We Believe...

You may have seen a television commercial for UGM this fall that starts out, “We believe…” In these somewhat acrimonious times, amid heated debate around the solutions to homelessness, we decided to iterate as clearly as possible who we are, what we believe, and what we’re trying to do.

We believe every person is created in the image of God, with immeasurable beauty and worth; that people should not be defined by their present condition or past mistakes; that forgiveness is real and has the power to transform us.

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:13-16

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. – I John 1:9

We are all broken. We need each other. No one can do it alone. We are meant to bear each other’s burdens.

For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Psalm 51:3-5

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. – I Thessalonians 5:11

Healing for our brokenness begins with the heart, with connection, with understanding how much we are loved by a good God.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners.

Isaiah 61:1

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

Keep me as the apple of your eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 17:8

With healing comes change, the potential for joy and meaning.

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. – Ezekiel 36:26

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17

We believe no one was created for mere survival on the streets, for an existence blurred by mind-numbing substances.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. – John 10:10

You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. – Psalm 16:11

We believe each person is created with a purpose, a unique gift no one else can offer the world. Our job is to help them rediscover it.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” – Matthew 22:36-40

Real people. Real change.

Read more: Download Phil's free e-book sharing what he's learned over 30+ years working at UGM.