Our Story
How it all started
In the summer of 2010, while jogging on the streets of Chicago, God broke Josh Dorrell's heart for the city of Galveston. It was four little words that did it: "Galveston is the place." Josh described it as the "clearest voice I had ever heard." He went home and told his wife, Danielle, who was at home with their two-year-old daughter, Zoe. That very same weekend, the Dorrells packed up and found themselves in Galveston.
With a three-year start-up grant from Christian Mission Concerns, they got to work right away. The Dorrells moved into the North Broadway neighborhood, one of the communities hardest hit by Hurricane Ike, and began building a life alongside their neighbors. In addition to a season of disaster recovery, they organized street camps for neighborhood kids, and Josh took a job at Wright Cuney, the local community rec center.
Having been part of Mission Waco with his parents, Jimmy and Janet Dorrell, Josh knew that to effect real change, his neighbors needed to be part of the solution. So he began interviewing everyone he came across, asking, "How can we make this neighborhood we love better?" The answers came pouring in, and three rose above the rest: after-school programs for kids, mentoring programs for youth, and adult job preparation. From these needs, Galveston Urban Ministries was born.
Growing together
Those early conversations grew into programs our neighbors helped build. Our youth program walks alongside kids from their early years until they cross the graduation stage, and many beyond that. Our adult program, including the Getting Ahead workshop, helps neighbors prepare for good-paying jobs. And each year, our Christmas Toy Store and School Supply Store give parents the chance to shop for their own kids, because every family deserves to give with dignity and joy.
Along the way, our neighbors have shaped us just as much as we have served them. Many of the people who once came to us for support now give back, lead, and serve others. That is the heart of relationship-based ministry.
Expanding the Tent
Over the years, we have learned that fighting poverty takes all of us. That's why we see our community as three groups working together: our neighbors, our partners, and our staff. We believe that everyone has something to offer and everyone has somewhere they need help. We equip churches, businesses, and volunteers with the tools they need to serve well, and we welcome mission teams from across Texas who come to learn how to serve Galveston.
In 2017, we purchased the former St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church property on 69th Street, which had sat empty since Hurricane Ike. With help from local churches, businesses, and foundations, including a $2 million grant from the Moody Foundation, it became The Legacy Center. Today it houses visiting volunteers, hosts trainings and events, and helps sustain our work for years to come.
A new chapter
After years of pouring his heart into this community, Josh passed leadership in 2024 to Brandon Williams, who has been part of the GUM family since 2014. Brandon began as our volunteer coordinator, organizing mission teams from all over Texas, before becoming Student Ministries Director. In that role, he built programs that empowered hundreds of students, from kindergarten through college, and founded the Youth Art Collective, which helped students raise more than $50,000 for community projects. GUM is woven into his family's story as well: Brandon met his wife, TJ, when she came to Galveston leading a mission team, and today they are raising their three daughters, Everby, Revel, and Noble Jubilee. As Executive Director, Brandon hopes to carry forward our mission of community transformation through relationship while preparing our neighbors for an ever-changing Galveston.
Where we're headed
More than fifteen years later, Galveston Urban Ministries still exists to bring lasting community transformation to Galveston, Texas, through holistic, long-term relationships rooted in faith, dignity, and collaboration. At GUM, we believe real change happens when people are known, supported, and empowered. We are still asking our neighbors how to make this island we love better, and we are still listening.
Just on the north side of Broadway, spanning only about 20 blocks, is the community of North Broadway. As one of the neighborhoods hardest hit by Hurricane Ike, the North Broadway community has many challenges. High poverty rates, average incomes as low as $9,000 a year, and the lack of thriving community businesses has made development in the North Broadway community hard. In spite of all of this, we have seen the beauty of community transformation through relationships! After school, it's normal to see scores of children playing at the Wright Cuney Rec Center while the adults either play basketball at the park or just sit and talk to other neighbors on their porch until the street lights come on. Residents are kind and eager to give you a history lesson on how their neighborhood has changed for better. Our goal is to see our city thrive and North Broadway become a community people want to live in rather than leave!
