Love Out Loud

School of love school of love is about love-rooted discipleship and seeks to follow christ into deep love of god and neighbor through an intentional way of living in our time: life together in christ for others. Various strands of historic christian expression inform school of love's pursuit. The result is a discipleship that emphasizes deep formation into the jesus-way, and justice, liberation, and beloved community across systemic divides in our city. School of love's vision is to see deeper dicipleship, more faithful and thriving congregations, and a more just city of winston-salem.

Lit city lit city's youth development initiatives seek to build in solidarity with under-served winston-salem teens from the "classroom to the corner, from the court to the concert". Lit city seeks to accomplish this through leadership development, mentoring/advocacy, and urban artistic expression. Lit city partners with several schools to lead after-school groups that help students explore questions of identity, purpose, destiny, and social consciousness. In the summer, lit city sponsors and leads one of winston- salem's nine freedom schools, a six-week summer program designed to increase literacy, self-esteem, social-emotional skills, a love of learning, and civic engagement.

Other program services christmas for the city: christmas for the city began in 2008 and is a free community event. In 2024 (our seventeenth year), we partnered with 70 churches, 95 nonprofits, and 107 businesses. To make it all possible, approximately 1000+ volunteers hosted the free christmas party and welcomed 10,000+ people from winston- salem, nc and surrounding communities. The event has consistently convened a wide network of multi-sectoral partners and welcomed people across wide generational, racial and socio-economic lines. Fostering families resource center: fostering families resource center's mission is to support the growing and urgent needs of foster children, their families and the welfare agencies in northwest north carolina. Fostering families resource center provides resources and support according to individual needs of foster families and children, at no cost to them. Gift mart: gift mart is a program in december of each year that allows families to shop for new and like new toys, clothes and other gifts for their children for christmas. These items are donated by community members and set up where parents or guardians can shop for any children in their home under the age of 21 years old at reduced prices, allowing them the dignity of purchasing gifts for their families. In 2024, gift mart served approximately 150 families, providing gifts to approximately 450 local children. Student camp: up to one hundred students who have completed the 6th through 12th grades attend a one-week overnight (or day) camp experience and are mobilized in the winston-salem area to make lasting transformational impact on their city and themselves. Each day student camp sends teams out into our city to serve with community partners, eat meals together at churches hearing multiple local experts on topics of food security, educational equity, health, housing and employment and then worshipping as a community at the winston square amphitheatre downtown. Students from a variety of backgrounds, churches and settings attend student camp each year. Repair the body solidarity fund: the repair the body solidarity fund is a call to white community members to help repair christ's body in our time. It is a call for repentance that prioritizes the good of black brothers and sisters, for the sake of the spirit healing us all. Through this fund, the vision is to see deeper christian discipleship, more faithful and thriving congregations, and a more just winston-salem. A collective of local black partners is united in christ to seek the flourishing and freedom of our beloved black communities. These partners seek to allocate resources received through the solidarity fund toward that end, distributing funds to black-led, grassroots, holistic and sustainable efforts that address historic and present injustices against black winston-salem. Una bendicion: una bendicion connection center is a volunteer-run program which serves families and individuals in northeast winston salem. They hold large food distributions every other saturday serving between 80-110 households at each opening. Throughout the year, they offer events for the whole community, share bilingual resources and information, take client referrals from partner organizations, and host medical clinic services. Una bendicion offers the gift mart efforts and is the primary point of contact for those 150 families and partnering organizations. Wake forest university study center: the wake forest university study center began its first months as a program under love out loud before applying and becoming a 501c3 nonprofit. The wake forest christian study center is a christian ministry coming alongside wake forest university to serve as a hub of christian life and thought with a focus on hospitality, partnerhsip, theological education, spritual formation, and the arts. Winston-salem pickup association: the winston-salem pickup association's mission is to create a welcoming soccer community that facilitates organized year-round open-play soccer that is inclusive of all backgrounds, ages, and skill levels, creating equitable opportunities and pathways to playing soccer for adults and youth in forsyth county. Additional program services: additional program services include: brownsboro community partnership, cycle recycle, drum majors alliance, education, freedom schools, housing, joy prom, other love out loud initiatives and restoreone.