By Rachel Livingston

​As soon as I came back from San Antonio, I made sure to meet with a friend/partner in ministry to discuss the things that I learned and all the things that I could share. Before I left for San Antonio we had discussed finding a space where we could meet God, a place of inclusion, social action, activism, and a place that allows us to find the fullness of ourselves. We began to think outside the box and consider the possibility of creating a space. But for some time we thought we were looking for a space that was already created, a place where we could find people that help us to thrive as people of God. However, from my experiences in San Antonio and the possibilities that were revealed by the Holy Spirit, it became quite clear that God was encouraging us to explore creating this space. We saw that it would be a shame not to be faithful to where God might be leading us and the greatness that could possibly flourish.

By Rachel Livingston

From my years working with youth and young people, I have been most moved by my work in creating Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools. I first fell in love with CDF Freedom Schools when I was a Servant leader intern (teacher), teaching 3rd -5th graders over the summer. These programs are designed to combat the “summer slide” of literacy for students in the summer when they are not reading. Freedom Schools does this by creating a curriculum that is more multi-cultural and teaches children the excitement of reading. The transformational thing about this program, however, is that it teaches young people that they can make a difference within their own communities through social advocacy. It was a ministry that transformed my faith and my life as I sought to bring the justice of Jesus Christ into the community and work together in the community growing and nurturing the body of Jesus Christ. As I was headed to San Antonio this was my plan, but I made sure to open myself up to the ways that the Holy Spirit might lead me to expand and enhance this idea, if it was the will of God. From my experience I am glad that I allowed God to move because it was an experience that opened up so much for me.