Welcome Home. Here, Us, Now.
A space for all of us seeking what's real and sacred in a world that rushes past the soul.
Welcome Home. Here, Us, Now.
Hospitality and Compassionate Intake
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Four Mics And Warm Welcome
SPEAKER_02Welcome home. Hear us now. A space for all of us seeking what's real and sacred in a world that rushes past the soul. I'm Eric Engelman, co-host at Union Gospel Mission in Tarrant County. With me is my co-host, President and CEO Charles Wolford. Good morning.
SPEAKER_01Good morning, Eric. What a joy it is to be here this morning with you as always. I see you, I hear you, I love you, my brother. It's so good to be in the studios today to launch this wonderful conversation with two amazing guests. I cannot wait for our audience to hear what has been cooking in the kitchen for them today.
SPEAKER_02Well, this is a first moment for us. It's our first time we're using four microphones.
Meet The Mission Makers
SPEAKER_01Yeah, what what we are we have grown up a little bit at Welcome Home here, and uh they get a chance to be what better guests, to be quite honest, than those who do the great work that's here at UGM. And if I could, I wouldn't be before the opportunity just to introduce them and let them then formally kind of talk about what they do. We have in the studio today two amazing, amazing, gifted, talented professionals here at UGM who use their gifts uh to make a difference in the lives of so many women and men and families that come to UGM. I have the pleasure of introducing Thomas Overstreet. Thomas, so good to have you here. Good to be here. Thank you so much. You look so distinguished here in your uh studio attire. I love it. I love it. And additionally, Glinda Smith, so good to have you.
SPEAKER_03Thank you, thank you. So glad to be here.
SPEAKER_01Well, we're glad to have you here. Uh your voice sounds as good as you look. Thank you so much for being here. Y'all can't see her, but she always comes diva down, ready to go. So we're excited to have the both of you all. Let's do this by way of introduction, starting with you, Thomas. Tell us your role here at Union Gospel Mission of Terran County, what you do, and how long have you been here at Union Gospel Mission?
SPEAKER_00Sure. So I'm the mission support service manager. We're over the Mint's building. We're responsible for all the residents and checking in overnight guests along with outside guest meals as well. And I've been here for four years.
SPEAKER_01Wonderful. So good to have you. There's a lot to unpack there. I love your humility and what you just said you do, but we're gonna unpack that. Let's give Glenda an opportunity just to give us a little bit more of an introduction.
SPEAKER_03Okay. Well, I'm also one of the managers for our mission support women. We're actually called mission makers now. So we're making things happen. I am in charge of the overnight women, also as well on the side of Thomas with our employees. So we just make things happen.
SPEAKER_01Y'all do. Thank you. Eric, do you see how amazing it is that we get a chance to be a part of these two mission makers here at UGM?
SPEAKER_02I'm starting to. I'm I'm hoping that what I'm looking forward to what Jesus does with them. This is this is good. And well, that'll be unpacked probably in the next hundred thousand years.
How Guests Enter The Program
SPEAKER_01Yes, it will. But you know what? This is the thing, is they really are the face of UGM. And let me help you understand that is when we have many of our outside neighbors, the unsheltered, when they are coming seeking a place to belong, a place to stay, when we say welcome home, they really are the hospitality gurus at UGM. Because these really two are the first two staff and professionals that our neighbors get a chance to see. They do it well. They do it with so much excellence and so much compassion. Thomas and Glenda, you both gonna jump in. The Welcome Home podcast is designed to really talk about Hear Us Now. We watch you all in action, the hundreds and thousands of people that you all welcome into the doors of UGM. What's the experience when someone decides that they are ready to live with us and come stay with us? What is that process uh for the men and the women for them to actually be be welcomed into our facility? What does that process look like?
SPEAKER_00Sure. So first we have them come fly an application. We do applications Monday through Friday from 9 to 5, and then a designee will call at a later date to potentially screen them into the program. Once they are actually in the program, we're gonna get them checked in. They don't really have to do anything for the first three days. We want to make sure it's comfortable, come get them used to the setting. Then they meet with their case manager and they start working on a plan.
SPEAKER_01Gotcha. Gotcha. Glenda, similar process, talk to us a little bit more. I know that you add pizzazz to a little bit there. What what what is that process very similar for the women?
