Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer and Faithful Central Bible Church, also known as the Family of Champions, has joined forces with Rev. Andy Bales and the Union Rescue Mission (URM) to help meet the spiritual needs of the residents in the Skid Row Community and beyond with the launch of its downtown L.A. Campus on Sunday, July 8.
Preaching at a special worship service at 9:30 a.m. inside the Union Rescue Mission, Ulmer and the Family of Champions will transform its 400-seat Chapel from an emergency shelter to an immersive, spirit filled place of worship. The Union Rescue Mission will house an extended branch of the Church designed specifically for URM residents, their families and the surrounding Skid Row Community.
“I believe this is the first-of-its-kind campus run inside a shelter serving those experiencing homelessness,” said Bishop Ulmer. “When Rev. Bales made the call and asked us to bring what we do every week to the Union Rescue Mission, we didn’t know what it would look like or how we would execute the plan at first.
“But we knew it was God’s call on our Church. I was personally unaware how many families (mostly women and children) were impacted by homelessness. And now with the guidance of URM, I’m proud to say that we will be able to offer the full scope of family-focused ministries we’ve cultivated over decades.”
In Los Angeles County alone, the homeless population exceeds 58,000 people and this statistic represents a staggering increase of over 11,000 from the previous year. The Family of Champions DTLA Campus at URM, seeks to tackle LA County’s homeless crisis by providing practical resources to empower, enrich and strengthen people’s lives socially, psychologically, financially and spiritually.
“Our objective is to share the love of Christ and to demonstrate God’s love in action providing a consistent community of fellowship and support at a difficult time of transition,” said Ulmer.
The Union Rescue Mission represents one of the largest shelters in the country for people experiencing homelessness and has been managed since 2005 by Bales, who also serves as its CEO.
“We are the only downtown mission who takes in single men, single women, moms with kids, dads with kids, and two parent families with kids off the streets. We never turn away a single woman nor a family with kids,” said Bales. “We’re excited to partner with The Family of Champions and their wholistic approach to Ministry to help us address the needs of these precious souls we interact with on a daily basis.”
Echoing the sentiment, Ulmer said, “I can’t wait to see what God will do through us. We’ve approached this new venture, prayerfully and strategically. We are the Family of Champions — one church, in two locations.”
