Summer 2022 Newsletter
- by URM
The Mission Continues When the term “Mission Field” is discussed in circles of faith, most associate this
We are here to help
WHO WE ARE
THE PURPOSE OF THE UNION RESCUE MISSION OF WESTERN MARYLAND, INC. IS TO DECREASE HOMELESSNESS BY PROVIDING SHELTER, FOOD, BASIC NECESSITIES, AND REHABILITATION TO THOSE LIVING IN POVERTY IN THETRI-STATE AREA WITH A COMMITMENT TO THETRANSFORMING HOPE FOUND IN THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
Hike for the Homeless 2024
September 28, 2024
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Meals served- 2024 YTD
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Total Bed Nights - 2024 YTD
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Female Bed Nights -2024 YTD
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Child Bed nights - 2024 YTD
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Male Bed nights -2024 YTD
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Hygiene Pantry Items -2024 YTD
Changing Lives
The Union Rescue Mission of Western Maryland, Inc. was founded in 1963 to be a “beacon of hope in the darkness,” providing overnight shelter and meals to those who have nowhere else to turn. We do so much more than provide basic essentials and overnight shelter. We exist to provide hope, healing, and rehabilitative care for men, women, and children experiencing poverty or who find themselves in a homeless crisis. Through the utilization of a multi-disciplinary approach, our goal is complete restoration, leaving behind the old and embracing the new hope and future promised through Christ. Individuals who find themselves as residents of the URM complete a basic intake and are each placed on a uniquely developed housing and spiritual growth plan. The plan includes not only the meeting of basic needs, but also focuses on education, therapeutic interventions, access to healthcare and supportive mental health services, vocational training, and spiritual guidance, all within a supportive Christian community. The focus of the URM has shifted over the years, addressing not only the emergent need but also focusing on the future for the individual, with a further goal to decrease the number of homeless in the Cumberland and greater Tri-State areas.
Tomorrow's Mission- The Future of the URM
On Wednesday, December 14th, 2022, the property at 710 N. Centre Street, currently known as High Point Furniture Outlet, officially became the future site of the Union Rescue Mission of Western Maryland. The closing of this property is truly an answer to years of prayers. The predicted longevity of the current Queen City Pavement buildings is between three to five years, according to engineers who have toured the property. The physical structure of the current facility is deteriorating as a result of years of withstanding the vibrations from the railroad. The acquiring of the Centre Street property has blessed the Union Rescue Mission with a vision that can stretch far into the future, well past the current three to five year limit. Praise God for His provision and for the future He has provided for this ministry!
As outlined in the previous issue, the new property will allow better opportunity to serve our residents. It provides an area for green space for our residents, increased square footage to accommodate expansion of the residential program, parking areas for volunteers, and increased safety with moving away from the railroad tracks. We are truly blessed to be able to celebrate this new property and the future plans for the URM! With the new building and an expanded physical area, the residential program will be enhanced to include additional opportunities. The increased space will allow for the addition of music and art rooms, and an exercise room. This will allow for those who lack coping mechanisms, or whose coping mechanisms are self destructive, to develop skills necessary to manage every day stressors. A library with computer access will be constructed, providing a quiet space for those to read and study Christian literature, as well as have internet access. Online job applications and educational opportunities will be made available for completion by our residents. The development of a classroom for on site education is another goal. This provides space for classes necessary to meet the needs of our residents. For example budgeting classes, basic health and hygiene classes, entrepreneurship classes, parenting classes, and whatever other topic that would present itself would be given ample space and time to truly impact those served. The addition of these resources not only provides residents with greater opportunity to learn and change their patterns of life, but also provided volunteer opportunities for the community to serve those is need in areas that have yet to be addressed at the URM.
The expanded program will also include a work rehabilitation component. Employment is one of the main goals given to residents within the case management portion of the URM. Lack of job skills, experience, and truly basic patterns that potentiate longevity of employment are regular obstacles faced by those served at the Mission. Patterns of life that are developed to maintain employment are not intrinsic in nature, and are truly learned behaviors. The hope of the work rehabilitation program is to assist in developing those patterns. Those checking into the shelter will over time be considered interns as opposed to the current resident status, giving time for new individuals to settle in but maintaining focus on the forward progress of the program. Those who are bodily able to complete job training will select an area of internship that best suits their interests and serves the greater good. Thus far, five separate job training areas have been outlined as potential intern courses. These include building maintenance, grounds keeping, security, laundry and reception. These courses are subject to change and develop over time, but seem to provide experience needed for the employment opportunities most often pursued by URM residents. The goal of this expansion is multifaceted. It allows those staying at the URM to receive job training that will better equip them for the workforce and open positions within the Cumberland area. It allows those participating to develop a work history that can be used on applications for future employment. URM staff can become professional references for those completing the internship program. It also provides the resident with a sense of accountability, taking responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of the URM as their home, not just a temporary bed. The internships will hopefully provide a sense of accomplishment that is often missed when individuals are not productive on a daily basis, encouraging further progression back into the workforce. Though these future plans are new to the daily workings of the Mission, our prayer is to make a true impact on those who find themselves as residents at the URM. Please keep the staff of the URM and the Board of Directors in your prayers as we excitedly look toward the future plans for the Union Rescue Mission
What is needed to make this vision a reality
Please partner with us in these four ways:
- Pray that the Union Rescue Mission of Western Maryland can expand so that we can reach more people with the love of Christ.
- Give a generous investment for reaching the “the least of these” through the Union Rescue Mission of Western Maryland, either for the first time or by increasing your current giving.
- Encourage your friends and family to consider supporting the Union Rescue Mission of Western Maryland.
- Consider remembering the Union Rescue Mission of Western Maryland in your estate planning or through donation of stocks.
- Make a pledge to donate below