Church’s revival Friday night aims to connect it to the Southeast Raleigh community
As a buzz swarms worldwide about six Episcopal Church revivals planned for this year and 2018 to motivate, equip and mobilize Episcopalians for evangelism and reconciliation, St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Southeast Raleigh will host one of its own that crosses denominations and into communities across the state.
It’s a rarity for Episcopalians everywhere – and the first-ever revival for St. Ambrose, a historically African-American church founded in 1868 for the newly emancipated.
The St. Ambrose Revive Me Community Revival is Friday from 7-9 p.m. at St. Ambrose, 813 Darby Street. There will be preaching, a worship and prayer service, personal testimonies, storytelling, and music and dance from African drummers from Oxford, and liturgical dancers and choirs from other churches.
The community revival crosses denominations and worship traditions as a testament to the vibrancy of Southeast Raleigh – despite mass gentrification in the area that defines it, for some, as a place of deficits, said the Rev. Jemonde Taylor, St. Ambrose’s 12th pastor.
Just as the national revivals will differ as much as each parish, community and their ideas about how to love and serve God and others, the St. Ambrose revival will culminate not with an invitation to church membership, but with an offering of prayer for the nation, state, communities and individuals, Taylor said.
Although in lockstep with the national “Jesus Movement Revivals” championed by Presiding Bishop the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, St. Ambrose’s work began three years ago with New Visions, a congregational renewal and vitality initiative led by the Rev. Canon Angela S. Ifill, missioner for black ministries for the Episcopal Church.
Over the years, Ifill has engaged black congregations across the country, calling together priests and lay parishioners from 13 dioceses and several churches to have conversations about ways to revitalize, find and fix what’s lacking, and to grow while also better connecting with the communities around them.
“Many of our congregations are destination congregations; people drive in and drive out, and they don’t know their communities,” which can make Episcopal churches appear disconnected and unwelcoming, Ifill said. “This is an effort for them to go back into the community, meet with people, agencies and other congregations in the community, and begin to collaborate and meet the needs of the community.”
Revivals are a key component of that work, Ifill assures. Each New Visions revival is open to everyone in the community. The next day, all are invited to a program designed to encourage conversation, share experiences and how challenges were resolved, and determine a path to emerge from isolation to rejuvenate the congregation and revitalize the church.
“They have to be spiritually revived and renewed to go back and do something different from what’s going on right now,” Ifill said. “But it’s not just a revival and that’s the end.
“It’s a revival that starts a longer process of connecting with the local community.”
Among ministries already at home at St. Ambrose are Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous, Partners for Environmental Justice, weekly tutoring and mentoring for high school students, and the One Church, One School ministry with nearby Fuller Elementary.
In addition to an open door to the community, St. Ambrose has invited all Episcopal churches and other churches across the state.
St. Ambrose parishioner and revival organizer Larry Stroud thinks it’s a crucial step toward breaking down barriers of understanding and better discipleship.
“I hope people will leave inspired to join one of the churches participating in this revival and, hopefully, we will all develop a better relationship with each other so we can serve God together in the community,” Stroud said. “You can’t be a good neighbor if you don’t know one another.”
The pilot Episcopal Revival was in February in Pittsburgh, followed by west Missouri and Georgia. The last three are in San Joaquin in November, Honduras in April and England in July.
Among the sister churches invited to the Saint Ambrose revival is Durham’s St. Titus Episcopal Church, where the Rev. Stephanie Yancey is the lead priest.
“Our faith is always being challenged; in particular, so many folks are saying the church is irrelevant when we believe the church, our influence, is desperately needed,” she said. “This revival will refresh and revive those who are already at work in the church, but it will also bring attention to the work we’re doing to those who have forgotten we’re here.”
Lori Wiggins writes stories about people and places in Southeast Raleigh. Email ideas and suggestions to her at ldrwigg@gmail.com.
This story was originally published September 21, 2017 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Church’s revival Friday night aims to connect it to the Southeast Raleigh community."