Here are a few ways some downtown churches are engaging their multicultural neighbors. How might these ideas inspire your church’s outreach?

Provide an after-school tutoring program. 
Grace Fellowship Church in Snellville, Georgia, along with other area churches, began an after-school program for the immigrant children in the neighborhood. Most of these children are “latch-key kids” (children who are home alone for several hours after school each weekday while parents are still at work). The after-school program provides a safe environment for the children who receive attention and hear about the love of Christ.

Start a refugee ministry. 
San Antonio, Texas is home to a very large refugee population. University United Methodist Church offers English-as-a-second language classes, as well as provides transportation on Sunday mornings for worship and Sunday school. As more refugees settle in San Antonio, the ministry has continued to grow; volunteers tutor kids, help adults find jobs, sort and deliver donations, teach shopping/cooking classes, and of course, tell the story of Jesus every chance they get.

“Adopt” an apartment complex. 
Gracepointe Nazarene in Grayson, Georgia provides free concerts, food, movie night events, and other festivities for people in this particular apartment complex. They have also coordinated joint clean-up days for residents and church members to clean up the complex area.

Target a “needy” area. 
Guntersville First United Methodist Church in Guntersville, Alabama started a second campus in a high-crime neighborhood. The church offered job counseling, programs for autistic children, ESL training, Celebrate Recovery, and legal help which was all provided pro bono by professionals in the city. As a result of this outreach, a worship service has begun that has grown to more than 160 in just over a year.