4 min read
The Father I Found: Pat’s Story of Redemption
At eight years old, Pat’s mom would share a beer with him. “Instantly, I was addicted.” At thirteen, drug and alcohol abuse became a constant. “My...
“We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did,” I John 2:3-6.
Christ-likeness is the target for anyone who claims to be a Christ follower and is the standard of behavior for all UGM staff and residents.
Jesus walked this earth with all of the temptations and challenges we face on a daily basis; however, unlike us, the Bible tells us He was without sin. Jesus lived His life with the perfect balance of strength and compassion. Each day on this earth, He determined to look for where the Father was working and went and did that thing. I am confident that, over the course of His life on earth, He passed on doing many good things in order to do the better things of the Kingdom of God. Jesus lived a radical life.
It is my desire to walk as He walked, talk as He talked, and love as He loved. The only way I can possibly do this is to spend time with Him. As I read my Bible, I see Jesus hanging with the poor and hurting, and I figure if that’s where He is, then if I hang out with those same people, He will show up.
In the self-evaluation process, staff and residents daily evaluate their behavior based on this question: Did my choice draw me closer to or further from the standard of Christ-likeness? What happens when you look back on your day with that question in mind?
- Rich Schaus, Director of UGM Crisis Shelter for Women & Children
5 min read
A Lifetime of Service and Beyond
Vern Scoggin, UGM's longest-serving board member, has overseen remarkable growth and change for over half of UGM's existence. Joining in 1985, he was...
5 min read
A Gift that Lasts
For years, UGM has been blessed to receive countless gifts from faithful partners who included the ministry in their estate plan. Today, we have 256 ...
UGM Core Value: Christlikeness
Union Gospel Mission : October 28, 2016
By Sonny Westbrook, UGM Director of Ministries One of the core values we hold dear here within UGM is Christ-likeness. Christ-likeness is the...
Union Gospel Mission Core Values
Union Gospel Mission : December 14, 2012
Editor's note: This blog post, originally published in 2012, was updated in 2019. A Culture of Life Transformation One Sunday in 2003, Phil...
Inseparable
Barbara Comito, former marketing director : January 20, 2013
“And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we...