Esperanza Collab
2022-23: Esperanza is a ministry of Living Stones Church in partnership with EastieFit (a CrossFit gym), Infinite Ballers (a youth soccer development program), and East Boston High School Boys Soccer Team. The goal of Esperanza is to provide free fitness and mentoring programs to Latine youth in East Boston that empowers them to build hope for their futures. In 2023, Esperanza hosted mentorship and fellowship programs for high school and college students, held two 6-week fitness programs, encouraged healthy eating, purchased fitness equipment to bring the “gym” outdoors, and provided strength and conditioning coaching for a boys’ soccer team.
2024-25: Comprised of members from the Living Stones community, this Affinity Working Group will meet to strategize the most effective approach for serving youth and families through the Esperanza Collab ministry. The church has historically prioritized community development as a central component of its mission to empower individuals to live purposefully and holistically. With a shared commitment to discern the practical and visionary implications of Esperanza’s evolution, members are prepared to collectively explore strategies for ongoing ministry to East Boston residents and envision potential expansion throughout the city.
The Affinity Working Group initiative aims to provide time and space for HUB learning network members to engage in focused ways with others interested in a similar topic and questions around ministry in the city. We anticipate working group members to explore, deepen, and assess their own vocation, urban context, and church life; gain clarity about vital questions and issues in a particular focus area (eg. youth, arts, etc), and learn from group members’ lived experiences and other sources of knowledge and wisdom.
