Member Spotlight

Union Gospel Mission

It's #MembershipMonday at #CitygateNetwork and we're highlighting the great work our member missions do every day, like Union Gospel Mission in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Check them out at gospelmission.ca right now!

In Their Words

CN: What is something happening at your mission that you are most grateful for?

Union Gospel Mission: Deliverance, healing, transformation of lives hitherto caught up in drugs, sex, alcohol, violence and/or in loneliness and emptiness . To witness the sheer beauty of Jesus in the lives of those who now bear testimony to His love. To witness a unique Baptism for a wheelchair bound lady this morning in our chapel who was previously desperately lonely, but would attend our lunch time messages before partaking in a meal. Here she found Jesus. Here she found new friends. Here Suzie found hope and today was able to relish the support of family and friends the like of which she had not expected to see. She shed many tears of joy. Nobody but Jesus. To pray diligently for a man, in a 3 week coma caused by fentanyl laced crystal meth, and to see him awaken and join our addiction recovery program. To see his transformation in 8 to 10 weeks is as dramatic as it is exciting. Jesus is so real! Clark knows conclusively that he has a Saviour who loves him. Night and day. Nobody but Jesus.

CN: What is something you are looking forward to and/or praying for?

Union Gospel Mission: In October of this year we will be 90 years old. Cause for celebration and honouring the men, women, boys and girls who served at, and/or prayed for the Mission since its 1933 inception. Cause to thank God for the many thousands served in Jesus name, and for the many thousands who came to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour in that time! Cause to reflect on the countless prayers that fuel the Mission and to appreciate the abundance of volunteering hours and the millions of meals served, aided by generous provisions from church family. All this against a spiralling out of control society, where we see drug and alcohol abuse giving way to death, violence and psychosis on an unprecedented scale. Where we see ever increasing need for emergency food supplies. Where we see ever increasing need for community and a listening ear. Practical help. Prayer. So much prayer needed. Please remember Margaret. 6 months pregnant. On drugs, face battered almost beyond recognition. Gangrene on her left foot. Remember Ciena. Beautiful young lady wondering if she should transition to a man. Possibly doing so while pregnant. On drugs. Desperately needs Jesus to take charge in her life. True identity is in Him. Pray for Chad. Two years homeless. No government I.D. and anonymous to so many. Nobody but Jesus can resolve the issues we face. Nobody but Jesus truly cares. Please pray that we go deeper in meeting needs, and have more courage and wisdom as we engage with the needy and lost. Please pray for vision. Please pray for protection. ( Back in February one of our team was brutally stabbed and sliced on one of the streets adjacent to our Princess Street location. He thought he would die on the sidewalk and forgave his attackers immediately “because I did not want to go to heaven with un-forgiveness in my heart”. A few weeks later one of our chaplains was knocked unconscious in our Drop-in. It’s war our there!).

CN: In what ways has being a Citygate Network member been a resource to you and your team?

Union Gospel Mission: Colleagues have been refreshed and encouraged by attending the annual conferences. They regale the writer with stories of other Missions and Ministries. Of challenges others have faced and how those challenges have been faced and often overcome. We rejoice in stories shared that honour our Lord Jesus. A simple nugget of gold was picked up from the conference last year. It led to us placing a very strategic bill board poster in a tough location with maximum exposure. On reflection it seemed like an obvious thing to do, but we had missed it! That is until we attended last years conference. Thank you. The very fact that we have the privilege of exposure on Citygate Networks Facebook and Instagram pages is very special. Thank you.

The 300+ organizations in Citygate Network membership seek to move people in desperate situations and destitute conditions (i.e., hungry, homeless, abused, and addicted) from human suffering to human flourishing through the process of gospel-powered life transformation. If you or someone you love is in need of Christ-centered compassion and care, please visit our member locator page today to find a mission near you.