History: A Century of Changing Lives
A relief effort that began in 1888 to coordinate the outreach of churches in Fort Worth to aid the poor and dispossessed has continued – without interruption – for over 120 years.
Originally, this ministry for the homeless coordinated the relief activities of Fort Worth churches…maintained a cooperative welfare department…and established a non-sectarian downtown church.
What was then called Bethel Mission was housed in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Fifth and Taylor Streets.
Working Together: Area Churches and the Mission
From the very beginning, work at the Mission did not compete with the churches but rather served as an auxiliary to them to meet the physical and spiritual needs of “the rabble of the city and the outcasts in the slum districts.” Bethel Mission became what is known today as Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County.
Mr. H. W. Stone, first Secretary of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), and Warren Collins, owner of Collins Art Company, were two of a small group of ministers and businessmen instrumental in founding the Mission.
The Beginnings… Evangelistic
While the founding members of the Mission were deeply concerned about meeting the physical needs of the men, women, and families in Fort Worth, Mr. Stone’s heart was especially intent on presenting the message of Christ. Since the earliest days, preaching the Gospel has been the focus of the Mission.
From the early 1900s through World War I, demand for the Mission’s services grew dramatically. Fort Worth’s population had grown faster than the city could support. People requested food, clothing, shelter, and advice. The Mission freely ministered to those needs.
No Creed but Christ; no Law but Love
The Mission adopted its motto on June 17, 1909 at a public meeting held at the First Methodist Church. Dr. George W. Truit of Dallas, Dr. L.R. Scarborough (former President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary), and Dr. Forrest Smith (Pastor of Broadway Baptist Church) were 3 of the ministers associated with the Mission in the early 1900s. “No creed but Christ; no law but love” became the line that has remained the identifying mark of the Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County for more than 100 years.
Ministry on the Move
With the increased needs, the Mission moved to a building on Jones Street near 16th Street and later to 1502 Main Street.
In 1928, the Mission acquired the Old Landmark Building at 14th and Main for evangelistic and missionary work. The Mission also purchased the UGM Railroad Hotel at 15th and Houston.
In 1979, in spite of the facility on Houston needing extensive repairs, the Mission consolidated its operations into what is now the Tarrant County College Administration Building.
Four men — M. J. Neeley, Babe Fugua, J. C. Pace, and Clark Nowlin — funded the current Men’s Building at 1331 East Lancaster. In 1982, Mr. Neeley, in exchange for the Railroad Hotel building, assisted in raising the funds required to purchase, remodel, and expand an old nursing home behind the M. J. Neeley Men’s Building. Today this building serves as the Women’s Center for women in need.
Still Growing…Always Serving
As the century came to a close, Mission expansion continued. In 1993, McFadden Hall, which provides housing for elderly women, was constructed next to the Family Center.
Six years later, the Mission purchased a 15,000 square foot building across Lancaster from the Men’s Building to use as a collection and distribution center for donated clothing and housewares.
In late 2002, the Board of Directors completed a successful capital campaign and opened the John and Jo Catherine Cox Facility, with housing to homeless mothers and children…an expanded dining hall and kitchen…a Chapel seating over 200…and an Educational Laboratory.
The former Family Center, became the Women’s Center, now exclusively for single women.
Fort Worth’s First Free Clinic Offers Healthcare to the Homeless
In 2006, what had served as the warehouse became a temporary men’s dorm, while the 30-year-old M. J. Neeley Men’s Building underwent complete renovation and was reconfigured to provide offices and exam space for Union Gospel Mission’s Healing Shepherd Clinic.
Healing Shepherd was Fort Worth’s first free clinic exclusively providing health care to the homeless. Today, a large portion of the building is rented to Mental Health Mental Retardation of Tarrant County, serving as both a behavioral clinic and a residential program for men.
What Gifts to the Mission Provide Today
Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County continues to be a beacon of hope; offering the means to embark on a new future to homeless men, women, and families who ask for help.
Currently the Mission provides safe shelter to more than 500 people each day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily to Mission residents as well as guests from the streets.
The 26-room Family Center gives mothers with up to 4 children a private space to call home. The 32-bed Women’s Center offers protection and security for homeless women. McFadden Hall is a 16-room long-term facility for elderly women. The newly renovated Men’s Building shelters 200 men, has emergency accommodations for 25, and serves as the area’s only designated facilities for custodial fathers.
Good Stewards
Working hand in hand with many local agencies and organizations, Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County connects people in need to community services and benefits that complement and support Mission programs.
The goal of the Mission staff is to reduce duplication of services among community organizations so that more men, women, and children in need will benefit without incurring unnecessary costs. Commitment to non-duplication of services is one facet of the Mission’s dedication to good stewardship.
UGM-TC accepts no government funding, relying solely on the generosity of individuals, businesses, and foundations to provide for the community’s citizens with the greatest needs.
Bestseller…Soon-to-be Movie…
The ministry of UGM-TC has played an important part in the bestselling memoir Same Kind of Different as Me, the story of a homeless drifter (Denver Moore) and a Dallas art dealer (Ron Hall) who became best friends through a relationship begun at Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County.
Work has begun to turn Same Kind of Different as Me into a motion picture. A second book by the two men has also been published, What Difference Do it Make?
Still Making History
Currently, Dr. David Murph is writing a book on the history of the Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County. If you would like to send us any anecdotes of your involvement with the Mission in the past, please send stories, photos, etc. to us at: president@ugm-tc.org.
