What We Do
Our mission is to engage youth through theatrical productions and training in theater arts, music, and prayer in a transformative environment that leads them to a sustained relationship with Jesus Christ.
We at Inner-City Movement have been called as a company of bondservants of Christ to show the heart of God through clear artistic expression of the full gospel. Additionally, we have been called to train up the next generation of 8-18 year olds who are chosen of God to lead this charge in the very near future. We provide these youth with an intense one-year training program free of charge and many opportunities to remain involved after that year, while also conducting major outreaches to the Greater Philadelphia region through the presentation of original theatrical productions.
Inner-City Movement Program Flow Chart
- Youth attend an Overflow Theater Production.
- Youth enroll in The Core – 1 year Theater Arts & Spiritual Formation Training Program.
- Youth participate in Overflow Theater Productions, become student teachers in The Core, and lead in The Heart.
The Why Behind What We Do
Inner-City Movement sees a generation that discovers their primary identity and the reality of their immense worth in Jesus Christ.
This generation is bombarded through mass media with distorted images of beauty, sexuality, and success that shape our self-image, dictate our choices, the music we listen to, the clothing we wear, the language we use, the way we treat people, the kind of friends we choose, and so forth.
The burden of conforming to these standards has left this generation violent, depressed, confused, and despairing of our future. Consequently, we don't know who are, where we're going, and how we're going to get there. A pandemic identity crisis has left our generation physically, emotionally, and spiritually depleted.
In Philadelphia alone, thousands of youth under the age of 18 habitually encounter severe risk factors in their communities. Such factors include high levels of poverty, susceptibility to alcohol and drug use, susceptibility to engaging in and becoming a victim of criminal activity, and exposure to abusive and negligent family life. Many have become violent, depressed, confused and suicidal.
In addition, there are staggering statistics that show that 96% of those born after 1984, ages 26 and younger, do not attend church at all. The crisis is obvious! Inner-City Movement is compelled by the love of God to respond to this crisis by reaching out to the youth of the Greater Philadelphia region through Christ-centered arts education, arts production, prayer, and community outreach. This is the why behind what we do.
