Every summer, students from Youth at Canterbury spend a week serving neighbors across Birmingham, but they often discover they're the ones being transformed. Join us as we explore the friendships, faith, and life-changing moments that make Magic City Work Week so much more than a service project.
In this episode of Canterbury Cast, host Jeff Nix sits down with Youth Pastor Gann Waters-Wright, youth leaders Eleanor Kerr and Davis Plowden, and YAC student Sadie Martin to share the heart behind Magic City Work Week, one of Canterbury's most meaningful traditions.
Together, they pull back the curtain on a week that is far more than painting houses. From early mornings filled with worship and devotion, to serving alongside Urban Ministry in Birmingham's West End, to evenings of worship, laughter, and community, they reflect on how six days of intentional service become an opportunity to encounter God in unexpected ways.
Along the way, they share stories of homeowners who leave a lasting impression, the growing partnership with Riverchase United Methodist Church, and the profound ways students return home with a renewed perspective on faith, compassion, and what it means to love their neighbors. Whether you've experienced Magic City Work Week yourself or are hearing about it for the first time, this conversation is a reminder that some of life's greatest transformations begin when we're willing to serve. It's a story of real grace and real love, lived out in the heart of Birmingham—one brushstroke, one conversation, and one life at a time.