BridgeBuilders: A Week That Changes Hearts

When Caleb and his group from Oxford UMC arrived in our community for our Bridge Builders program this summer, they expected a simple service trip. Instead, they stepped into something deeper, a week that reshaped their understanding of faith, justice, and what it means to seek shalom in community. Caleb later wrote to us, “I wanted to reach out and thank you so much again for all of your leadership, guidance, teaching, and care for us during our time with BridgeBuilders from August 3-8. From beginning to end you gave us the gift of learning that helped us connect our faith with shalom in the city.”

His words reflect what BridgeBuilders has always aimed to do: break down harmful or incomplete narratives about neighborhoods like Woodlawn and Washington Park and replace them with relationships, truth, and shared humanity. Participants, often from suburban or more affluent communities, arrive with questions, hesitations, and assumptions. They leave with friendships, humility, and a deeper understanding of justice.
 
This year, Caleb’s group was one of the 155 participants from the 12 cities who spent a combined 64 days immersed in our community. They gardened with neighbors, listened to residents’ stories, got immersed in our Poverty Simulation exercise, and joined discussions that helped them process what they were learning.

For Caleb, the feeling of welcome began the moment they arrived. “We are so grateful for the time we had with you and the rest of the staff,” he wrote. “We had the opportunity to reconnect as a group last weekend and we had so much to share and reflect upon. All of this is a result of your great leadership and direction.”
 
His group was not alone in this experience. Nearly 85% of this year’s participants shared that the week helped them feel better equipped to return home and have honest, often difficult conversations about inequality, justice, and compassion. Many said, “I am very excited to tell my family about everything I’ve learned,” while others reflected, “Remember to not shelter yourself in your own beliefs.” Again and again, people described going home with “new eyes.”

One of those participants was Edwin, an 18-year-old from San Francisco who, like many, arrived unsure of what to expect. As a Chinese-American young adult from an immigrant family, he wondered whether he would feel out of place in a community so different from his own. But by the end of the week, his worries had softened into connection. Through serving with our partners, learning the history of Woodlawn, and listening closely to residents, he felt embraced rather than out of place. “I really got to experience the community and make a connection with Woodlawn,” Edwin shared. “Not only did I love serving this community, I loved learning about the history and the real people behind the scenes.” His transformation echoed Caleb’s, different background, same bridge.

Our community partners see these moments unfold year after year. Urban gardener Bill Hill, who has walked alongside BridgeBuilders for more than a decade, says he can always find common ground with anyone willing to put their hands in the soil. His garden becomes a meeting place where assumptions fade and humanity rises to the surface. “The BridgeBuilders groups have always been a blessing and a gift to us,” Bill shared. “Thanks to their help and service, our gardens always look beautiful for the whole community to enjoy.”

Stories like Caleb’s and Edwin’s remind us what happens when people slow down long enough to truly listen. BridgeBuilders is not simply a program; it is an invitation to humility, empathy, and courage. It is a chance to let faith turn into action, to let learning become transformation, and to let strangers become neighbors.

As we look toward 2026, we hope to deepen this work by welcoming new community partners, creating a curriculum for returning participants who want to continue their justice journey, and raising future leaders, some of whom, like Caleb, first encountered this work through a single immersion week and left with a calling to build bridges wherever they go.

Caleb ended his note with a line that stays with us: “From the bottom of all our hearts at Oxford UMC, thank you!” But the gratitude is mutual. Every person who crosses the bridge toward Woodlawn becomes part of its story, carrying home seeds of understanding, compassion, and justice that, when planted, help communities everywhere move a little closer to shalom.