SPEAKER_03It is, but not only do when they come in, not only do we house them, we have our conversations with them to let them know that once they walk into our doors, they become our family. So by them becoming our family, what we do make them feel welcome. They get that they sometimes cry. So we cry with them. We just make them how can I put it? We just make them feel welcome. So not only do we do that, usually when they come, they're upset, they're mad, they're complaining. But us being who we are, our customer service that we have, that helps them know that we're here for them. Me personally, I let them know that this is not just a shelter, it's an apartment complex, and Thomas and myself are their landlords.
SPEAKER_01Hey, I love that. So you make them feel like they are at home.
SPEAKER_02And and I want to throw something in here. I honestly thought that Thomas, for a while, I thought Thomas was security around him. Because he is down in the front, and I volunteer as a chapel speaker. Thomas, there are rules about coming in, women first, and I have seen Thomas help people understand what is a woman, and uh you are not one, and you need to get back in line. There's a lot of, I guess, all hands on deck that I see around here.
Turning Shelter Into Home
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. So let's unpack this. Glenda, you said something uh that really just struck me, and uh I see you and Thomas do this well with the level of care that you all give. So you do have many of our neighbors who will come to us and they are at their wits' end. Life has really kind of pressed in and pushed in on them. What's the secret sauce of making someone who is at the bottom feel welcome here at UGM? You I want you to hear both because I've seen it. I want others to see it and hear it of what you all do so well.
SPEAKER_00I think it starts with active listening. You know, a lot of these people, people are shun from. They're walking by them, they don't want to look at them, they don't want to acknowledge them, they want to treat them like they do not exist. And when they come here, they're loved. There's eye contact, we're listening, we're really trying to hear what they need. Yeah. Um, encouraging them though through the Lord then and just letting them know that they're in a safe place and a really good place, and if they'll just come inside and allow the Father to take over, we can completely transform their lives.
SPEAKER_01Can we just stay there for a minute? You did you hear Eric where he says that they sit and listen to them?
SPEAKER_02Well, I caught that in the eye contact.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And Thomas is a busy guy.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02So but he has a way, you know, when when he wants to talk to you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. You know. Yeah. That's all the Lord. You know, every morning when I wake up, I pray that he just take over my thoughts, my voice, my actions, give me his wisdom, and just let me be a good tool for him.
SPEAKER_01It's all him. Yeah, what a blessing. What a blessing. Glenda, you too. I've I we have had many exchanges. I see both of you are doing some work, but uh you step in uh as well as Thomas and so many others. So let's talk a little bit about that what you see and hear with so many of our neighbors who come in and they're broken and they're crying on your shoulder, you're holding your baby in one arm and rocking another one in the stroller. Talk to us a little bit about that.
The Secret Sauce: Active Listening
SPEAKER_03So usually when they come, is the most thing that I hear is, oh my God, I don't want to come to a shelter because I watch TV and what's on TV can be at the shelter. But with explaining to them and letting them know who we are, what we do, how we do it, and how they placed, they tend to feel better and they tend to be like, okay, well, we'll try it out or something like that. It's all about implementing God on our on our behalf. We implement God, we pray for them, we tell our stories to let them know the reason for us coming here, you know, wanting to work here. We'll tell our stories because long time ago, long, long, long, long, long time ago, I was in the shelter. So knowing that they know what I went through and how I progressed and how I became better in me, that's what helps us by telling our story that helps them want to be able to come in and receive the exact same thing that I received. Wow. But with putting Christ first, yeah, yeah. We let them know that anything can happen.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. That lived experience where that you both share and talk through, that empathy and sympathy just oozes through the both of you all. And I am grateful to be able to share in the same space with you both. So thank you for all that you all do. Thank you. Um, and the gift that you all continue to give back to so many of our neighbors because it means so much. When you are broken, you've been bruised by the world, you need a place to be able to welcome, be welcome back home and to be shared. I hear you both mentioned a little bit in the prayer. Tell us about the we do the physical care for them, but also the spiritual. Let's talk about the physical things and then the spiritual. What are those physical things that you all make sure happen at UGM from the bedding and the hygiene stuff? Just give us a little bit of a scenario because I Glenda, you were you're spot on. Many people have a m misunderstanding about what a shelter looks like. And I heard from someone, which was really true. If you were to bring someone to the lobby of UGM and they were blindfolded, and you take that blindfold off, they would not know that they were in a shelter. It doesn't smell like a shelter, it doesn't feel like that. So people are surprised when they walk in, right? It's like, wow, this this is different. We're like an airporter's. Well, hey, okay. We'll take that. It's busy. It's takeoff. DFW uh 2.0. So what is the physical part of what you all do as far as just make making those physical things? And then let's talk about the sp the physical care and then the spiritual care. Let's talk about those.
