Engaging Young Adults: Learning How to Live in Community

This is part three in a series about Resonate Global Mission’s work engaging young adults in mission. Read part one and part two.

When Toon graduated from Redeemer University in 2023, he had a job lined up in accounting—but he felt God nudge him to join the SOCO Beach Project. It was only four months, but it changed Toon’s life.

A Resonate Global Mission partner, SOCO is an opportunity for young adults ages 18-29 to spend a summer in an intentional living community in a small beach town Port Dover, Ontario. Not only do participants live and “do life” with other young adults, but they engage the local community through a job placement, work one-on-one with a mentor, receive spiritual coaching, and dive into teachings and discussions about living out their faith.

“I was about to graduate from university and I had a job lined up, but I felt this nudge that despite all of this, you should do it. You should do SOCO. I acted on the nudge and trusted it,” said Toon.

I was being exposed to intentional community and taking care of the community around you … SOCO made me evaluate my calling, and what I value, and what I wanted to do with my life.

After graduating, Toon moved into the SOCO house. Because a job placement is part of SOCO, he was able to keep the job he lined up. He commuted to the job—a two-hour drive one-way—two days a week and worked remotely from the house the other three. He shared meals, chores, conversations, and prayers with his housemates. He met with a mentor who cared about him and his life, and he received spiritual coaching from Willemina Zwart, a Resonate ministry leader who leads SOCO.

It changed how Toon wanted to live.

“I was being exposed to intentional community and taking care of the community around you … SOCO made me evaluate my calling, and what I value, and what I wanted to do with my life,” said Toon.

“I think God was already working in Toon to instill curiosity about vocation and calling and purpose of life,” said Willemina. “I think SOCO gave him the experience to really reflect on that more deeply and not just go with the flow—but to pause and ask, ‘What is God calling me to do?’”

At a SOCO event, Toon heard about this organization called Christians Against Poverty Canada (CAP), which reminded him of a previous connection that he had with the organization. CAP is an organization that walks alongside people and helps them get out of debt, budget, and save. Feeling called to work with this ministry, Toon left his job in accounting and is now using his education and experience by working with CAP as a debt operations administrator. He is also living in another intentional community with Act Five.

These are big life changes, but for Toon, he said the most meaningful part of SOCO was in what many people might consider mundane—daily rhythms.

“My favorite part about SOCO was coming back after work. You’re having dinner and you’re hanging out … you get to see everyone in all facets, in all moods, in every stage of their day. And because you’re living together, you get to know people on a deeper, more personal level.”

He said that community is important to him as he continues to live out his faith.

“Not just being of a community, but being in a community. That’s kind of what I’m chasing,” said Toon. “I think God intended us to be in community.”

“The whole journey of faith as exemplified in Jesus is you have to be with people,” added Willemina. “How am I supposed to learn how to bear with one another, forgive one another, and encourage one another if I’m not with another?”