Standing with a Ministry Where “These Bones Live”

In October 2025, representatives of the Open Soul Foundation, together with sixteen friends and supporters, joined Dry Bones Denver for their Under the Sea Gala. The event celebrated twenty-four years of ministry with houseless youth and young adults in the heart of Denver.

What unfolded that evening was more than a fundraiser. It was a living testimony that in God’s hands, even the most forgotten places can become valleys where dry bones live again.

A Ministry Where These Bones Live

For over two decades, Dry Bones Denver has walked the streets, alleyways, shelters, and courtrooms of the city with one simple conviction in their hearts: every young person carries unsurpassable worth.

Their ministry focuses on houseless and street-connected youth and young adults, offering compassion, consistency, and Christ-like love in a world that often treats them as invisible. Dry Bones does not see clients or case numbers. They see friends and companions whose stories matter.

From the beginning, their work has been shaped by a question from Ezekiel 37: “Son of man, can these bones live?”

Their answer has been to show up, day after day, until hope begins to rise again. Today, their tagline says it plainly: Dry Bones Denver - These Bones Live.

Unsurpassable Worth, Unconditional Love, Belonging

As we listened at the gala and in our Bible Chat podcast conversation with Robbie Goldman, Director of Spiritual and Emotional Formation at Dry Bones, three pillars emerged that hold up everything they do.

• Every person has unsurpassable worth and value.
• Every person is unconditionally loved.
• Every person belongs.

These are not luxuries for a few fortunate people. They are survival.

When a young person who has been lied to, abandoned, or deeply traumatized is treated as someone who matters simply because they exist, something begins to change inside. Healing becomes possible. Trust grows. A different future begins to come into view.

Practicing the Ways of Jesus on the Streets of Denver

Dry Bones often describes their work as practicing the ways of Jesus.

They look at how Jesus moved through the world, how He stopped for the ones others overlooked, and they ask very concrete questions.

• What does this look like on the 16th Street Mall?
• What does this look like in a Denver park?
• What does this look like in our outreach center today?

In the gospels, Jesus is always interruptible. Roof tiles fall in the middle of a sermon, and He stops for the man on the mat. Children call His name, and He draws them close. A father begs for help, and He changes direction. A woman reaches for His garment, and He responds with tenderness.

Dry Bones follows this pattern. For them, people are not interruptions. They are the destination.

At the same time, they also take seriously the way Jesus withdrew to quiet places to rest and pray. Staff members make space for Sabbath, reflection, and care of their own souls so they can keep loving well for the long haul.

Companioning Youth through Trauma

Many of the young people Dry Bones serves have endured layers of trauma. They carry stories of abuse, neglect, exploitation, addiction, and years spent in survival mode.

Dry Bones does not simply point them to services and step away. They go with them.

They sit beside them in courtrooms. They wait with them in doctors’ and dentists’ offices. They attend therapy sessions. They share meals around long family-style tables where everyone is welcomed as part of a community.

This is what they call companioning.

It is the decision to walk with someone through the long middle of their story, not just in moments of crisis. Companioning quietly says:

• You are not alone.
• You did not deserve what happened to you.
• Your trauma does not define your worth.

Even their physical space is shaped by this love. With the help of a trauma-informed architect, the lighting, colors, furniture, and layout have all been designed to communicate safety to nervous systems that rarely get to rest. Every detail whispers:

• You are safe here.
• You belong here.

The Response We Witnessed

At the gala and in countless quiet moments over the years, we have seen the fruit of this ministry.

Young adults who once slept on the streets return to say, “I knew where I would find you.” Volunteers and staff speak about the youth not as projects, but as friends and family. A community where those who once felt disposable are now treated as irreplaceable.

It is the kind of transformation that does not loudly announce itself, yet is unmistakable when you see it up close.

Why Open Soul Foundation Stands with Dry Bones

Open Soul Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Bible Chat app, committed to supporting ministries that embody Christ’s love in tangible, soul-restoring ways.

Dry Bones Denver is one of those ministries.

We are honored to stand with them publicly at events like the Under the Sea Gala, to walk alongside them as they sponsor meals and gatherings that offer food, dignity, and belonging, and to support the development of Dry Bones Academy as it comes to life.

For Alina Buzdugan, our US Open Soul Foundation lead, this partnership is deeply personal. She first met Dry Bones in 2002 while doing street outreach in Denver and has watched their ministry love, listen, and persevere for twenty-three years. Her prayer has often been: If my child or any child I love ever ends up on the streets, Lord, let them find a ministry like Dry Bones, and let Dry Bones find them.

Thank You for Standing with Us

To all who pray for, encourage, and support the work of Open Soul Foundation and our partners like Dry Bones Denver, thank you. Your care helps make possible the kind of ministry that treats every young person as someone of unsurpassable worth.

Together, we are bearing witness to the God who still breathes life into dry bones, one relationship, one conversation, one act of love at a time.

Open Soul Foundation was here.

“Son of man, can these bones live? "Ezekiel 37:3