Until We Arise is a Christian nonprofit organization based and founded in Los Angeles, California by Rachel Caban and Veronica Vazquez in 2017. Rachel, an educator, and Veronica, a social servant, founded Until We Arise (UWA) as an answer to what they saw as the biggest challenge in their lines of work: a lack of HOPE. Working with some of the most marginalized and impoverished people groups in Los Angeles, they saw that while social services and educational resources were imperative to the people they served, the reality was that without hope many of the cycles of poverty, addiction, abuse, and trauma were not being broken. They both participated in church ministry and worked in secular work, but wrestled with the “disconnect.” It felt like the church “work” was disconnected from the needs of the community and the secular work was disconnected from the faith that had transformed their own lives. They desired to build a ministry that would BRIDGE the gap. UWA would not be a traditional church ministry nor would it be a traditional nonprofit… it would be a BRIDGE as it were, and a way to provide resources and hope to people of all walks of life.
As Latinas from Los Angeles with backgrounds in formal education in social justice and an awareness of the great racial and gender disparities that plague our society, they both felt alienated from their church families. With personal experiences with issues like racism, violence, poverty, and immigration, they often felt like the church was quiet about the issues that were some of the loudest in their lives. They knew that there had to be more people like them, people who wrestled with finding their place in church and reconciling with a loving and compassionate Christ who had the answers to every challenge. So, Rachel and Veronica set out to create a community that creates safe and honest spaces to heal, to grow, to serve, and to connect with God in an authentic way. While the vision and scope of UWA continues to grow, the commitment to “bridge” is the core of UWA and will continue to remain as the central focus of what we do.
Welcome to Until We Arise…
