Mission: St. Louis is committed to revitalizing St. Louis by building lasting relationships with neighborhoods in need. Through taking time to build relationships first, we seek to restore dignity to the people who live in now-struggling communities. We hold closely to the belief that we can all learn from each other, regardless of status, race, or social position. The experts in a community are those who are living there, taking part in the life of the neighborhood every single day. We want to serve alongside those experts, empowering them to lead the way in bringing about lasting change. Further, we believe that the church is a powerful institution, capable of being a great change agent within a neighborhood. When churches have the tools to mobilize their passion and resources, they are capable of working with the neighborhood to build strong communities. Our vision is that every community will be a safe and nurturing environment for individuals and families. Our mission is to transform St. Louis through education, empowerment, and economic development by connecting churches with neighborhoods in need.

Mission: St. Louis serves as the conduit for connecting The Journey with missional outreach activities. The Tower Grove Campus is encouraged to get involved with the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood (FPSE). Mission: St. Louis focuses on three key values: education, empowerment, and economic development. In FPSE, key education activities are Morning Reading and Adopt-a-Classroom at Adams Elementary. Key empowerment activities are Cross the Street (CTS) and Community Bible Study (CBS) – both designed to build relationships with people in the neighborhood. CTS is less formal and just means hanging out in the neighborhood, talking to people, or volunteering for a neighborhood agency. CBS is a community group for FPSE folks. We are working on economic development activities, including affordable housing. Right now, we serve the neighborhood through bi-monthly Community Workdays and neighborhood beautification projects. We also are building relationships with other neighborhood agencies so that if you don’t find a place to use your gifts within a Mission St. Louis program, we can connect you with opportunities to serve FPSE in other ways. We invite you to learn more, to participate in these activities, to support us financially, or to check us out and take what you learn back to your own neighborhood. In whatever way is best for you, we encourage you to get involved – because life is messy, life is real, and life is good.

St Louis is built on a collage of cultures.

We can learn from each other, no matter the circumstance. We must work against the norms of a culture that encourage isolation and injustice. Reality may be messy, but we are here to be involved. Misunderstandings and stereotypes must be exposed for what they are – and for what we can learn from them.

Weaving a fabric of diversity in St. Louis will require overcoming the barriers we face today. When barriers are broken, we collide with reality. The fallout brings struggles, but struggles bring growth. The understanding of others strengthens the threads of St. Louis’ unique tapestry – creating a united community woven together by commonality.

Norms will be disrupted. Stereotypes broken. Misconceptions revealed. Misunderstandings resolved. Brokenness exposed. Opportunities seized. And potential realized.

When worlds collide, frayed edges are revealed…and lives are changed.

Expect the Collision…Join the Fray

Check out M:StL’s very helpful website for more information about what they do, and how to get involved.