Youth minister Gabriela (Gabby) Balbuena leads the “Cafe Con Cristo” Young Adult program, based at Church of Our Savior in the Bronx. One of our Congregations and Communities grants, it grew over its first grant period (2021-22). The group meets on a biweekly session in a safe space within the church, and has grown from three to 21 participants.
Sessions include bible study, prayer worship, counseling, and many different talents are shared by the young adults. During the summer, a group of 12 individuals was able to travel to Michigan and do missionary work, which was a dream come true for the parish community since it was never been done before. Their goals are to grow as group, and have the opportunity to help more within the US northern region and Latin missions. There is now a “Cafe con Cristo Extension” in Grand Rapids, MI.