San Antonio is an amazing city with great people and vibrant culture, full of beauty and joy. San Antonio is also a place facing complex problems and experiencing heartbreaking brokenness. We believe God is at work here. God is present in our neighborhoods, our homes and our workplaces. When we celebrate the good in our lives, God is there. When we mourn loss, God is there. Our church hopes to find creative ways to partner with God and to bring more full expressions of God's kingdom to the world around us. We do this when we are deeply connected to our community and serve in it with love.

San Antonio is both immensely beautiful and deeply broken. We love our city!

We are focusing on four issues facing San Antonio and would love for you to volunteer with an organization addressing one of these areas.

Acts of Hope works to bring about positive and sustainable change in the lives of the children, women, and men that they serve. They help families learn and develop new skills, make healthy lifestyle choices, and help lead the next generation into promising future. Acts of Hope empowers the socioeconomically disadvantaged to lift themselves out of poverty, and enables children and adults to attain their natural potential.

Working with Meals on Wheels Families throughout the greater San Antonio region, you are doing much more than meal delivery. You are providing moments of personal connection – a smile, a heartfelt nod, a brief respite from the countless hours alone. We are working hard everyday to meet the needs of the community and continuously adjusting our operations for the safety and health of our clients, volunteers, and staff.

Ransomed Life equips and empowers exploited youth to experience freedom and purpose. They raise awareness and engaging with the community about the realities of sex trafficking in and around San Antonio. Ransomed Life is one of the only organizations in San Antonio that offers mentoring for people who are victims of sexual trauma and/or sex trafficking. Ransomed Life also offers Individual, Family, and Group trauma-informed counseling for survivors of commercial sex trafficking and those that are high-risk.

West Avenue Compassion distributes food weekly to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger. They have a team of regulars and part-time volunteers who are committed to helping others and they help foster healthy families and create a stable environment for both the families and our entire community.

Too often we hear things like "love your neighbor" and they are so non-specific that we are unable to put actions to the idea. According to Jesus, our neighbors are anyone we encounter in life. It doesn't matter if they are exactly like us or come from a completely different background, they are our neighbors.

How can we love someone if we do not take the time to acknowledge them? Most of us do not even know the people who live right next door to us. If we are going to love our neighbors, our literal neighbors, we need to find creative ways to engage with the neighborhoods where we live.

1. Get to know your neighbors, learn each of their names, their interests, etc.
2. Walk your block or take your dog for a walk at the same time each day, and talk with and pray for your neighbors
3. Make your front porch an inviting space and spend time there
4. Offer assistance to a neighbor in need of help with yard work; mow their yard, water and weed their garden, or rake their leaves
5. Check in on older neighbors
6. Return garbage cans from the street
7. Pick up trash and pet waste around your neighborhood
8. Bring your neighbors a home cooked meal or make them some cookies
9. Have a community BBQ or throw a block party
10. Start a neighborhood library or book exchange
11. Plant a community garden
12. Support local business
13. Babysit for free
14. Find a local bike trail and give away bottles of water
15. Host a kids' play-date
16. Pick up groceries for a neighbor
17. Plan a beach or lake trip with your neighbors
18. Watch your neighbors home, water their plants, and take care of their pets when they are out of town
19. Organize a food or coat drive and get your neighbors involved
20. Reach out and help in times of crisis

Pick one or two of these ideas to start. This is not a exhaustive list of ways to serve and love your community, so get creative! We want to hear your stories as you love your neighbors with these acts of kindness and generosity, so let us know how it goes. Email us at info@chccsa.com or tag us in your social media posts.

A Life Group is a group of people who experience life and walk in a biblical community together. Life Groups are committed to Bible Study, serving, getting to know each other, praying together, caring for each other, and enjoying each other’s company. Life Groups normally consist of 8-12 people who are a mix of new believers and mature Christians.

Whether young, mature in years, believer, non-believer, introvert, extrovert, single, married, widowed, divorced, empty nester, young family— everyone can benefit from and be a vibrant part of a Life Group. It would be impossible to experience a biblical community apart from spiritually significant relationships. Life groups, therefore, are an integral part of “being” the church and not just “doing” church.

We are looking for people willing to commit to being life group hosts and leaders.