LOCAL MISSION

From its inception the Ren community has placed a high priority on serving people outside the walls of the church. We are intentional about not becoming cloistered and disconnected from society. We believe we are called to be "in the world and yet not of it". We are to bring the light of the Gospel to our city. We are driven by the basic belief that there are thousands of people in our region who are ready for God. We believe our job is to find them, introduce them to Christ and then help them grow.

In the early years we ran a small non-profit called West Side Arts that aimed to serve the artistic community in Providence. We had regular gallery and performance nights as a way to build relationships with people and share God's love. We partnered with the RI Film Fest, Columbus Theatre, West Broadway Neighborhood Association, local businesses and other non-profits on the West Side to do a variety of community events. We place high value on partnering rather than always creating a Christian version of things already happening in the city.

When we moved to the Southside of Providence in 2009 our focus shifted to serve the richly diverse neighborhoods around the church. We formed partnerships with Elmwood Community Center, International Institute, Providence Rescue Mission, Rise, Family Services, Res Ave Elementary School, Alvarez High School, Elisha Project and several churches. We have also created a wide variety of outreaches such as Dream Factory (for kids), community festivals, neighborhood clean up days and special concerts. Perhaps the most impactful efforts have been our Christmas and Easter "encounter" productions. We transform our entire space into an interactive experience utilizing music, art, technology and design that hundreds have been blessed by.

In 2018, Ren Church dreamed big and launched CityLove, a commission of full-time "urban missionaries" to work together to serve the city in creative ways. One fold of the internship was to live in the neighborhood and support its well-being, such as urban farming at Southside Community Land Trust, organizing a block party with Trinity Square Together, sipping coffee with the homeless community, or English tutoring at the Refugee Dream Center. The second fold was to develop creative projects that unpacked various aspects of the Christian faith, like the CityLove blog or the Light Project, a walkthrough art installation exploring Jesus as light. Prayer with God every morning would fuel their dedication to the city. This season deepened relationships with Southside neighbors and we have seen God reveal Himself through us to these neighbors. 

Today CityLove acts as the tag name for local city initiatives. Since 2021 we have delivered groceries to Southside residents and committed to pray for them. We continue to support positive community events, such as Care for the Square put on by Trinity Square Together, and have painted a few outdoor murals embedded with God’s love and truth in their designs. 

While we believe strongly in the importance of fusing together our best to build beautiful outreaches to serve church neighbors, we also recognize that each person at Ren has their own mission field, in a sense, where they live and work. The pastors and leaders of Ren work hard to equip the church to share the Gospel and spread God's love in tangible ways in each person's sphere of influence. We don't advocate "preaching at people" or evangelizing in ways that are relationally deficient. We believe that Christ shared the Good News naturally and effectively everywhere He went and we are following His example.