories

Siblings Caden and Teryn, 11 and 9, had never been to summer camp before they went to UGM Camp last summer – free of charge. “We wanted to send them,...

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Christa

2 min read

What the Kids in Juvenile Detention Want to Know

Christa serves in the Juvenile Detention ministry for UGM Youth Outreach. Here, she reflects on her experiences with these young people.

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MH3A7043-1

5 min read

The Car Alarm in the Brain

We invited Dr. Mark Baird, a Whitworth University assistant professor and clinical psychologist who specializes in treating trauma, to speak about...

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Lupe Guadalupe (1)

3 min read

If “You’ll Never Amount to Anything,” Why Try?

My name is Guadalupe Granados. At 35 years of age, I feel like my life is just beginning. I’ve wasted so many years as a passive bystander,...

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Barbstrong

3 min read

The Problem with Self-Improvement

I am highly susceptible to self-improvement plans, especially those that lay out steps to success: Do these 5 things and you will be a better wife,...

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Matt_cropped

4 min read

Setting God's Table at a Homeless Shelter

One of the reasons the Union Gospel Mission exists is to feed the hungry. We live in an extremely generous community that provides resources and...

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