SPEAKER_00I think initially, if you just walk on the campus, I mean it's just a complete transformation of where you just came from. Okay. We've got an awesome playground for the kids. We've got a basketball court, it's just a really beautiful campus and doesn't feel like a shelter. When they come in, we're gonna give you whatever you need as far as hygiene, you know, blankets, pillows. We're really just trying to, at the initial part, meet their survival needs, right? What they feel they need the most. And you know, the Lord's been really, really good to us. We've been good stewards, and he's blessed this organization to allow us to have such a beautiful campus and then provide us with all the resources that we're able to get back.
SPEAKER_01Wow, thank you for that. What about you, Glenda? You want to add anything to that, the physical care?
Breaking TV Myths About Shelters
SPEAKER_03I mean, it's the same with um tobacco alpha Thomas, but I mean direction. And what I mean by direction, we show them. We point it out to them.
SPEAKER_01Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_03And we let them have it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. So that's part of the joy of being a mission maker, right? Yes, and and really, you you all don't do it for them, you walk with them as they're going through some of those spaces. So I heard you mention so some of the physical things. We certainly uh the campus that they come in, some people are surprised when it feels like almost like a college campus when you come on. And two, just the aesthetics of the building and the facilities. Um many of them can't believe how clean it looks and how good it smells. Um but the food, the physical food, just in and of itself, right? Yes, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Well, not only the food, but to let them know that hey, you don't have to take a shower. You can actually get a job and you can relax, take your bath.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Most shelters don't have tubs.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03That's a big up for us.
SPEAKER_01That's nothing like a good old bath, isn't it?
unknownNothing.
SPEAKER_02I was concerned that maybe if we talked about food, we'd we'd send the wrong message. But uh I guess a bathtub is is Is that the some of the positions?
SPEAKER_01Praise God. Do you remember the commercial Cal Gone Take Me Away? You give those Cal Gone moments here at UGM. Yes, you do.
SPEAKER_00Those kids get so excited when they walk into those rooms and they're like, oh my gosh, I can't believe we have it in the bathroom. Yes, they love it. They love it.
SPEAKER_01I've I've heard some stories from you and other team members that sometimes when kids arrive here, the very first time they've ever had their own bed is at UGM.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_01They're so used to sleeping on floors and on couches and and God knows where. Uh some of their first experiences with having their own bed is the first time here at UGM. Yes. Let's talk about the spiritual care. Let's talk through that. The connections with Jesus. I heard both of you mention that. Unpack that for our listeners today of what does that really look like here at UGM?
SPEAKER_03Some that walk in, they don't believe in Christ. They don't they feel like they have hit rock bottom. They feel like nobody cares. They feel like nobody wants to help them. But when they enter into UGM, it's a whole different mind frame. And what I mean by that is because the first thing we point to, a church, the church that we have a union gospel mission. And with that church, we have took out our times before they even feel like they paperwork, we'll take them to the church and we'll pray for them. Sometimes they take over our prayer. Really? We like, okay, well, amen. But how beautiful is that it's all about implementing Christ and having him because even with we all are human, and a lot of us have felt like once we hit rock bottom, nobody cares. Everybody needs someone to come have somebody to encourage them to make them feel, to make them know that yes, he's real. Yeah, he is real. And as long as y'all are in our shelter, we're gonna help you and make sure you know that he is real.
SPEAKER_00Exactly.
Campus Care And Survival Needs
SPEAKER_03So that's what we do.
