Models for Christ: Reaching Christians in the Fashion Industry

Models for Christ - the only ministry that reaches out to the fashion industry - just held their monthly outreach dinner Tuesday. The Paradox Fashion Dinner Fellowship began at 7 p.m. in New York City, a fashion capital of the world.

"It's a paradox," said Jeff Calenberg, co-founder with wife, Laura of Models for Christ. "Fashion and Christian are two words that you would never put in the same sentence, much less next to each other. That is Models for Christ."

Previously having worked as a model, Calenberg saw the need to stand up for Christ. Although he graduated from a Bible college, he "ended up" in the industry, and once there, could not find a Christian willing to stand up for Christ.

"I went to Bible college, but I just ended up in this industry. It just kind of happened… and I couldn't find a Christian anywhere that was willing to stand up, and my wife and I found each other, and she was coming back to a strong faith, and we decided let's start a Bible study for encouragement for us as well as for them."

Calenberg believes in "presenting Christ and developing spiritual leaders in the fashion industry." Because fashion is a very "influential part of our culture," there is an opportune platform for outreach.

"People are interested in what happens in our industry, and consequently it provides an opportunity to share the gospel because it's such a paradox," said Calenberg.

The fellowship/outreach event hosted speaker, Adrianne Shenk, a designer for a high-end fashion brand.

Speaking to an audience of 70, Shenk shared that after successfully working for six or eight top names, she realized that she drifted away from God.

"It's a hostile environment," related Calenberg. "Everyone in our industry is attaching themselves to the latest, neat, in, vogue thing because that's what our industry is. What's latest, what's greatest, what's new!"

"But the Christian faith has been around for a long time, and people pigeonhole you."
But Laura came back to Christ and ended up sharing her faith with many elites of the industry, and she encouraged the crowd to express their faith as well.

Begun in 1984, Models For Christ (or 'Paradox' as it's known in New York) has spread to Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, and Dallas, as well as internationally into the major fashion headquarters of the world.