Welcome to . . .

Union Gospel Mission of Grays Harbor

Welcome to . . .

Union Gospel Mission of Grays Harbor

At Union Gospel Mission, every graduation from our New Foundation Discipleship Program marks more than the end of a program-it marks the beginning of a brand-new chapter. Please enjoy these testimonies from three of our recent program graduates. Each of them walked through our doors seeking hope, and are now equipped to move forward with their lives and into the future that God has planned for them.

Jesse – “I’m not the same man I used to be.”

Jesse arrived at UGM looking for someone he could trust. After years of struggling with addiction and homelessness, he found the help and healing he needed to overcome the difficulties in his life. In his words, “My mind wasn’t right, I needed someone to tell me what to do. 11 Through his newfound relationship with Jesus and help he received in our New Foundation program Jesse has been able to forgive himself, break destructive cycles in his life, and is beginning to reconnect with his family. He recently got his first driver’s license!

Noel – Finding the Better Thing

Before coming to Friendship House, Noel was homeless and living on the streets. Shortly after coming to the Friendship House she gave her life to Jesus and joined our discipleship program. There was a time in her life where she thought God had abandoned her. She remembers sitting on a hotel bed saying, “God, how come you just left me?’ I felt like He had forsaken me. But now I know-He never did.” Her mindset has completely changed- she no longer wakes up wondering where she might sleep for the night. She’s found something better. She’s found Jesus.

Calvin – His Identity Restored

Calvin came to UGM wanting a fresh start – he began his journey by stopping the use of marijuana on his first day. For years his true self had been stifled. Through the program Calvin has found healing from past hurts and trauma. He has also discovered the ability to forgive those who have hurt him. His life has been restored in so many ways: Having been without an identification card for 15 years, he now has his ID and also recently got his driver’s license.

*Names may have been changed to protect privacy.

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We recently received a testimony from someone whose life was profoundly shaped by Friendship House (our shelter for women and children). With her permission, we share part of her story with you.

Kathy’s early childhood was marked by violence, addiction, and fear. At just three years old, her earliest memory is vivid. “I remember running down the road with my mom on Christmas Day, hiding while my stepfather yelled after beating her,” she recalls. The next day, they stayed at the Friendship House.

Several years later, when Kathy was seven, her aunt discovered she was being abused and exposed to drugs. “She found me sitting at a table surrounded by men and drugs,” Kathy says. Her aunt immediately took her back to the Friendship House, where Kathy remembers kindness, safety, and adults who took action to protect her.

The final time Kathy stayed there followed an even darker moment. While many details have faded, one memory remains clear. “I vividly remember the warmth of the hugs I received, and the prayers spoken over me.”

People often ask Kathy how she can still believe in God after such trauma. Her answer is simple: “The evil in my life was persistent, but Jesus had other plans.”

Kathy did not follow a path of addiction. She chose peace, raised her children in stability, and built a successful life. “My past does not define me,” she says. Kathy firmly believes the Friendship House and those who serve there helped save her life.

Life Changing Programs

Friendship House
Friendship House provides hope and help for single women and mothers with children. Whether they are seeking shelter because of homelessness, addiction, or financial problems, women and children find the physical, emotional and spiritual support they need each year in our safe, family-oriented housing.

Men’s Mission
Each night, more than 38 men can receive shelter, a shower and clean clothing in our men’s shelter, along with prayer and counsel with our staff. So much more than an emergency shelter, our Heron Street facility becomes a place of transformation out of the cycle of homelessness. Each man can stabilize as he receives basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter, and is able to focus on the issues that brought him to the mission.

New Foundation Discipleship Program
New Foundation is a one-year, voluntary, spiritually-based recovery program designed to help participants develop the skills they need to overcome addiction and other challenges that hold them in bondage. Over a year’s time, men and women received the specialized attention and training they need to get back on their feet.

As a Rescue Mission, we often confront the idea that all we do is provide a haven for the homeless, give them a meal and pray over them. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Our mission services are designed to deal with all the areas of homelessness, from those on the edge who are about to lose everything to those who have been living on the streets for years and everything in between.

The path to recovery is different for each person, but recovery is what we are all about at Union Gospel Mission Grays Harbor.

FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK

I’m grateful to be part of the ministry here at Union Gospel Mission, as God continues to save souls and change lives. God is faithful to help us always with wisdom and direction through prayer. I am looking forward to what God wants to do here in 2026, saving souls, changing lives, and expanding His Kingdom. We give God all the glory for what He is doing here at Union Gospel and Friendship House.

In His service,

Charley Capoeman
Executive Director