City Front makes an impact
Bethel University’s newest club is a way to get off campus and evangelize.
By Shayla Norgaard | Royal Report
City Front members helplessly witnessed a woman being sold for sex.
Leader of the group, Jenna Rylaarsdam, and other members spent time during a Saturday night to talk with a woman named Karen about her family and life. To the shock of Rylaarsdam, Karen abruptly got up, was taken by a man and then sold to another man.
City Front is group of students that spend Saturday nights in Minneapolis sharing the Gospel and connecting with the broken, homeless, prostitutes, addicts and whoever is willing to talk or listen.
“We want to be Jesus to people, sit with lost and the broken and the lonely. We want to show love to them,” junior and City Front member Vika Arand said. “We don’t want to look at them for who they are right now, we want to see their eternal description and what God defines them as and we want to call that out on them.”
Now, seven years after City Front was created by a group of Bethel University freshman, Bethel Student Government Senate voted a unanimous yes in making City Front a Bethel affiliated club.
City Front has been a self-supporting group since its formation. Campus Ministries supplied City Front with Bethel vans last year, but could not fund them this year. Due to the increase in people and lack of funds, City Front reached out to BSG to become a club to benefit the group and students at Bethel.
“Providing an outlet for students to get off campus, to be the hands and feet of Christ in such a tangible way and experience something new,” BSG President Zoe Vermeer said about City Front. “[City Front] gets students out of their comfort zone with different people, preaching the word of God, having difficult conversations and being able to love on people.”
Becoming a club allows City Front to gain funds, have a defined structure, get an advisor and build a foundation for growth.
City Front is seen by its members as an opportunity for students to share the love of Christ and personally grow closer to Christ. Being out in Minneapolis Saturday night’s students’ must be prepared to answer tough questions.
“You want to have answers for their questions,” sophomore and City Front member Maddie Lokensgard said. “Before they would ask questions and I had no idea what I believed about certain subjects. It forced me to go get answers for myself.”
“If I am going to go down on a Saturday and intentionally love people, I have to be doing it here (Bethel) too.” — Jenna Rylaarsdam, Leader of City Front
For Rylaarsdam, City Front has changed her everyday interactions. Putting herself in challenging positions has made her bold, grateful and given her a better understanding of the need for Jesus.
“It’s totally changed the way I interact with anybody, how I act to people here at Bethel,” Ralyaarsdam said. “If I am going to go down on a Saturday and intentionally love people, I have to be doing it here [Bethel] too.”
Although City Front faces frustrating nights such as the night Karen was sold, they continue to challenge themselves and spread Christ’s word. They are led by the Spirit to continue pursuing Christ in order to make an impact to the people of Minneapolis.
City front locations
1. Hennepin Avenue
2. Dinky Town
3. Bethel University (Prayer Team)
Options in city front
1. Prayer Team
2. Bible Study
3. Worship Team
