Welcome to . . .

Union Gospel Mission of Grays Harbor

Welcome to . . .

Union Gospel Mission of Grays Harbor

The Day Will Walked Through the Door

There are moments in life when everything comes down to a choice.

For Will, that choice happened outside the doors of Union Gospel Mission.

For years, Will had struggled with addiction and homelessness. At times, he found himself living in the woods in a tent, unsure how to break the cycle.

One day, Will sat outside Union Gospel Mission, staring at the doors. He wasn’t sure what was waiting for him inside, but he kept hearing a voice telling him to go in. As he wrestled with the decision, one thought became clear: if he wanted a relationship with his daughter, he needed to choose a different life. Finally, Will walked through those doors. That decision became a turning point.

Will entered the Mission’s one-year discipleship program. During that year, he encountered Jesus Christ, gave his life to Christ, and began experiencing the love of God in tangible ways. He also established visitation with his daughter, and step by step, their relationship was rebuilt.

But Will’s story didn’t end when he completed the program. Today, he serves as a night supervisor at Union Gospel Mission—the same place where he once sat wondering whether he should walk inside.

Will knows what it feels like to be hungry, homeless, and caught in addiction. Because he has been there, he sees the people who walk through those doors differently. He takes time to learn their names and hear their stories. He doesn’t see a homeless person as a problem to be solved, but as a person created by God who needs someone to care.

If someone is hungry, Will wants to offer a meal. If someone is cold, he wants to offer a coat. He understands that homelessness doesn’t make someone less human.

Perhaps the most beautiful part of Will’s story is that God didn’t simply bring him out of a difficult place. He gave him a heart to stay and help others who are still
there.

Every day, Will opens those same doors for people who may be wondering whether to take the first step.

He knows what can happen when they do—because he took that step himself.

Union Gospel Mission of Grays Harbor is a conduit of YOUR generosity and love for the hurting. You are the givers, and we pass along what you give to meet the needs of men, women, and children experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty. We can’t thank you enough!

IN-KIND GIFTS
Donations of canned fruits and vegetables are an ongoing need here at UGM. You can also bring gently used clothing for men, women, and children to 405 E Heron Street, in Aberdeen. Call (360) 533-1064 to learn more
about our needs. Thank you!

FINANCIAL GIFTS
When you give to Union Gospel Mission, your gift is used immediately to meet emergency relief needs like food, shelter, and clothing for the homeless. But did you know your gifts also provide case management, Bible-based recovery programs, and life skills? To learn more, visit ugmgraysharbor.org.

VOLUNTEER
Each month volunteers from all over Grays Harbor come and serve at Union Gospel Mission and Friendship House. We welcome you to join us! Email Shelly at shelly@ugmgraysharbor.org for more information.

PRAYER
Please pray for the men and women of our New Foundations Discipleship Program. This program helps people overcome the obstacles in their lives that have hindered them and move forward to a new beginning.

GIVING FOR A LIFETIME
You can support the ministry of Union Gospel Mission of Grays Harbor beyond your lifetime by including the Mission in your will. Here is a simple codicil you can provide to your attorney.

I, [name], of [city, state, zip], give, devise and bequeath to Union Gospel
Mission of Grays Harbor, Aberdeen, Washington, [percentage or amount]
of my estate for its unrestricted use and purpose.

Always check with your tax or estate attorney before making a planned gift to charity. Contact Shelly for more
information at (360) 533-1064.

​

Because of the Shepherd

At Friendship House, we meet women and children who arrive at our doors from many different places and circumstances. Some come carrying everything they own. Others come with nothing but the clothes they are wearing. But almost everyone comes carrying something we cannot see with our natural eyes—a history of hurt, trauma, loss, disappointment, broken dreams…

Our desire is to offer them something else to carry—hope. Friendship House, the women’s and children’s shelter of Union Gospel Mission of Grays Harbor, is a place where women can begin to discover that hope again—a place where women and children can feel safe, rest, and begin taking steps toward the good future God has planned for them.

We would like to share a beautiful poem written by a former guest of Friendship House. Her words remind us of the story behind every woman who walks through the doors of Friendship House. She is someone’s daughter. She may be a mother. And she is a woman created by God. He has good plans—a future and a hope—for every single one. As you read her words, read them as the testimony of a woman who came through our doors carrying the weight of her past—and left carrying renewed hope for her future.

Because of the Shepherd

We have come from many places without any suitcases; with sorrow in our eyes, bearing tired faces.

We carried into the door baggage of another kind; the big blue house on the hill of “G” Street.

We bore within our soul’s hopes and dreams and promises, all broken and upon our weary cheeks tears, being our token.

We are women who have been lost, bearing shoulders stooped; have of past and pain. Having sacrificed our whole being, did very little gain. For those we love so dearly, time went on and on and on; a mere moment became yearly. Our lives, the cost.

And having filed unwanted faces that once gaped through icy, heavy rain…we look not to the warmth of the Son whose face shines bright with perfect love; creating smiles on our faces, erasing the frowns.

Now with courage and strength renewed, we face and embrace truth in and of ourselves. The angers, fears, and sorrows of mistakes and choices, some were very bad. Forgiving these and others too—there is a new life to be had.

So as we peer into the mirror, into our eyes—the other mirror, primping our hair, coloring freshly washed faces, donning new apparel; we women shall exit, graced with dignity; hope once lost, joy once lost, and peace of mind.

Now we take these new stops, in just a little trepidation on this new journey to travel, with the Great Shepherd, our Guiding Hand we shall be intrepid.

We women shall gaze back for the guides who graciously welcomed us and our seeking souls, at the big blue house on the hill of “G” Street.

Thanks be to God–Because a door was opened, a life was changed. That is the heart of Friendship House.

The woman who wrote these words walked through the doors of the “big blue house on the hill of G Street.” She walked in carrying sorrow; she walked out carrying hope. That is why Friendship House exists. That is why Union Gospel Mission exists—because everyone deserves an opportunity for a new beginning, and because our Shepherd has not forgotten a single one of them.

 

Help Restore the Friendship House Bathroom
The downstairs bathroom at Friendship House is completely out of commission and urgently needs renovation. The old cast-iron pipes need to be relined, along with new flooring and fixtures. Without a working downstairs bathroom, the ladies staying at Friendship House must go up and down the stairs every night. For guests with physical difficulties, this creates an added hardship.

The cost to restore this bathroom is $25,000.
Will you help us meet this urgent need? Your gift will help provide a safe, accessible, and comfortable space for the women
we serve.

Please send a gift in the enclosed envelope, or contact Shelly at 360-533-1064 or shelly@ugmgraysharbor.org to learn more. Thank you for helping make Friendship House a place of hope and care.

Most judges sit, God stands. God is above, He sees the world judging unjustly. But He calls us to do the opposite. The Lord commands us to defend the fatherless, He calls us to deliver the poor and needy and deliver people from the hand of the enemy. At Union Gospel Mission we are answering His call as we continue the work He has given us to Reach Hearts & Change Lives.

In His service,

Charley Capoeman
Executive Director