Today we’d like to introduce you to Rochelle Webster.
Hi Rochelle, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a cross-cultural child. I was born in America to South African parents who were in the States for my father’s doctoral studies. When he was finished we moved back to SA, and were present for Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, the end of apartheid, and the first truly democratic elections in 1994. I was only a child at the time, but both the budding hope for a new South Africa and the confrontational realities of what had happened during apartheid that were revealed during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission made a profound impact on me. As a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, I wrestled with what Christianity taught about loving others as God has loved us (1 John 4:19), and the injustices and cruelty that Christians had committed and supported during apartheid. Was the church a force for love and justice and mercy, or would we turn a blind eye, or worse be a force for segregation, division, and hatred?
Today, I work as a pastor at a beautifully diverse Seventh-day Adventist Christian church in National City. We have two key verses that guide our community – one is from 1 John 4:19, which instructs that we are to “love as He (God) first loved us.” The second comes from Revelation 7:9, where a vision of the future is described, a beautiful picture of “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language.” It is my deep hope that we are creating a community that reflects a Jesus of love and justice and mercy to all people from all nations.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Our church has been part of the National City community for 120+ years. When it started, the hope was to be able to provide whole person care to the community, including a vibrant hospital that was connected to our denomination for 100+ years. Around twenty years ago that hospital was sold to an external entity, which caused some significant changes and challenges for our church community. How would we be a blessing to our community now? In what ways would “loving first” manifest itself?
What emerged from those questions is was the start of a refugee ministry that developed into a separate non-profit that now works with our church. It also resulted in our church itself becoming a reflection of that Revelation 7 vision, where people from all nations and tribes and people come together as equally loved children of God to worship together.
As you know, we’re big fans of Paradise Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Who we are: We are diverse group of people from all sorts of backgrounds. We come from different countries. Some grew up in the church. Some have just started searching for God. We are young. We are old. We are broken. We are blessed. We are an incredibly diverse community of people who have this one thing in common: we have been changed because of Jesus. We strive to #lovefirst.
We know we are all going through challenging times in the world right now, and it can be easy to feel isolated and overwhelmed. We want people to know this – you are not alone! Whoever you are, wherever you are in your journey, we strive to create a of kindness, community, and care.
How to connect: There are several ways for you to get connected.
Join us in person on Saturday mornings at 9:30am (for discussion groups) and 11:00am (for church service).
Join us on social media! You can watch our services on Saturday mornings, 11:00am on our website or our facebook page.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pvchurch.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePVChurch
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@paradisevalleychurch2292
- Other: email address: paradisevalleychurch@gmail.com
