Then and Now

As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, we have two stories of then and now!

Then

Jim and Liz have dim memories of walking with their older sister Beverly from Q St. to 2^nd St. to the Union Gospel Mission Sacramento. There they saw men struggling with addictions, living on the city streets, and hungry like them due to their families falling on “hard times.” They joined these same men for chapel service in the UGM, sitting on the dark wooden benches upstairs from the kitchen, listening to the croaking voices as they worshipped together the God of hope. They left with a large bag of sandwiches and impacted young hearts to share Jesus with others.

Pictures of the old dining room and chapel when we were on Front Street in Old Sacramento.

Now, this brother and sister in blood and in Jesus find great satisfaction biking through the city and sharing the “good news of Jesus Christ” with the people of the streets. Their goal is to reach out with the same encouragement given to them by their mother in that “everything is for a purpose.” Lessons learned from Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” NKJ

Now

Meet Matthew, one of our Rehab Program men who will soon graduate!

If you’ve visited the Mission to donate items, you may have had the privilege of meeting him. Currently, he works in our warehouse assisting people with whatever they need, such as finding a homeless person a blanket or unloading a donor’s items from their car. He also helps keep the warehouse clean and organized.

Matthew was once a broken, homeless man addicted to alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. He lived in denial of his problems, struggled to stay clean and sober, and did not trust people in the secular world. Reflecting on that time in his life, he shared, “Without purpose, there is just existence. No God, no peace. Know God, know peace.” However, God was only beginning His transformative work in Matthew’s life. After hearing that Union Gospel Mission had a rehabilitation program that could help with his circumstances, God led him here to start a new life. Matthew came to the Mission shortly after the New Year.

“Around the holidays,” he shares, “something special happened to me. The alcohol I drank, the drugs, and the cigarettes no longer worked. I believe the Holy Spirit revealed himself to me, and the rest is the gift of faith that God has revealed to me. My faith is growing daily.”

Matthew is now participating in our interactive Bible Classes and Iron Sharpens Iron Fitness Center!

Matthew has completed 8 months of the program and is expected to graduate next month! He is so grateful for the new life that God has given him. “My life has changed tremendously with the power of the Holy Spirit. He took my heart of stone and made it flesh. There is nothing I won’t do for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He makes my life whole.”

He is incredibly grateful for the donors that have provided so much for the Mission so that it can continue to help men transform their lives through the work of the Holy Spirit! “With the help of the mission donors, I lack nothing to get my life started. I would say that I love them as Jesus loves us. God bless them all!!” Thank you so much, donors and volunteers, for continuing to support UGM so that we may help these men transform their lives through the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

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