Skip to the main content.
Donate Need help?
Donate Need help?

LIFE
at the
Mission

Inside stories of hope,
courage, and recovery



Sign Up Today

Jim and Ken

3 min read

One Man’s Impact: A Tribute to Ken Richter

Executive Director Phil Altmeyer frequently tells our partners that only in eternity will they know the extent of their influence in people’s lives. Recently, we caught a glimpse of one man’s impact.

Read More

4 min read

Family of Origin and the Family of God

I wanted this article to tell a story about somebody else. That’s what I like to do.

Read More

4 min read

Together for the Holidays

JUST TWO YEARS AGO THIS CHRISTMAS, Sarah was in a dark place. She had sent her six-year-old daughter, Lylee, to live with her mom in Texas, and CPS...

Read More

1 min read

Bringing Us Home

“Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” (Isaiah 49:15)

Read More

2 min read

Befriending the Stranger

WHEN REVEREND RILEY PALMER WAS PREPARING to plant Adopted Church west of Spokane, he felt the Lord calling him to be a part of local homeless...

Read More

5 min read

Former Resident Gives Back: Anita Williams' Story

Every day, we get glimpses into people's stories, and often we get to walk alongside men and women for a season... but only occasionally do we get...

Read More

5 min read

Radical Hospitality: Food as Grace

You may have heard us say we’re not just a soup kitchen, and while that is certainly true, it is also true that so much of what we do begins with a...

Read More

6 min read

Robert’s Recovery: Phase by Phase

Author’s Note: From my earliest days at UGM, I have wanted to follow someone all the way through the LIFE Recovery Program, interviewing him or her...

Read More

5 min read

Do You Want to Get Well?

Testimony written and read by Dawn Lange at a 2021 phase promotion event. As my DOC officer signs the papers to release me to treatment [a non-UGM...

Read More

5 min read

UGM Crisis Shelter: A Safe Haven for Women

Written by Heather Pollock, UGM Women’s Recovery alumna and Crisis Shelter employee. Stories. Everyone has one. My story with Union Gospel Mission...

Read More

5 min read

Business Owners vs. the Unhoused: A False Dichotomy

A false narrative is being promoted that pits two groups against each other on the subject of homelessness in Spokane.

Read More

2 min read

Meet Talia: Satisfied in Christ

Written and read by Talia, UGM Resident, at a phase promotion event, August 2021. When I was a little girl, I would look out my window at night and...

Read More

3 min read

From Mere Survival to Chasing Dreams: Tyler’s Story

“Meth makes you really fidgety, hyper-focused on the smallest things. So, I picked at my face when I was using...and I gave myself sepsis.” Tyler was...

Read More

4 min read

A Safe Place to Build a Brotherhood

Dirty. Drug addicted. Soup kitchen. Those were descriptors Scott McCall had in mind about homeless shelters before his uncle helped persuade him to...

Read More

6 min read

Ridiculed Schoolgirl to Heroin Addict: Johanna’s Story

“I was brought up in a family of musicians and my dad was the smartest man I’ve ever known, a philosopher.” Johanna is well spoken, educated and...

Read More

3 min read

A Safe, Healing Community

UGM is more than a shelter. Deep at the root of everything we do—from creating a warm welcome to helping people heal, thrive and get back to...

Read More

2 min read

Imago Dei - The Image of God

“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27) At UGM, we believe every...

Read More

3 min read

Meet Alexis: “I am Making Choices That Uplift Me”

Spoken by UGM resident Alexis at a phase celebration event, August 2021 “I spent the better part of ten years living for myself: existing in...

Read More

4 min read

The Love of Jesus and Outrageous Fun Combined: An Exclusive Look at UGM Camp 2021

"The thing I loved most about UGM Camp was EVERYTHING." Joey, UGM camper Through the love and generosity of hundreds of community members just like...

Read More

3 min read

Making Way for Miracles: Meet Dan, UGM Men’s Shelter Manager

UGM Men’s Shelter Manager Dan McLellan works hard to create a safe, healing environment for every guest and resident, and he works hard to ensure...

Read More
Steve Ellisen

4 min read

On Assignment for the Kingdom

Last summer, UGM was actively seeking a Development Director. Today, we’re introducing the unique man whom God called to the position.

Read More

4 min read

First Steps to Real Change

A journey of 1,000 miles may begin with a single step, but it isn’t always easy to determine which direction that step should go. Michaelyn Hodges...

Read More

3 min read

The Business Practicum: Getting People Back to Work

Gospel. Change. Jobs. These are our three distinctives. While the Inland Northwest is home to multiple organizations committed to serving people...

Read More

5 min read

An Offering of Oil: When God Asks Imperfect People to Serve Imperfect People

Written by Lauren McCrea, Volunteer Mentor, UGM Center for Women & Children I just thought I was going in to buy a new pair of running shoes, but God...

Read More

4 min read

Revealing the Mess Inside: The Value of Authenticity in Recovery

Recovery isn’t just the process of breaking an addiction or quitting a toxic habit; the core of real recovery is deep, inner healing. And we all need...

Read More