SPEAKER_00We try to reinforce tooth through suffering. You know, you're at your rock bottom. This is where our father shines the most. You know, you're in this impossible situation, and if you'll really just go to him in prayer, get in the word, really start opening yourself up to him and allowing him to take over your life, this suffering becomes these impossibilities becoming possible. It becomes your testimony to show that God is real.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. That's so amazing. You know, there's oftentimes a myth around the type of individuals who come to shelters or who are unsheltered or homeless, as it would be. We know that that's not true. Sometimes those neighbors who come and need a bed with us, they formerly were professionals, they've worked at had great jobs at their own homes and cars. Um what have you all seen as the the myth that some people have is that it's maybe a scraggly person who's lived out on the street. We see that differently here at UGM, don't we?
SPEAKER_03Yes, we do. Knowing that we are not a judgment place. We know we judge no one because just the ones that are here working here has been has walked this same path.
SPEAKER_00So I've seen, you know, gentlemen come in who just something happened. Anybody can become homeless in any point, right? And like we had one resident who came in. I can't remember what exactly it led him to being unhoused, but when he walked out of here, he was driving an Audi. Right? He got right back into his career. He just needed some time here to re-establish himself, and the Lord really blessed him through his walk.
SPEAKER_02Interesting. You know, when I uh first started here after a little while, I hit uh sat down with Father Rogers Meredith and uh he said he let it be known that the chapel is not a place for harsh words, it is it's an emergency room for people that are hurting. And he let me know, and he has checked on me to make sure that I administer the kindness of the Lord when I get up in front of uh people. Yeah, yeah. That's so good.
SPEAKER_01I want to give us an opportunity just to kind of button things up and uh close a few thoughts. Um Thomas, I want to give you a moment. If you have uh something that you would like to share, if someone's listening today and they are part of our listening audience and they may come into contact with someone who's living unsheltered today, what would be uh a nugget of wisdom that you would give to someone uh who'd come into who comes into contact with someone who is unsheltered? What what would you say to them?
SPEAKER_00First open up your prayer. You gotta start with prayer first, ask for you know Jesus to lead you and to take over the conversation. Don't automatically think that you need to give them food or a tin or a sleeping bag. You're actually enabling in that situation. We feed three meals a day, you know, encouraging them to come see Union Gospel Mission, um, to come experience what our family and home is like so that we can encourage them to go inside.
SPEAKER_01Gotcha. Very good. Glenda, what would you say to them?
SPEAKER_03To believe.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah.
Baths, Beds, And Kids’ Joy
SPEAKER_03And once you believe and put faith, it out it just come see us at UGM. Just come see us at UGM.
SPEAKER_01I love that. I love that.
SPEAKER_02Guys, this has been a really good conversation. Well, let me talk a little bit about volunteers. Sure. I I volunteer for the head chaplain. What other kinds of volunteers do you guys have and work with? What can somebody else who is maybe hearing the Lord say, Hey, that's me. You're doing some of the same stuff that the Lord wants me to be doing. What spaces do you have for volunteers?
SPEAKER_00Oh, there's several different avenues. Several. Start with the kitchen and just coming to serve our population and get to know the population and and pray with them and be with them.
SPEAKER_03Coming to work for the front desk and get to know all the stuff that we do.
SPEAKER_00We also have warehouse opportunities if you want to come help us at our new COC. There's plenty of stuff in there to do from furniture to clothing. And then the pantry.
SPEAKER_03The pantry.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, the pantry always needs help as well. There's just a lot of different avenues. I promise you, wherever you feel compelled to volunteer, we'll get you volunteering there.
SPEAKER_01Praise God. Well, we know volunteers are the lifeblood of UGM, and they are mission makers as well. And so we're grateful, even for you, Eric, in the time that you give to share the word of God. But we need more volunteers and can always use many more. So we offer individuals an opportunity to come and to participate and to log on to our website that's UGM-tc.org, and there they would be able to find that volunteer how can I help button. Boom, click that, and come get involved. There's plenty of opportunities, as both Glenda and Thomas has stated. We're so grateful for you all coming and sharing with us today again on behalf of so many of our neighbors that live here that come to this space. We personally want to thank you both for all that you do and how you make so many of our neighbors feel welcome. They s feel as if they are heard and seen. God bless you all, real good. Thank you. Thank you.
SPEAKER_03Thank you.
SPEAKER_01Peace in Jesus.
