Cindy Cervantes enjoys teaching suburban Mennonite youth how to breakdance.
The 26-year-old Denver native, who was recently announced as the DOOR Denver assistant director, spent the summer of 2010 working at DOOR and coordinating activities for the Mennonite, Presbyterian, and other youth groups that spent a week serving in Denver.
In addition to their service and reflection times, DOOR staff offered several informal classes, including the chance to learn breakdancing.
“It was a way to give them another urban experience,” said Cervantes, who enjoys breakdancing herself.
DOOR (Discovering Opportunities for Outreach and Reflection) invites those interested in urban ministry to spend time engaging with God’s transformative work in the city. This is done through short-term work trips for high school youth (Discover), and summer ministry exploration or year-long service opportunities for young adults ages 18-30 (Dwell).
In 2010, Cervantes met Molly Sila, Denver director at the time, at a book club, and was invited to assist with DOOR Denver’s summer programming.
“Molly needed a helper and I needed a job,” Cervantes explained.
Cervantes took a break in 2011 to do ministry in another program, but then was looking for work. Meanwhile, DOOR had been given a grant and was in the process of creating an official assistant director position for Denver.
Antonio Lucero, DOOR Denver’s director, and Glenn Balzer, DOOR’s executive director, attend church with Cervantes and asked her if she’d apply for the job. As part of the terms of the grant, Cervantes also works half-time at His Love Fellowship, her church, where she assists the youth coordinator with activities.
Now, in 2012, Cervantes is busy planning for summer groups. Before the youth groups arrive, she and Lucero will work to arrange service placements in Denver, visiting agencies and setting up activities for the groups.
Once summer begins, the work of hosting groups and leading reflection times and Bible studies will begin in earnest—which means she might not have time to teach breakdancing (although she hopes she will).
For Cervantes, meeting the groups that come through DOOR is one of the reasons she enjoys the program so much.
“I like working at DOOR because coming from a nondenominational church, it’s fun to meet groups that come from a Mennonite church or a Presbyterian church,” Cervantes said. “I enjoy learning about those denominations and the different ways to serve God and to worship.”
She also embraces the mission of DOOR: to see the face of God in the city.
“I want to show groups how God is at work in my city,” Cervantes said, “and to challenge groups to see what they can do in their own city or their own town.”
