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Story | Rose Hill United Methodist Church

Rose Hill Blooms Again

In an effort to address the typical woes of an historical inner city church's apparent demise/death, RoseHill opened it's doors, hearts and minds to the community in her shadows and LIFE returned again to the rose gardens....colorful, vibrant family life...

Rose Hill United Methodist Church is best described as an historical Methodist landmark established in 1889. She has a rich history but no desire to continue to exist on the basis of her past. The Rose Hill community has seen many periods of growth and transition, none so promising as those which are transpiring right now!

Rose Hill Church was effectively cut off from typical traffic flow twenty-five years ago when Veterans Boulevard, a six lane limited access highway, replaced Hamilton Road as the most traveled route in and out of downtown Columbus. As traffic flow patterns changed and residential access to Veterans Boulevard was blocked, the residential area began to transition from home-owner occupied residences, to rental property and in many instances, were demolished to make room for the growth of the ever expanding medical community in around the Medical Center and Doctors’ Hospitals of Columbus. The homes that remained on the less traveled Hamilton Road became rental property and an extension of one of the original city housing projects, Peabody Homes. With these changes, many families of Rose Hill community were dispersed to many different residential neighborhoods of Columbus. Many of the children of these members made their homes out in the suburbs and chose not to continue their membership at the downtown church. Since the mid 1960s the robust membership of fifteen hundred plus has dwindled to just barely one hundred. The remaining members’ average age exceeds seventy physical years; the average age mentally is estimated at maybe thirty-five! (NOTE: Measurement having been made by NON-scientific standards – but reliable nonetheless!)

In most publications, including local church profiles, Rose Hill’s future would seem bleak. It is not. The community is not static and the members are looking for ways their generations can reach our community – the community in the shadows of this man-made cathedral – dedicated by very hard working people to the glory of God more than a century ago. We, as members, love the beauty found within Rose Hill’s walls and the absolute stunning sun play within the Rotunda – WHEN THE DOORS ARE OPEN! The light changes amazingly as the doors are hooked open. Everyone notices the difference the open doors make. This place called Rose Hill is “Sanctuary” and it has been for years and we pray it to continue to be so for years into the future. It is not, however, a museum.

The membership has been praying for vision, for opportunity, for resources to reintroduce Rose Hill into the life of her seemingly fragmented community

In order to reach our community, Rose Hill UMC has planned and begun the process of meeting our neighbors, sometimes relying on past experiences, sometimes looking at radical new approaches.

The old school “WELCOME WAGON” approach to welcoming each of the new residents of Ashley Station, a 400 unit apartment complex under construction to replace orginal housing project, was determined as the best, more efficient method of outreach to the new community. Upon notification by management of Ashley Station that new residents have moved in, the residents are delivered lovely baskets, complete with Rose Hill Cookbooks, invitations to worship and magnets providing each with access to home and office numbers for our Pastor. These baskets have resulted in worship attendance by recipients and their use of our newly established counseling center.

On the dreams drawing board is, a neighborhood outreach program, preliminarily named “The ARTS, Camaraderie and Worship at Rose Hill” (ACW at ROSE HILL) This program will provide opportunity to open the doors of the Church each Saturday to children and teens. We will offer breakfast, music, dance, art instruction, tutoring, and worship time.

Outreach to Hamilton House, an assisted living facility in the neighborhood, has been initiated by our Friendship Sunday School Class. The class has encouraged church wide involvement. Christmas gifts for all 100 plus residents were delivered in 2006 with similar activities planned for the future.

Individuals within the church are actively involved and encourage all to participate in the BROWN BAG program in Columbus which provides community elderly with groceries each third week of the month.

