This Summer with BridgeBuilders: A Week that Changes Hearts

At Sunshine Gospel Ministries, we believe that transformation happens when people step outside of their comfort zone and listen, serve, and learn together. That’s the heart of our BridgeBuilders program.

This summer, we hosted several weeklong immersive programs for different cohorts from across the country in our Woodlawn campus. For many, it was their first time in Chicago.  For all, it was an experience that left a lasting mark on their hearts.

BridgeBuilders connects individuals from diverse backgrounds with the realities of life in under-resourced communities like Woodlawn. Through service projects, theological lessons, and immersive experiences like our Poverty Simulation, participants are challenged to see poverty, justice, and shalom with new eyes. It’s more than volunteering, it’s a journey of empathy, reflection, and solidarity.

Edwin, visiting from San Francisco, expressed initial nervousness as he felt unsure of what to expect from the Chicago trip. By the end of the week, he shared: “Thank you for welcoming us with open arms. The kindness in helping us understand the importance of community through food and the teachings on Shalom is something I will forever hold in high regard.”

Others reflected on the powerful lessons that went beyond Chicago. Kate B stated, “We will be much more aware of the many ways we can help our own community and how to address systemic issues thanks to the amazing lessons and the Poverty Simulation.”

For Issac, the highlights were hands-on: “My personal favorites were the garden, Poverty Simulations, and CW’s concert (+ David’s rhymes).” Pastor Katie from Ohio summed it up simply: “This experience will stick with our students for years to come.”

Each story carries the same thread of hospitality, humility, and hope. Strangers became neighbors, and neighbors became friends.

At its core, BridgeBuilders is our way of living out the words of Micah 6:8: “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Every lesson, every act of service, every shared meal is a step toward justice, mercy, and humility in action.

That is why we run BridgeBuilders: to cultivate understanding, break down barriers, and remind us all that the pursuit of Shalom, wholeness and flourishing is something that becomes possible when we walk together.