About Us
Changing the Face of Homelessness
Your Union Gospel Mission of Salem was founded in 1953 by a group of Christian businessmen who became concerned for the homeless men coming into the Willamette Valley for the harvest.
Your Union Gospel Mission seeks to restore dignity, hope, and renewal by sharing the love and grace of Jesus Christ with those in need. Through an array of transformative services such as the New Life Fellowship and comprehensive human care, we reach out to hurting and vulnerable neighbors to help them discover new life in Christ.
Our Story
In 1952 a group of Christian businessmen became concerned for the homeless men coming into the Willamette Valley for the harvest. On June 1, 1953, the Union Gospel Mission of Salem opened its doors in the 400 block of Ferry Street.
During the 1960s, the Mission eventually moved to a second story location in the building at 345 Commercial Street for an exceptionally low price.
In 1968, Simonka Place (originally Simonka House) opened to house women and children on 14th Street in Salem, a beautiful three-story home. This ministry came after George Simonka’s wife, June, asked him, “What about the women?”This facility was the first women’s shelter to open on the west coast.
In 2002, Simonka Place expanded by moving to Keizer on River Rd., purchasing a better suited facility from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
Over the years, the building at 345 Commercial Street was ready to retire and capacity was bursting at the seams. In July 2021, a new 50,000 square foot Men’s Mission was opened a few blocks north at 777 Commercial St NE.
Statement of Faith
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible and authoritative Word of God.
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful men, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost.
We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in Christ.