We have learned that ringing the bells, standing on the church porches and preaching at 11:00 am on Sunday mornings is not considered by the neighborhood, a REAL INVITATION to enter into the Rose Hill Sanctuary. Our overall outreach programs are designed to reach two thousand people within a fifteen block area and untold thousands who traverse the Hamilton Road and Veterans’ Boulevard corridors of inner city Columbus. Community evangelism efforts began in earnest in January 2007 with the commencement of our “Find your Path – Share the Journey” billboard and outreach campaign. Our purpose in planning a billboard campaign was to find the best FIRST APPROACH to letting our neighbors and people who are near the Church daily know that Rose Hill Church desires to be a contributing member of the community and that her doors are open to all and that sanctuary is just through the doors. The campaign was designed to reach those people who are already members of our physical community/neighborhood. We were and are seeking to build and share relationships within the Rose Hill Community and raise awareness within the community that we ARE a member of the community.

Upon completion of the initial six months of this outreach phase, we anticipated that the billboards would enable our community friends to easily connect the church’s physical meeting place and our commitment to the community as a whole. As stated above, the main goal of the billboards was not to achieve greater “numbers” but rather heighten awareness of the church’s true purpose within the community.

We did not realize the depth of introspection that would occur within the congregation during this campaign. The tone initially agreed to and set at the time of the erection of the billboards has been a much needed stabilizing part of this transitional period of Rose Hill. Daily we are learning the realtime meaning of transitioning the mindset of a congregation from a “maintenance” mentality to a “mission-outreach” mentality. The process is not without pain and conflict – many individuals within the congregation had already made that commitment PRIOR to advertising it on 11’ by 36’ billboards; others are now dealing with change in ways which would be naturally expected in an older congregation which has been in “survival mode” for nearly a decade.

Miracles, or as we more comfortably refer to them in business meetings, phenomenons, have occurred during this phase of outreach campaign…Our Board Chairman purchased a small bus and has established a “Saturday in the Park” luncheon complete with short devotional, cloth tablecloths, china and silverware (serving 100plus weekly) and runs a neighborhood route before Sunday School and also before Worship service; a new Sunday School class has grown out of this “Saturday in the Park” averaging 25 to 35 people in class and worship; our nursery has babies again; our children’s Sunday school class often has as many as 15 children in attendance; new Sunday School class members have become full fledged church members; the new class, the Pathfinder’s Class is assuming responsibilities’ within the Church and the Outreach Ministry; our Wednesday night service has returned serving as many as 50 people, food for body and soul; according to one board member “Rose Hill’s activities have made news in the local paper for the first time in decades”; the Mayor’s Office returns the preachers’ phone calls; Housing Authority Administrators make phone calls to the Church, local gossip circles are referring to Rose Hill as the “downtown mission church” --- the jury is still out amongst a few of our older members as to whether that is a good thing or not!!! And the cross-the-street Baptist church has partnered with us in outreach to the apartment complex in the neighborhood – who says MIRACLES can’t be “confirmed”!

…….as unanticipated asides, our neighbors’ lives are changing, evidence the following:

-One couple is no longer on the streets or at THE PLAZA. They have steady jobs and have moved from the street, to THE PLAZA, to an apartment and now into a house large enough to accomodate others – and have assumed the positions of Class Mentors – regularly their extra rooms serve as a transitional home for other members of the class;

-one sweet member visited first at Pentecost and joined at Thanksgiving, and is seeking stability -- has suffered incredible loss during this winter but still knows Rose Hill is home..we are praying for her to reach the point of moving to a home with proper utility connections closer to the church; she rides her bike to church during the week to “help out” if anyone is in the facility.

--Our Sunday Morning chef has a new home and two new jobs – one pays him money; the other, just hugs and kisses from us as we enjoy the fruits of his labor each Sunday morning; he struggles with real health issues... we have to learn how to help him navigate the health care systems..

-one child loves making “My Colored Days” books in Sunday School and has practiced enough to be one of our most reverent acolytes; his mom enjoys the “Pathfinders” class and is making friends who are there for her to help with her son. His mom has a difficult, but stable job at a commercial laundry; they have recently moved out of an apartment on MLK to a house; more privacy, closer to mom’s work, a better school situation…still the neighborhood is sketchy but well patrolled; still times are tough but he has a private yard and a sense of home....we celebrated his mom's and stepfather's engagement recently and are looking forward to a Fall church wedding...

