Lindsay Blake
When Jennifer Weaver first heard about Christ For the City International in 2010, she had no idea how deeply it would shape her life—or how God would use that connection to impact more than a thousand women around the world.
Her introduction came through a client, John Wilton, a longtime member of CFCI’s International Board of Directors. A few years later, in 2014, Jennifer joined her first Urban Plunge in Omaha. The experience changed her.
“I absolutely loved serving at different ministries,” she recalls. “That trip opened my eyes to the way CFCI truly shows up for vulnerable communities.”
One of the people Jennifer met early on was Dr. Duane “Chip” Anderson, then the President of CFCI. Chip didn’t just encourage her—he helped redirect the course of her entire life.
His influence led Jennifer to attend Fuller Seminary, which eventually resulted in her co-founding an anti–human trafficking nonprofit in Kansas City. Since then, their drop-in center has served over 1,200 women experiencing exploitation.
“My life and how I serve in the Kingdom would look completely different had I not gone to seminary,” she says. “God used CFCI to open that door.”
Fifteen years later, Jennifer continues to travel, volunteer, and walk alongside CFCI missionaries around the world. What keeps her connected?
“I love the way CFCI shows up all over the world to be the hands and feet of Christ,” she says. “They don’t just talk about serving communities—they actually do the work. They listen. They partner. They bring solutions that come from the heart of the people who live there.”
Jennifer especially values CFCI’s model of local partnership, where missionaries shape ministry based on the real needs of their communities.
“CFCI isn’t telling people what they should do—they’re listening, learning, and working alongside them.”
For Jennifer, some of the most sacred moments have been the simplest ones—standing on dusty soccer fields, sitting on front steps, or kneeling beside children in extreme poverty.
“Their joy when you simply show up… it’s overwhelming,” she says. “Even if all you can offer is your time and attention, God uses that. That’s when I feel closest to Christ—being His hands and feet.”
She’s lost count of how many times she’s experienced that kind of holy encounter through CFCI.
“Go,” she says. “Just go.”
“Take the mission trip. Do the Urban Plunge. Volunteer for a day. Have coffee with a missionary. Say yes and see what God has in store for you.”
Because in her words, “You never know what’s on the other side of your obedience.”
