After every service at Wesley CityHeart, Louise cannot stop smiling on her walk to the metro.
“It’s a beautiful place to be,” Louise says as tears well up in her eyes.
“There’s love, there’s caring. It’s proper community. That’s why I keep coming here. I feel connected to everybody that goes here. There’s no facade you have to put on. And I get more out of it than what I give really can.”
Louise is a volunteer at Wesley CityHeart – Wesley Mission’s inner-city congregation – where people from all walks of life gather to worship, share meals and find connection. It’s church, but it’s also family.
Though she first came to volunteer, Louise says she felt embraced from the moment she walked through the doors. She found comfort not just in the services, but in the people, the shared meals, the hugs and the prayers.
“They’re just amazing people,” she says. “They have nothing, but they’re more generous than people in their wealthy mansions.”
Louise grew up attending Sunday School, but over time, she drifted from her faith.
“I always believed in Jesus. I knew He was real, but I didn’t follow Him. I didn’t want to live the life He wanted me to live.”
Then, 40 years later, something shifted. Louise felt a deep, undeniable call to reconnect with God –and it changed everything.
“I’m thankful every day because He never stopped knocking at my door. I’m eternally grateful that my heart wasn’t hardened.”
At her local church, Louise met Heather, a volunteer at Wesley CityHeart. Inspired by Heather’s example, Louise decided to get involved – and she’s never looked back.
Now, joy is a regular part of her week.
“This space has unfettered joy. When you go there, you just see joy,” she says.
Louise now welcomes people to Wesley CityHeart with the same warmth she once received. It’s given her more than she ever imagined – hope, connection and a deep sense of joy.
Now, every walk to the metro is a walk with joy.