-one is seeking and still willing to take one step forward while struggling with two backwards…we are praying and praying that soon he will commit to “the forward” as we selfishly await the day that he and the Preacher decide that he will be our new pianist…the two steps backwards has to change before Preacher says yes;

-another's “joie de vivre” has been finding a safe, accepting church home in which to grow and he is no longer on the street…he has a new apartment just down from other classmates...he is recouperating from a near death diabetic incident...a time that God used to teach him that we, his church family...will not forsake him.

-A young mother and her children are learning to trust the friendships offered at Rose Hill while building a new life at Ashley Station; the children often come with their estranged father when the mother can't bring them

-one has learned to not fear the church as an arm of governmental authority - he has allowed us finally to meet his family – girlfriend and children, step-daughter(11) and stepson (8, “but almost 9) and have brought them off the river banks to church and Sunday school – the daughter made a personal “covenant” in Sunday School a few weeks back when we were talking about Chief Seattle, “the green movement”, and what a covenant really is…..she wrote, “I promise when I become the woman God intends me to be, RICH AND FAMOUS, I will remember today, 10/21/07. AS.” Her verbal explanation of this “covenant” was to “give way” her rich part so that people wouldn’t be without homes and clothes and food and that although the river is as wonderful as Chief Seattle described, it is a place you should visit for fun not live. Members mentioned above, have taken them, into their home for the time being; others are helping them navigate the complicated system of social services available for the short term. the children are in school daily and are the caretakers of the heart and soul of our new Crafters Worship Center

-Another couple of classmembers have sent their three boys to live with family in Pennsylvania until life is better here. They have their vehicle back, are in church each Sunday unless he finds work for the day. For months, they have lived on the river in a tent but have this month found decent, affordable housing that will enable them to the have the boys come back home. Mom cries each weekend when provided with cell phone access to reach the boys – the tears are good, healthy, human. She knows that we care about her family immensly. She knows now that her church family will be the knot at the end of the rope – she is learning to trust God’s family to be her own.

Never would we have dreamed large enough to set forth these happenings as “GOALS”.

Our numbers in attendance, our “proposed plans”, our “goals” etc. do not and CAN NOT adequately, communicate the bottom line. There have been times that the outreach campaign – costs of billboards, new programming, etc. -- did not feel like “good stewardship”….so many needs have our neighbors, so few resources we have to offer. HOWEVER, the real value of the boards will be felt for years to come – as we passed each of the boards, from and to the church, we were reminded of our original purpose – the boards set us upon and kept us focused on the Path at hand – the billboards have been likened to “the iconic eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg described in The Great Gatsby!” Initially, we put them up to welcome folks to and draw attention to the church, in the end, the result of the billboard phase turned out to be mostly a reminder to US of our paths; the evangelism efforts of individual members of the church, so convicted, have forever changed the future of Rose Hill.

As an extension of this phase of outreach, internal church “training efforts” undertaken are ongoing. From a “business” standpoint, we expect new visitors with no prior connection to the Church and have attempted to anticipate their needs and questions. In order to assure the spirit of hospitality we place members in the parking lot and The Rotunda to answer whatever questions the visitors may have upon their arrival; in order to evolve our “chit chat Sunday snack” time before Sunday School to include new members, we have expanded the “snack” to a more substantial breakfast and intentionally encouraged interaction between old and new members; we have prepared teachers and established a new “Pathfinders” Sunday school class in order to quickly assimilate new members into the life of the Church and are training these new Sunday School members in positions of responsibility for the breakfast hour and other ongoing ministries; we have established a “rotunda duty” system to assist visitors during the worship hour should situations arise that need to be addressed; our Board Chairman, the bus driver, mentioned above, is training members, old and new, who feel led to participate with him in his “Saturday in the Park” outreach ministry.

