Listening to CUB: What Members Say Makes Community Possible

The questions FTO was looking to answer through our experience:

'According to its members, what practices make Church Under the Bridge feel like a genuine community, and what might other communities learn from it?'

CUB MEMBER SURVEY

To better understand how members experience Church Under the Bridge (CUB), participants were invited to complete a voluntary survey about identity, belonging, faith, and community. Responses were reviewed for recurring ideas, language, and experiences. These findings do not represent every person connected to CUB, nor are they intended to measure CUB's effectiveness scientifically. Instead, they provide a structured account of how participating members understand the community and what keeps them returning.

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FTO celebrates fall on October 26, 2025 by Hula dancing before church service.

AMERICA NEEDS CUB COMMUNITIES

CUB is located in Waco, Texas, a city shaped by poverty, racial tension, class divisions, and a difficult history. These forces can create distance between neighbors, encourage assumptions, and make collective concern for the city’s welfare more difficult. This challenge is not unique to Waco. Across the country, political and religious divisions, online narratives, and fear of difference increasingly shape how people understand those outside their own communities, and often without genuine conversation or personal relationship. Against this backdrop, CUB offers an important example of people crossing social, racial, and economic boundaries to worship, serve, and care for one another.

During the annual health fairs at CUB, the community comes together to provide many services including hair cutting and feet washing.

Behind the For The One table in the beginning stages where we passed out water, shared art from current CUB members, gathered sign-ups for testimonies, and connected with future friends and church family.

THE FTO EXPERIENCE

Through our experience at CUB, For The One has never felt more inspired, welcomed, or deeply connected to a community. Many CUB members currently face homelessness, housing insecurity, financial hardship, or isolation. We came hoping to better understand and serve alongside this community as active members of it. What we did not expect was how profoundly CUB’s members would serve us in return. They have challenged our assumptions, expanded our understanding of community, and taught us more about faith, dignity, and belonging than a single blog post could convey.

Baylor President, Linda Livingstone gives a sermon at CUB on community and compassion.

THE METHODS OF OUR SURVEY

FTO wanted to document what some members have to say about CUB in order to help inform other outreaches, ministries, and programs for diverse communities across America. While the majority of these programs fail due to timelines, transactional methods, staff burnout, and result-driven motives, CUB has been doing something right for nearly thirty-five years.

A voluntary, anonymous survey was completed by 15 regular members of Church Under the bridge. Membership length ranged between six months, to 30 years when CUB began as a modest bible study under the bridge, and they answered questions on identity, faith, belonging, and their experiences at CUB. They could skip any question they did not want to answer.

Responses will be reviewed for recurring ideas and grouped into broader themes. The results will be presented using totals and anonymous quotations while protecting participants identities.