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LIFE
at the
Mission

Inside stories of hope,
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Jim and Ken
blog-plant-hand

1 min read

Independence or God-dependence?

By Dan McLellan, UGM Men's Shelter Day Room Manager God-dependence, the first of UGM’s established core values, sets us apart from many other agencies in the greater Spokane area. As with all of our core values, it is based on Scripture: “And my God...

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Culture Compass

2 min read

Union Gospel Mission Core Values

Editor's note: This blog post, originally published in 2012, was updated in 2019. A Culture of Life Transformation One Sunday in 2003, Phil Altmeyer,...

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1 min read

What's in a name?

Last week this picture of a New York City policeman giving a pair of boots to a barefoot man went viral. This act of compassion captured the heart of...

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2 min read

God With Us

Three words. Nine letters. Revolutionary power. God became man so that He might be with us. He meets us in our brokenness and His presence transforms...

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1 min read

Hunger Busters

Every year, the South Hill Bible Church youth group puts a creative twist on UGM’s food drive – to great effect! On October 31st, rather than donning...

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bowl of tortilla soup

Soup's On!

We talk a lot about the Union Gospel Mission being "More than Soup," but truth be told, soup can be a delicious, nutritious meal, and we eat a lot of...

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hands in shackles

1 min read

Recovery: Breaking Free

Orange jumpsuits, shackles & do-overs By JoAnn Zajicek, UGM Director, Center for Women & Children “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to...

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1 min read

Thanksgiving Dinner for 1,200

Sunday, November 18, 9:20 p.m.

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1 min read

"Safe Crisis"

Note: This is the final post in a 3-part series. Read part 1, "Food + Shelter + Job = Hope," and part 2, "Breaking the Cycle."

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1 min read

Breaking the Cycle

Note: This is the 2nd in a two-part series on the UGM Crisis Shelter.

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1 min read

Food + Shelter + Job = Hope

Note: This is the first in a 3-part series from Rich Schaus, UGM Director of the Crisis Shelter for Women & Children.

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1 min read

UGM's Working Ambassadors

It's hard to break the cycle of homelessness if you can't get a job. In UGM's Vocational Advancement department, staff work with residents to create...

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1 min read

Not Alone

Editor's Note: This is the fourth post in our series on being Ambassadors for Christ.

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1 min read

Representing by Receiving

By Hannah Bogue, UGM Donations Coordinator

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2 min read

Three of God's Children

CHRIS family breakdown, substance abuse Chris’ mom went to prison when he was three for selling cocaine. His dad hung himself when Chris was eight....

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1 min read

The Only Number that Matters

Sometimes it’s tempting to define homelessness, and even this ministry, by the numbers: 1,295 people on the streets. 97,000 nights of shelter....

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1 min read

Ambassadors for Christ

Photo by the Spokesman Review (Original Article:A Place to Heal) I hadn’t had a chance to look at the newspaper before my breakfast meeting yesterday...

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crowd love

2 min read

am·bas·sa·dor [for Christ]

Editor's Note: This is the first blog post published by UGM back in 2012. It reflects the intended purpose of sharing stories here - that all of us...

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3 min read

Making Old Things New

“My exterior has nothing to do with my heart.” Zachariah’s story is written in ink all over his body. His mom died when he was 12. The tear drop...

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Dedication of the UGM Center for Women & Children in CDA

Over 300 people came to celebrate the dedication of the new Center for Women and Children in Coeur d’Alene. Area mayors, county commissioners,...

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1 min read

UGM Volunteers Rock!

We wanted to give all our volunteers one giant collective hug, but we settled for a party. Here are just two of the amazing people who give so...

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1 min read

Staying the Course

Clifford Ellenwood said not much has changed since he appeared in the January 2009 issue of this newsletter, but that, in and of itself, is huge....

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