Tradition Restored with a Twist!
Since 1942 the Union Gospel Mission has been a refuge, a place of rest, a place of recovery and a place of worship thanks to a gentleman named Alvin Hiller. In the most recent years from 1972 to 2015, Rev. Steinhauser had been the central figure leading worship services, cooking meals and running the day to day operations of the mission. The stories of his music, messages and service ring throughout not just the walls of the mission but through the people in the community who remember “those days.” Those days are still happening here, and the community can still be involved.
In honor of continuing with tradition, as of June 3 of this year, Sunday evening chapel services have returned to the chapel here at the mission. The movement of the Holy Spirit through prayer, worship music, and messages of the saving grace of Jesus Christ are present again! The twist of these services is that they are lead by 8-10 churches that are from the community. This is accomplished by a 2-month rotation and diligent service of the churches represented. It is the hope and vision of the mission that a connection can be made with our guests staying at the mission and the different families of believers who have been loving and caring for them in many ways. As our guests move onward with more permanent housing, they should have familiar people they have already connected with to help them continue with their journey.
To help reinforce the message presented on Sunday evenings on how God’s Word applies to our lives, every morning during the week guests, staff, and community members gather at 9:00am in the program room. We read and unpack the corresponding chapter with the current day of the week in the book of Proverbs. This time spent together truly shows that everyone is on equal ground and as Proverbs 27:17 says: “As iron sharpens iron; so, one man sharpens another.” That is certainly happening at the mission. You don’t have to be a guest as everyone is welcome to join in with us on Sunday’s and morning Proverbs is open to all men. These two events are just the beginning of what is happening at the mission and we are excited for what God has next!