An Open Letter to St. Roch Community Church
August 29, 2010
About 5 1/2 years ago, I didn't know what church was really meant for. I was attending a mega-church about 30 miles from where I lived. Honestly, I enjoyed the anonymity of worshiping with 2,000 other people. No one knew my name, or my junk. In January 2005, a woman who I had just met prayed for me and put into words what I didn't know I was missing--church as a family, an intimate body, a group of people who know & care about you. That prayer was a sign of God doing something and leading me on a course that is still going to this day.
Soon after that, I stopped attending the mega-church and found a cool little church-plant in Chicago that was all about racial reconciliation and other Kingdom-oriented things. The people were nice and I thought my prayer had been answered.
Then I moved to Oakland for Mission Year and my team was assigned to work & worship with a traditional style Missionary Baptist church in the 'hood. My four white teammates and I stuck out like a bunch of sore thumbs, but that church welcomed & loved us as if we had been there our whole lives. A year later when we were leaving Oakland, I remember tearing up and thanking that congregation for really showing me what church could be--a family, a home filled with love. I thought my prayer was answered.
Then I moved to New Orleans and didn't know what to expect. Some of my first friends recommended a presbyterian church uptown. This was like the polar opposite cultural experience from Oakland, but this body was equally as warm and inviting--and I don't think it's just because I was in the city as a volunteer. This intimate congregation was a real family and people genuinely cared about each other. Wow, I thought, God is really answering this prayer in even more unexpected ways!
At the same time, I began hearing the murmurings of a dream, a vision to plant a new church on the other side of town, a church that would serve & preach the gospel in word and action, intentionally loving neighbors who looked different from each other, in order to restore dignity & leadership to transform the community. Little did I know how it would look 4 years later!
St. Roch Community Church has become my community and my family. I am proud to claim and identify myself with this group of people. I am known here, junk and all, and still loved! There were many days when I was frustrated with the work or didn't understand why certain things happened, and I was always and constantly challenged, encouraged, and pushed to see beyond myself. God is indeed doing something, indeed building this church. He has allowed his spirit to fill this body with Truth and grace, love and compassion. I feel I have learned so much more than I could have taught. This church is a living example of God's abundant grace & mercy. There is a real authenticity to the depths of relationship and love here--it's a love that sees & speaks Truth, builds up and does not pursue its own agenda.
The friendships I have here, this body, defies odds & stereotypes and really is like a breeze from heaven. I shared at Thanksgiving that this type of thing doesn't just happen everyday. Look around and remember that God has something special going on here. If those other churches along the way had been God's only answer to my prayer, that would have been enough. But how do I express my gratefulness for what He has done here, in me? It is truly a gift to call you my family, my home; God's goodness is all over this place.
It is bittersweet for me to know I must leave my family here. But I know God's work will continue. There will surely be tests & trials ahead but I believe that God will not abandon this work that He has begun. This church is a part of me and I know I leave some of my heart here. It is with joy and hope and eager anticipation that I will continue to pray for God to use this body to touch lives, neighborhoods, this city, and beyond. I feel great joy & humility & honor to be sent out on behalf of St. Roch Community Church, and to see God's Kingdom continue to advance! I love y'all!!!
with Love,
emily