No matter how many brainstorm sessions, conversations held or memos circulated, any program that involves a group greater than one, is somewhat unpredictable…surprises happen, issues arise, communication along a transitional journey is essential to health. A daily BLOG of progress to date might have been beneficial OR SUICIDAL…hard to say which! Stewardship issues should probably have been weighed against real facts and downside scenarios should always be considered. We are learning that new ministries cannot be funded at the expense of existing and ongoing programs/commitments; costs and decisions must be weighed/based upon available, unallocated resources, in hand, rather than anticipated/pledged. Ultimately people really do spend money based upon their hearts and attitudes and it is not always possible to predict their hearts and attitudes. Anticipated budget requirements should be tripled to plan for unexpected occurrences. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. And it is absolutely crucial to listen for the quietest voice of opposition early in any program necessitating change. That quiet sign of opposition is God’s gift to us to remind us to LISTEN INTENTLY especially to that which is not easy to hear.

Partly in response to unexpected occurrences, a separate mission entity has been established, “Our Lady of Rose Hill Ministries, Inc.” This mission group, led by Dennis Roaden, our Board Chairman and BusDriver/Owner, has petitioned City Hall vocally on issues that impact those people in the community that we are committed to reaching, has began work with Department of Corrections to establish transitional housing for newly released folks with no place to go upon leaving correctional facilities; keeps the pantry stocked and Pathfinders Class organized for “Saturday in the Park” and has purchased a Ministry House for “street cred” activities. The establishment of the Ministries augments the overall ministries of Rose Hill in that it allows very bold actions to be taken without the church as a whole having to worry about liability issues involved in community outreach. The Ministry House is located within walking distance of “OPEN DOOR” which allows for a very close working relationship, without conflict of mission, with clients of “OPEN DOOR”. An opportunity for a fast shower, washer and dryer usage and bible study is offered at the Ministry House on Tuesday and Thursday nights. These meetings have grown to a regular group of 30 or more people, many of whom find their way to Sunday School and Church on Sunday mornings. Because of the relationships built at the Ministry House, they feel comfortable in the church setting surrounded by folks they already know. The Ministry House is however, a simple 3 room “shot gun” house and is much too small to house the growing bible studies and the emergency clothing necessities that are stored there. We are in conversation as to how to move the services offered there to the Hamilton Road church location but are wary of doing so because of the importance of the shower and laundry facilities and the proximity to the Second Avenue community.

As we look to the future, it is clear that our church must also reach outside the boundaries of our familiar geographical community for survival. Perhaps at least one bill board should have been located OUTSIDE our targeted community in order to attract people from all over the city that have a heart for urban ministry and are willing to invest resources and gifts and graces within the church. We are discussing opportunities to partner with larger congregations to address necessary personnel needs, however, we would prefer to have folks make a bolder commitment to the Journey than filling positions of teachers and musicians who rotate in and out of the life of the church.

We are trusting God to lead kindred spirits through our opened doors and to lead us to find those who have gone before us who are willing to share the wisdom of their journey. We pray constantly to be aware of available resources that reach children and youth of this decade and the courage to access and learn from those resources.
We, as a corporate body, are learning through physical, relational interaction to “know our neighbors” and we, as a corporate body, are learning the names and faces of our neighborhood and very painfully, we are learning the obstacles over which our neighbors must climb in order to pick their paths. We are learning, again very painfully, how many of those obstacles are beyond our present ability to positively impact. We are, even more painfully, learning that our resources are limited….we simply aren’t strong enough, wise enough, wealthy enough, educated enough or worldly enough to go it on our perceived strengths and preparation. We are learning to trust God rather than ourselves.

With that said, let it be known, that this is a blessed and exciting time for Rose Hill United Methodist Church. We still believe that we have been called by God to this special place for HIS purposes. We still believe that we are called to feed HIS LAMBS and in so doing to offer hospitable SANCUTARY that all may have the privilege, space and time to listen to God, to love Him, to love others, to love ourselves and to serve.