“In my adult years, I’ve done a lot of traveling, and I can say from experience that life is truly a rollercoaster. My mother, God rest her soul, taught me the Word of God from a young age, so I have always been the odd one out. Throughout all of my travels, peace has been an extremely rare thing …
On her way to a podcast recording one morning, Jennifer Jackson saw four young men on the street. What she was thinking about them stayed with her. Jennifer Jackson, Executive Director of Heartland Counseling Services, drives in from the north side of Sioux City. On a recent morning, coming down …
Some help waits behind a desk. The people who need it most often can't get there. They don't have a car, a bus ticket, an ID, or sometimes even the trust that anyone is really on their side. So in Sioux City, a growing share of the work has flipped the model: instead of waiting for homeless …
Losing your housing rarely happens all at once. It's usually one hard thing stacked on another — a lost job, a medical bill, a relationship that fell apart, an illness that wouldn't quit. By the time someone in Sioux City is sleeping in a car or a friend's basement, the question isn't how did I get …
Something unexpected is happening in churches across America—and Sioux City is no exception. After years of declining attendance narratives, Generation Z is reversing the trend. They're walking through church doors in increasing numbers, searching for something their screens cannot provide: …
There's a criticism that haunts outreach-focused churches: they water down the Gospel. They're soft on sin. They care more about attendance than orthodoxy. Pastor Chris Ver Steeg of Elevate Church has heard it all—and he has a pointed response that reveals what actually transforms lives. Speaking …
When most people think about homelessness in Sioux City, they imagine providing a warm bed and a hot meal. While these essentials matter, they represent only the surface of a much deeper crisis. The real challenge facing our community involves an interconnected web of addiction, affordable housing …
How spiritual warfare, identity transformation, and community create lasting freedom. At The Gospel Mission, staff wage daily spiritual warfare against dependencies that destroy lives. Unlike secular recovery programs treating addiction as merely medical, this Christian homeless shelter approaches …
The revolutionary business model where bargain hunting becomes someone's lifeline Every morning at 10 AM, doors open at The Gospel Mission Thrift Store on Bluff Street. Bargain hunters rush toward colored tags indicating today's discounts. A retired teacher searches for vintage books. A young …
"For many, last Christmas was a lonely time with heartache and hunger," says Randy Ehlers, Executive Director of The Gospel Mission. "Now, with a warm, safe place to sleep, eat and heal, there is reason to celebrate." This Christmas Day, The Gospel Mission will serve over 400 of our homeless …