The Story Library
Stories that cultivate hope, challenge despair, and inspire faithful action
At Christians for Social Action, we believe stories help us see one another more clearly.
Through music, film, podcasts, immersive experiences, devotionals, and personal narratives, the Storytellers Collective amplifies stories that help us imagine a more just and flourishing world. They reveal how faith is formed, challenged, and renewed in everyday life. This library gathers testimonies, interviews, reflections, and personal narratives from across the CSA community and beyond. Each of the stories below was created as part of the Storytellers Collective, a multi-year, national storytelling initiative that is amplifying stories that challenge despair and stir the Church’s imagination for a more just, faithful future.
God's Secrets: An Immersive Chair Experience
God’s Secrets: An Immersive Art Experience
Designed by acclaimed multi-disciplinary artist Shabazz Larkin and narrated by renowned historian Dr. Jemar Tisby, God’s Secrets invites visitors to sit, be still, and hear untold gospel hope stories of lesser-known Black Christian leaders whose faith fueled movements for justice. Three audio stories describe the contributions of Anna Murray Douglass, Prathia Hall, and The Savannah Colloquy.
Each of the three audio stories is about eight minutes in length. The entire experience is 25 minutes in length.
God’s Secrets is available to experience at Washington Community Fellowship. The church is located at 907 Maryland Ave NE, Washington DC 20002. You are invited to sit in the chair from 9am – 12pm on Sundays from now through the end of June. Learn more >
"Storybook": Music & Gospel Hope
Coming October 23: World Premiere of "Storybook, Vol. 2"
Storybook, Vol. 2 is a five-song album emerging from the second cohort of Christians for Social Action’s Storytellers Collective, created in collaboration with Common Hymnal. The songs were shaped by the stories of Virago Rising, Truth’s Table, the Center for Restorative Justice, Liberated Together, and Christians for Social Action. Together, they explore what we carry with us and what we pass on: memory and hope, dignity and liberation, the voices that formed us, and the possibility of restoration.
Available on all audio streaming platforms on October 23 | Videos available on YouTube on October 26
Common Hymnal: Songs, Justice, and a Different Kind of Worship
Common Hymnal isn’t just making music — it’s building something deeper. What began as a response to injustice has grown into a creative community shaped by questions, honesty, and a commitment to faith that engages the real world. Their songs hold together lament and hope, justice and worship, much like the Psalms. This documentary looks at Common Hymnal — its origins, its people, and its vision for creating music that reflects the complexity of life, faith, and the world we inhabit.
"We Got Us": Podcast Stories of Collective Flourishing
We Got Us: Stories of Collective Flourishing
We Got Us is a six-episode podcast series from Chasing Justice that captures the voices, stories, and wisdom emerging from the organization’s Chicago Justice Pilgrimage. Hosted by leaders including Sandra Van Opstal, Roslyn Hernandez, and Tyler Burns, the series explores a central question: What does it take to build and preserve communities where everyone can flourish?
Rooted in the biblical vision of shalom, the podcast highlights the experiences of residents, organizers, faith leaders, and participants who are confronting challenges such as disinvestment, gentrification, and violence while cultivating hope and belonging. Rather than searching for answers from distant experts or institutions, We Got Us points listeners toward the wisdom found in proximity, community, and shared struggle — revealing how God’s work is often most visible among neighbors committed to one another’s flourishing. Listen to the episodes >
"Get Up, Girl" Film: Moral Leadership & Black Women's Voices
Harriet Tubman’s Legacy: Raising the Next Generation of Moral Leaders
Inspired by the story of Harriet Tubman, this documentary project from Leadership LINKS explores what courageous, faithful, and community-centered leadership looks like in times of uncertainty. Through the voices and experiences of Black girls and young women, the film examines how hope is cultivated when leaders speak truth, hold one another accountable, and work together for the common good. It also challenges the historical narratives that have shaped perceptions of Black women and girls in America while inviting viewers into a theological reflection on human dignity, calling, and leadership. At its heart, the project affirms that Black girls and women are not only worthy of leadership — they have long been among the nation’s most powerful agents of hope, justice, and transformation.
Wisdom of Our Communities: Interactive Advent Journey
Wisdom of Our Communities Advent Devotional
What does it mean to practice faithfulness in a time of uncertainty, division, and fear? Created by the Coalition of Asian American Pacific Islander Churches (CAAPIC), this interactive Advent devotional draws on the stories, experiences, and spiritual wisdom of Asian American and Pacific Islander Christians.
Moving from stories of resisting authoritarian regimes in ancestral homelands to reflections on the challenges of capitalism and individualism in the United States, this Advent journey explores how Christian communities can embody hope, truth-telling, and faithful witness in the present moment. As we wait for the coming of Christ, these reflections encourage us to learn from one another, love our neighbors, and discover the wisdom that emerges when communities journey together toward justice, belonging, and renewal.
Creation Care: Faith, Creation, and Justice
Why Creation Care Is a Matter of Faith and Justice
Why does creation care matter for people of faith? This film explores the deep connection between faith, creation, and justice — and what it means to care for the earth as an expression of loving what God loves. Through the story of Churches of Restoration, a program of A Rocha USA, we hear from pastors, leaders, and young people who are rethinking the role of the Church in a time of environmental crisis.
Continue the Journey
Stories are meant to move us, not simply inform us. The Storytellers Collective brings together artists, filmmakers, musicians, organizers, and community leaders who are helping us imagine a fuller expression of Christian faithfulness and a more just society.
Whether you listen to a song, watch a film, share a story, or join a conversation, you become part of the work of cultivating hope.