Love

City Church celebrates the coming of God’s Kingdom in Philadelphia everywhere we see it coming. Recognizing that the good news of that Kingdom finds its nexus in Jesus, many go out from among us on Sundays to help serve the needy through organizations that work to heal the brokenness of our city during the week. Below is a small sampling of that service—a monthly spotlight that allows us to see just where we as a community are following God’s lead to love our neighbors, helping to restore peace and wholeness where God has placed us.



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Tom Lee & University City Hospitality Coalition

In 1984 on a very cold night, Stanley Biddle, a homeless man who was a familiar figure on Penn’s campus, froze to death after falling asleep near 38th Street. In response, a group of students, clergy, and local residents came together to confront the bleak realities of homelessness in our neighborhood. This group formed the University City Hospitality Coalition (UCHC). Now, more than two decades later, UCHC provides a hot meal five nights a week and sandwiches on Saturday, rotating through one of six different churches or religious centers in West Philadelphia each night. In addition, medical, legal, and dental clinics are held at the Wednesday meal site.

Eight years ago, Tom Lee came to Philadelphia to teach at Penn’s Wharton School. Wanting to serve the hungry in University City, he learned about UCHC from a student and started volunteering there on a regular basis. About a year later, he was asked to join the board of UCHC, where he currently helps with site coordination and the development of services. He still volunteers regularly.

Tom and Esther live in Center City and attend a small group there. To learn more about UCHC, and what kinds of service would be most helpful to them, you can email Tom anytime.




Beth Dyson & Young Lives

YoungLives is a program within the larger high school ministry of Young Life that is especially geared towards teen mothers and their babies. The girls are connected to older mentors who provide friendship, parenting advice and help in meeting the practical demands of raising a child. Once a month, at YoungLives “club” meetings, they all come together to have fun, build friendships, and hear a message about real life and God’s love. Dinner and childcare are a part of every club meeting.

A few years ago, Beth Dyson got involved with YoungLives after graduating from college. She had always known about the parent organization “Young Life” because several of her family members have been involved as staff-workers there. But it was the unique vision and mission of YoungLives that was really attractive and exciting to her. Wanting to help the YoungLives ministry grow in Philadelphia, she now coordinates the childcare aspect of their monthly club meetings in both North Philadelphia and Norristown.

Beth is moving to University City in the fall and attends a Center City small group. To learn more about YoungLives here in Philadelphia, email Beth.




Tonya Arscott-Mills & Esperanza

In the late 1980s, a number of concerned health professionals from several urban Philadelphia churches recognized that many in N. Philadelphia’s Latino community lacked access to affordable primary health care. In 1989, Esperanza Health Center opened its doors as a way of addressing this need by providing holistic, high quality, and culturally-sensitive medical services. Starting as a small walk-up clinic with two physicians, Esperanza now serves over 5,000 patients between their two locations.

Tonya Arscott-Mills first heard of Esperanza during medical school while on a medical mission here in Philadelphia, and then again during her residency years at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children (located in North Philadelphia). Growing up in a family of missionaries, it felt normal to her to work with underserved communities, and so the transition to Esperanza was a natural one. Tonya now serves there as a pediatric physician.

Tonya lives in the Art Museum neighborhood and attends the small group there. To learn more about Esperanza, feel free to email her.




Ginny Toliver & Jubilee School

More than three decades ago, Jubilee School opened its doors to its first class of four and five year-olds with the goal of providing a rigorous and comprehensive private school education that is affordable to all, regardless of income. Recognizing that Philadelphia public schools struggle with the effects of poverty, violence, and low academic standards, Jubilee provides an alternative environment in which the curiosity, creativity, and enthusiasm that children begin with are kept alive throughout their school years. Jubilee now offers pre-kindergarten through sixth grade classes at 42nd & Chester Ave.

Ginny Toliver first heard of Jubilee about a dozen years ago when a friend, who was a teacher there, invited her to observe a student in her class who was having academic difficulties. With a master’s degree in education, Ginny has spent her whole adult life helping children learn – first as a teacher at schools such as the Phil-Mont Academy and Delaware Valley Friends School, and then as a private tutor for kids struggling with learning differences. Now she volunteers several days a week at Jubilee as a learning specialist, assessing and tutoring the students as well as providing classroom support.

Ginny and David live in Mt. Airy and attend the small group there. To learn more about Jubilee, or for volunteer inquiries, you can contact contact Ginny directly.




Celeste McGhee & Jubilee School

Despite fond childhood memories of her years in school, Celeste McGhee had not always wanted to be a teacher. In fact, as an undergraduate, she was not sure where to focus her studies until a conversation with her mother helped her to realize how much she resonated with the prospect of a career in teaching. Now, having studied at both Temple and Penn’s education programs, and having taught at The Philadelphia School, Celeste currently teaches math and science at Jubilee School and serves on their strategic planning committee. See previous post for the history of Jubilee.

Celeste lives with her sons, Cameron, Ethan, and Ben, in University City, Philadelphia. To learn more about Jubilee, or for volunteer inquiries, please contact Celeste at clmcghee@gmail.com.




Karyn Stitzenberg & Northern Home

Located in the Roxborough neighborhood, Northern Home has provided a safe haven for children since 1853, when it was originally founded as an orphanage. Today, their programs range from coordinating foster care, providing adoption services, hosting parenting seminars, and working with dozens of local schools to help children with behavioral difficulties. They also run an after-school program for at-risk elementary and middle-school youth that incorporates recreational activities as well as homework help.

Last year, Karyn Stitzenberg began volunteering regularly with the after-school program helping the boys there with their homework. Having just moved to Philadelphia to work as a surgeon at Fox Chase Cancer Center, she was looking for a way to get involved with community service. One website led to another, and she was soon emailing Northern Home about their various opportunities. The program was originally attractive to her because its evening time frame fit her work schedule. But later, what became more attractive to her were the relationships she formed with the boys that she helped.

Karyn lives in Mt. Airy and attends the community group there. To learn more about Northern Home, or to volunteer, contact Karyn




Dustin & Jenny Haferbecker & Hosts for Hospitals

Each year, thousands of people travel to the Philadelphia area seeking medical care. And almost every patient has someone travel along to provide support. Often these people, and even the patients themselves, arrive in need of convenient and inexpensive lodging. Since 1988, Hosts for Hospitals has helped to meet this need through a network of volunteer host homes that not only provide a place to sleep and a feeling of home, but also help save hundreds of dollars in lodging expenses for families that are already struggling with the difficulties of illness. Hosts provide for their guests so that guests can support their hospitalized loved ones.

Dusty and Jenny Haferbecker found out about Hosts for Hospitals through the Bartholomews, who are also participants in the program. After exploring a bit more, they were pleased to learn that the program screens all its guests, and that hosts can always choose not to open up their home at any point. Impressed with this degree of flexibility, and having just bought their home in West Philadelphia, the Haferbeckers took on this opportunity as an easy but very tangible way of helping out families in need.

To learn more about Hosts for Hospitals, or to volunteer, please contact Jenny or visit Hosts for Hospitals.