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

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 (staff, residents, volunteers and community at large) are bound together by our humanity, our universal need for Jesus, and the command to love one another. From that common ground, we can each of us tell the story of what God is doing in our lives. Those are the stories we hope to share here, encouraging us all to be ambassadors for Christ.

crowd love

We’re launching this blog with a series of posts on what it means to be ambassadors for Christ within the ministries of the Union Gospel Mission. 

noun \am-ˈba-sə-dər: 1 an official envoy; especially : a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment

2 a : an authorized representative or messenger; b : an unofficial representative <traveling abroad as ambassadors of goodwill> (from Merriam-Webster online).

Considering the definition above, it’s interesting to think of ourselves as “official envoys” for Christ. He is indeed sovereign royalty and we represent Him, carrying His message of grace to a hurting world.

We invite your comments at any point along the way: What do you think it means to be an ambassador for Christ? What does that look like in your daily life? How do we recover from the times when we do not represent Him well?

Won’t you join us as we consider the words of 2 Corinthians 5:20:

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

We are also  hoping that you will be an ambassador for the Union Gospel Mission, telling the story of what God is doing through this ministry to people in your circles of influence.

Even though UGM has been around for 65+ years, we still find that many people are not familiar with the scope of the ministry. They think "homeless shelter" and envision a dirty, rundown, slightly scary soup kitchen or they don't realize we serve women and children, provide long-term recovery, have free medical clinics, or that we opened a Center in North Idaho in 2012.  

Being an ambassador is easier than it might sound. Here are several simple ways you can help us spread the word:

Thanks for partnering with us to tell the story! 

Stay up-to-date with what's happening at UGM. Sign up for our newsletter.

Stay in touch! Receive the Mission News. Subscribe for free >>

In His Likeness: A heart-to-heart message from Phil Altmeyer

3 min read

In His Likeness: A heart-to-heart message from Phil Altmeyer

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” Ephesians 2:10 Friends, I don’t know if your garage or shop looks like mine,...

Read More
A Lasting Partnership: The Belden’s commitment to UGM

4 min read

A Lasting Partnership: The Belden’s commitment to UGM

Laughs and tears are shared as Jerry and Stephanie Belden recount years of following Jesus together. They are passionate about supporting Union...

Read More
A Journey of the Heart: The love and power of the Gospel

5 min read

A Journey of the Heart: The love and power of the Gospel

Those who enter our Life Recovery program walk the path toward life change, receiving trauma-informed counseling, parenting support, life skills...

Read More
UGM Core Value: Stewardship

UGM Core Value: Stewardship

By Wil Wilhelm, former UGM Director of Development How many times have you heard a Sunday message at church about stewardship and the main point was...

Read More
Notes of Thanks and Amazement

Notes of Thanks and Amazement

Below are two letters of gratitude from individuals experiencing radical life change through UGM’s LIFE Recovery programs. We were encouraged to read...

Read More