Last summer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania became such a special place in the hearts of Mia and I after our experience there on the SEU Missions Road Trip. This summer, we had the opportunity to return to Philly with a new team and with the hopes of continuing what we started the year before. When asked to describe our time in Philly, I immediately think of the profound impact it had on both my faith and my perspective on ministry. This mission was unique and challenging, but ultimately incredibly rewarding. Our goal was to immerse ourselves in the heart of the city, building relationships and sharing the love of Jesus with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
Here is some of what we have experienced and the beauty of doing ministry in a place that has faced many challenges.
About GCMI
This year, we once again partnered with Global City Mission Initiative (GCMI), a smaller missions organization that is planted within several cities in the United States, with the primary goal of making disciples of all the nations present in the United States. Large cities like Philadelphia naturally attract those immigrating to the States, as there are vast opportunities and pre-existing communities of immigrants with a similar culture, language, or background. And, if you are moving to a place far from home, it makes sense to want to go somewhere you can find community and a sense of familiarity. The growing population of immigrants in these cities allows for the ability to share Jesus with those who may normally be closed off to Scripture in their home country.
Although sharing Jesus with the unreached stands as a driving force, GCMI missionaries, or their official title of mission catalysts, are intentional in their daily interactions and seek to build relationships with those in their own community. Imagine if you tried for a deeper level of conversation with people you interact with regularly, such as the workers at your regular coffee shop, or the owner of a local small business. One of Jesus’s last commands was to go and make disciples, but imagine if we sought to make disciples as we are going about our day-to-day lives. This is what GCMI does.
Ministry in Philly
Most of our ministry occurred in the neighborhoods surrounding the center of the city. I don’t want to paint you a sob story or diminish the humanity of the people who live in these places, but I do want to share the reality of where we served. Just as a blanket statement, a lot of people in the city have found themselves in unfortunate circumstances, often as a result of a lack of resources — whether that be monetary or relating to a lack of a support system. Though it is evident that desperation exists, I must say that the people of Philadelphia are resilient, strong, and so clearly made in the image of God. In light of this, I want to share a story.
As a part of familiarizing ourselves with the city, our ministry contact, Gabe (who we had the privilege of partnering with during last year’s trip), wanted to have us experience what I would call cultural assimilation. One evening, he took a few people from our team to eat at St. Francis’ Inn in Kensington, which is a hot meal service catered toward the community, and allows anyone to come and eat free of cost. Kensington is a neighborhood in Philly that has the second-largest open-air drug market in the U.S., following right behind Skid Row in Los Angeles. What is really heartbreaking is that Kensington is often referred to as “Zombieland” because of the amount of people on the sidewalks who are clearly in the grip of the devastating and sometimes fatal effects of drug use. This is the kind of people St. Francis’ Inn serves — people who live differently than you and I. Eating in this unfamiliar setting felt almost as though we could sit in their shoes for just a moment.
Our team split up into pairs and entered in separate intervals so that we would be separated from one another. Gabe and I went in last, sitting at a table occupied by one man. This man did not entertain conversation and left shortly after finishing his meal, but his place was quickly taken by someone named Mark. Mark was most likely homeless, given his unkempt appearance and tattered clothes. After a short time, we learned that Mark had lived in Philly his whole life. Gabe told Mark that I wasn’t from the area and asked him to share what it was like to be from Philly. Mark’s first words were, “Philadelphia is a forgotten city.” This was a hard thing to process and a little part of me paused to mourn. Mark continued to share how people like him are simply overlooked and lost amidst the surrounding fast-paced society, searching for solutions to ease the feelings aroused by this reality. Yet in spite of this sad truth, Mark’s face lit up as he continued to share the stories of brotherhood found among the people native to the city. He explained that although there is this heavy reality, there is also an unexplainable sense of community. As soon as you find out someone was raised in Philly, you have each other’s backs. I marveled at this piece of community and cultural pride found among broken people. I could not for a second imagine what it is like to be Mark — to not have a place to lay my head every night or food to fill my belly when I’m hungry. Yet despite all of this, his circumstances, and the cards he had been dealt, he sat there and spoke to two strangers with joy. This conversation so beautifully reflects the people of Philly.
ESL Cafe
Many of the immigrants in Philadelphia have a limited understanding of the English language. Gabe and his wife, Sarah, have found a community of people who host a weekly ESL (English as a Second Language) cafe in their garden to provide learning resources and establish community with those from other countries. While in the city, we had the opportunity to help facilitate the cafe and converse with those who participated. I was paired with a woman from Argentina, and we practiced talking in English to help prepare her for her citizenship test. At the end of the cafe, our team came together and shared the stories of all those we got to connect with. It was truly a memorable experience, and I am grateful for the willingness of those who attended to come and speak with us, even though we were strangers. Witnessing their perseverance in finding their footing in a new country was an inspiration.
Park Events and Street Evangelism
We did a lot in 10 days, so here are just two of my favorite ministry moments. On both Sundays of our trip, we set up a tent at a park and provided free face painting, balloon animals, and water ice (a Philly delicacy that is similar to sorbet) for the local children. It was so much fun to give the kids an experience that they will likely remember, simply because people don’t normally do anything like this for them. The kids’ parents wanted to know the reason for our unprecedented generosity.
Another form of ministry we did while in Philly was street evangelism. Many hours were spent in groups walking in and out of local businesses and around the city seeing what conversations could develop. One of my favorite stories from street evangelism actually began last year when a group of us from the SEU Missions Road Trip team went into a small restaurant called “Kennedy’s Chicken and Kebab. Here, we met the store owner, Mohammed, who turned out to be Muslim. We spent several hours talking to Mohammed about his personal life and beliefs. Mohammed was simply one of the most kind, hospitable people I have ever met. This was where I first learned about the cultural kindness of people from the Middle East, and how we can find common ground despite our differences.
Last year, Gabe asked us to send him any of the locations where we met people so that he
could follow up and continue building relationships with the people we interacted with. Mohammed was on the list, and upon returning this year, we learned that Gabe and Sarah had become friends with him and his family. This time around, we got to sit with Mohammed once again, listen to more about his life, and create a space of vulnerability to hear about why he believes what he believes — he even invited our whole team back for dinner at his restaurant and shared that he was encouraged by us.
Beauty in Hardship
As much as this trip was fun, I will be the first to admit that it was also really hard. It was sometimes hard to speak knowing that there was a language barrier. Hard to formulate the right response when a stranger says they don’t even know how to pray. Hard to speak of Jesus when all they know is Allah. Hard to walk through the streets after being trained on how to administer Narcan to those overdosing on drugs. Hard to tell people that there is hope when all they have experienced is hardship. But at the end of the day, it was well worth it, to walk away knowing that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. Knowing that I got to pray with that person for the first time in their life. Knowing that now they may know a little more about our Savior, that the Lord has the power to protect and heal from addiction, and that hardship isn’t forever.
I could write a hundred more stories about what the Lord did in Philadelphia, and the people we got to connect with, but I am going to leave it here. I also want to thank everyone who made this trip possible for our team, whether through financial assistance, planning, or prayers — your support helped us make a difference.
Hope these words can help change your perspective and challenge the way you live.
Written by Kara Smith, SEU Student
Edited by Mia Golding, Student Writer
Learn More
SEU Missions
Spiritual Life at SEU
Hoskins School of Mission
Apply to SEU
About SEU Missions
Hundreds of students, faculty, and staff travel the globe each year through SEU Missions. Each student-led mission trip has a specific purpose with one overall goal — to spread the Good News to the ends of the earth.
