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LIFE
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Inside stories of hope,
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Jim and Ken
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6 min read

Nourishing the Homeless with Spiritual Food

In Part 2 of an interview with UGM Chaplain Ron Molina, he talks about lives that God has changed at UGM, why daily chapel services are important and what you can do to be a part of that.

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9 min read

An hour carved out from eternity: UGM Chaplain Ron Molina

If you’re a guest at UGM’s men’s shelter, you go to chapel every night. If you’re not, you may not even know there is a chapel service at the shelter...

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2 min read

Don't Get Your Hopes up

Kevin Downey grew up with the belief that when things are going well, it's best not to "get to your hopes up." The good can change in an instant and...

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2 min read

Lose the Label: Tweaker

“The drug was my god. It consumed my mind, nothing else mattered.” Jeff LeBlanc was heavy into meth for many years, self-described as “the tweaker of...

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profile of a man in a dark room

2 min read

What Is a "Grace-Based" Environment?

By John Dunne, former UGM Recovery Counselor “Hey, I hear they got this thing called ‘grace’ down at the Mission, so I guess you can get away with...

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3 min read

Gospel Transformation

By Mike Sholtz, UGM Men's Recovery Counselor The Good News of the Gospel is not only the fact that Jesus died on the cross for us, but that when we...

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3 min read

When You Can't Undo What You've Done

Ron James’ story is one of those unbelievable, too-good-to-be-true tales of a bad man turned good. When he was 31, he murdered his ex-girlfriend and...

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2 min read

New Creation in Christ

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!” Samantha Ehli experienced...

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3 min read

Love and Power of the Gospel

By Sonny Westbrook, Director of Ministries The celebration of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead is a high point of the year for...

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3 min read

LeAnna - Lost

Throughout her life, LeAnna Vargas was repeatedly treated as though she had no value, and eventually, she began to believe she didn’t. Feeling...

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2 min read

Why Go to Chapel?

For the majority of people coming through the doors of the Union Gospel Mission, the most pressing issues are shelter from the cold, a warm meal, the...

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1 min read

Giving Women Hope

Following the death of their daughter, caring for women became a top priority for Blondies Salon Owners Marie and Rene’ Lacroix.

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2 min read

Feelings, Faith, and Freedom

An Easter season reflection by former UGM staff writer, Merrily Brast.

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2 min read

Lose the Label: Druggie

By Merrily Brast, UGM Staff Writer There was a time when Chris Turner had his life together. He kept out of trouble and was confident in his career....

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6 min read

Keeping UGM's Doors Open: Robbie Bremer

The counselor cannot say to the maintenance worker, “I have no need of you,” nor again the meal server to the case manager, “I have no need of you.”...

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2 min read

Passing on Encouragement

Prior to entering into recovery at UGM, men and women undergo “pre-phase,” an evaluation time and trial period to discover whether LIFE Recovery is a...

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3 min read

How do you define "home?"

By Cherise Stutzman, UGM Volunteer Two weeks ago, a friend of mine moved from Idaho to Europe. Today, I asked her to define the word “home.”

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2 min read

Lose the Label: Delinquent

By Ryan Brown, Youth Outreach Director Every Wednesday and Sunday there’s a particular group of young people who gather to hear and discuss the word...

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4 min read

A Passion for Recovery: Part 2

In the first half of this interview with Mike and Jina Doggett, we discussed how they came to work at the Union Gospel Mission and their personal...

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5 min read

A Passion for Helping People in Recovery

Meet Mike & Jina Doggett By Lynn Yount, UGM volunteer Mike and Jina Doggett are both on staff at UGM, but this couple’s passion for helping the...

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3 min read

What Is Sexual Addiction?

By Dave Edwards, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Fantasy: The word conjures up all kinds of thoughts, feelings and images in one’s mind....

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2 min read

Addiction Firsthand

The following is a firsthand account of addiction and recovery written by a former resident of Women's Recovery at Anna Ogden Hall. Jessaca finished...

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3 min read

Lose the Label: Victim

“In the beginning, I thought I was free,” Rowan said, “and in the beginning, I thought he was going to be everything I ever wanted—he had a Mohawk,...

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3 min read

Lose the Label: Powerless

Always Numbing JR Mills first started drinking at 14 with her mom who was an alcoholic. In high school, a friend offered her meth. “I was addicted...

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Photo by Tyler Milligan on Unsplash

5 min read

I Resolve to Remember

By Barbara Comito, Director of Marketing and Communications 2015 was a rough year for me and my family. My husband lost his job of 16 years due to a...

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