“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,” Titus 2:11-12.

The Union Gospel Mission seeks to provide a safe, healing environment where grace flows freely. Grace is the foundation for everything we do. God extended His grace and mercy to us, and we, in turn, seek to extend it to others. Everyone in our community is encouraged to recognize him or herself as a beloved child of God and to embrace Christ-likeness as the standard for behavior. The above verse from Paul’s letter to Titus illustrates the amazing thing about grace: it keeps us from sin and encourages us toward holiness.

Grace may sound like a given among Christians, but it doesn’t always come naturally, and it hasn’t always been the modus operandi in crisis shelters – either here or across the country. Under grace, transformation of the heart is emphasized over conformity to rules, and rather than “three strikes and you’re out,” mistakes are opportunities for discussion, self-evaluation and accountability. The staff at the Men’s Mission and Anna Ogden Hall has been trained and certified by Grace Network International in the implementation of grace-based principles.

A picture of how this grace process works on a daily basis can be seen in the answers given by men and women in our recovery programs to the following questions: 

What is grace? What is the grace-based process? And how has it manifested itself in your life?

Steve:  “Unmerited favor. A second chance. We don’t deserve anything we’ve gotten. His grace is extended to everyone.”

Kacia:  “Before coming to AOH, everyone had given up on me. Then I got here, and even when I made mistakes, grace was given to me enabling me to move forward and learn.”

James:  “Humbling. Grace is what I am now compared to what I was. It used to be that I’d rather fight than talk.”

Ron: “Being accepted for who I am and forgiven for what I’ve done.”

Annalisa:  “It is truth wrapped in love.”

Scott B.:  “The freedom and belief that I can change. The Mission gives me the freedom to make choices.”

Chris:  “For me, it’s not so much about how grace is applied to me but how I apply it to other people. I used to be highly critical of everybody, and I’ve come to realize that there are two sides to everyone. I’m a much gentler person than I was. Without grace, there is no space to change.”

Tom:  “God giving me the ability not only to forgive others but God forgiving me as well. As long as God forgives me, I don’t have to worry about forgiving myself. I’ve sabotaged a lot of my relationships and hurt a lot of people, and I have trouble forgiving myself. It’s Psalm 32:1 & 2.”

Christie:  “A lot of times you don’t understand grace until it’s given to you; once you experience it, you try to give it to others because it is such a gift.”

Steven:  “Grace is a safe, healing environment where you’re able to make mistakes and learn from them . . . just being human . . . where you’re able to be transparent with all the underlying issues in your life. The opposite of a threatening, punishing environment. It means I don’t get what I feel like I deserve.”

Clint:  “Grace is the way God treats us, and the grace-based process means that the whole community treats each other in the same way. Grace has given me a new start and a chance to get started again in recovery. You’re able to expose what you’re working on to the whole community.

Eric:  “The opposite of a grace-based program would be a secular-based recovery system. This is the first faith-based program I’ve been in, and the major difference – honestly – is that the Holy Spirit has empowered me to make changes that I couldn’t possibly do myself and had failed at many times before.”

Scott:  “Unmerited, undeserved forgiveness. It means being given the opportunity and the space to recover in a program that is cost-free. This is one of the best, most comprehensive programs around, and it doesn’t cost anything.”

Robert: “Grace means to be able to go through life and make mistakes without condemnation. This place is all about healing and growth.”

John G.:  “If I was to make a mistake, someone reaches out, gives me a hand, and helps me up.”

Larry:  “Instead of ‘you messed up; you’re out of here,’ the counselors say, ‘OK, now that you’ve recognized the problem let’s work on it.’”

Tom M.:  “Down deep within myself I’ve always been afraid that people wouldn’t really care. The Mission is one big family who all care about each other.”