Words by Christina Strachoff

Before beginning CityLove, I was particularly looking forward to the service and spiritual formation components of the program. These seemed the most important to advancing the mission of the program, and I was eager to focus on these aspects of my life full-time—aspects that I often neglected as a college student for the past 4 years. I expected and hoped to grow spiritually and in my ability to serve, but what I didn't expect was the growth that would come from the third component of the program—community.

Words by Asa Sohn

In June of 2018, I put God first for the first time. And it was the best decision I’ve ever made. Mainly because CityLove taught me how to let go and let God be in control.

Words by Heather Sohn

When I first began my walk with God in 2012, at the age of 16, I made a declaration that wherever He would call me I would go, and whatever He wanted me to do I would do. Last June, He called on me to serve as an urban missionary for a year. As an urban missionary, I dedicated myself full-time to serving the city of Providence with various outreaches. My outreaches included serving those experiencing homelessness, partaking in local event planning, and getting involved in the community, among many other works.

Words by Lianna Wittick

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. -Romans 1:16

The gospel is the good news of God’s kingdom coming through the life and actions of Jesus Christ. This is a central part of Christianity, that Jesus was born on earth—the Son of God made human—and that he died on the cross. By doing so, Jesus took the punishment for the sins of all people, so that we can be forgiven and made new. This past year my job was being a missionary, which essentially means that my full-time job became sharing the gospel through my words and actions of love and service.

Words by Matthew Talamini

There's one moment, for me, that sums up Jason Valente's character. It's not one he might have picked for himself.

It’s early evening, at a prayer meeting. The windows of the church's upper room look down onto the sidewalk. We hear loud arguing from outside, then it quiets. We go on praying.

Words by Ayisha Jackson

The CityLove team, that I’ve been a part of over the past year, has achieved some pretty notable accomplishments. We organized a number of community events in Providence such as: the Trinity Square Block Party, the iconic Festival of Light (a walk-through art installation that drew almost a thousand people into our church), and the Easter CityLove Initiative.

Words by Ayisha Jackson

“This more seems like a sit-down restaurant”, my friend observed as we walked through a pair of discreet turquoise doors.

A worker greeted us by the door. “No you don’t have to sit”, he exclaimed. “You can stand, lay down, whatever you like”. He ushered us through the entrance, into a warmly lit haven of Ottoman-styled interior décor. I had lured my friend in for an afternoon of studying and writing at a “new local cafe”. She met the charismatic worker again at the bakery counter, where he continued to joke about her posture options, following up with tips and suggestions for what to order.

Words by Scott Axtmann

Since I became a Christian in 1989, I’ve met more and more people who no longer identify as Christian. These are people who grew up going to Sunday School or maybe went to Vacation Bible School (VBS) in their neighborhood. These are people with praying moms or praying grandmothers. Some of them were even active members of churches as adults and, in some cases, well-known Christian leaders. The trend in recent years has been to no longer believe in the “God of the Bible”, become atheist, or, most commonly, become agnostic: the loose belief that no one really knows who God is.

Words by Christina Strachoff

Imagine thinking freedom is just around the corner, but discovering it’s actually far out of reach.

You made a mistake, a poor choice. You served your sentence, paying the lawful price, and a new start is just ahead. You think you’re finally free of the consequences of that poor choice. But instead, you’re met with barrier upon barrier, preventing you from moving forward.

Words by Matthew Talamini

When I was seven, the front door of our house led to a landing between two floors. On either side were staircases, one going up and one down. Forest green carpet covered them, along with the whole top floor of the house.

Words by Ashley Wall

With the warmth of the sun on our backs, my crop of adolescents and I set out from the Pennfield gymnasium after graduation practice. We climbed the winding staircase—a better fit for a fairytale castle than a primary school—on our journey back to homeroom to sign yearbooks. My colleague Blayney, walking by my side, gave me her daughter Zelda’s advice, “Just write H.A.G.S. (Have a good summer)”  I laughed and thought, “Brilliant!”

Words by Scott Axtmann

Love is a strange thing. For as long as I can remember, it has been a part of the vocabulary around me. Growing up in the 70’s, there were so many songs that talked about love like, “All You Need Is Love” by the Beatles. As a youngster in a religious school, I heard a little about the love of Jesus, but the scary, mean treatment of the teachers toward the students was confusing. I do remember feeling an intense crush for this cute girl named Noelle and thinking—maybe this is love? The adults in my life constantly pressed me to be nice, to share and to love. Love was important, but what was it, exactly? Everybody seemed to want this thing called love, but no one seemed to know exactly what it was or how to get it.