Union Gospel Mission
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...
By Shatara Flowers, Student Impact Center resident intern
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A year ago I would have never imagined I’d be in such a place, experiencing life in such unexpected and extraordinary ways with a team of people all running after the same thing. These same people today feel more like a family.
Before joining the Student Impact Center I wasn't sure if I'd be returning to Spokane. Finances were one of my biggest concerns: Paying for school and housing on my own became more and more difficult. Returning to Moody Bible Institute became a slim chance, but I knew the Lord brought me to Spokane, sustained me while here, brought me home for the holidays, and if it was in his will he'd bring me back to Spokane in his perfect timing.
I remember the exact moment when Ryan Brown reached out to me about the Student Impact Center; at that moment everything made sense. The months before, the uncertainty, the struggle - everything. Still I was skeptical (this is too good to be true), but surely it was exactly what Ryan said. And so January 28 I moved in, excited and curious, ready to partake in the ministry.
In the beginning, the UGM Student Impact Center felt like a place to live and just do ministry, but now it feels like home, which is why it is easy for me to spend my entire summer break at the UGM summer camp this year.
My favorite part about living at the Student Impact Center is the people: the ones that live here and the ones that choose to visit. I can't count on my fingers how many times the kids in the neighborhood have come to visit us in our backyard. It's been fun getting to know them, fun to play games with them and feed them; they've almost become family.
School is good, but ministry here is better. This in many ways is the kingdom of heaven on earth. I know this is where I belong, this is where I need to be: completely present and available to the homeless teens in Spokane.
Like Shatara, you can get involved in UGM Youth Outreach and impact young lives in many different ways. Click here to learn more!
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 ...
3 min read
Exploring Something New
Beverly Bergstrom is a front desk volunteer for our Spokane administrative office. She and her husband had donated to UGM for years, and one day,...
The UGM Residents You Didn't Know About
Lynn Yount, UGM Volunteer : May 23, 2018
For years, the reader board at the UGM Crisis Shelter for Women and Children on East Sprague read, “Hope starts here.” The Crisis Shelter has a...
Crandell Adventure Course: Legacy gifts come to life at UGM Camp
Playing fun games. Cooling off in the water. Making crafts. Trying something new. Forming friendships. Oh, summer camp. As many people look back on...
The Young and the Homeless: Fighting Poverty at its Roots
Lynn Yount, UGM Volunteer : May 9, 2017
The numbers are hard to nail down, but they’re sobering any way you look at them. These are the best estimates we could formulate from the numbers we...