We are excited about the upcoming in-person launch of The Warehouse Church, in the beautiful Washington Park in the Over-The-Rhine community. This event will take place on June 6, 2021, at 1:00 pm. We hope to see each of you there as we celebrate our LORD and reach out to the City. We will introduce residents to the mission and culture of The Warehouse Church: a multi-ethnic, intergenerational, and multi-class community where they can belong, heal, grow, serve and transform by the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, and a loving community. On that day, we will have great music, food, the Cincinnati Circus, and other fun activities for children and youth. We’ll have tours of the church and hear inspiring messages and testimonies about God’s love and goodness. If you’d like to volunteer to assist us on June 6th, please contact me at info@thewarehousechurch.org.
While I have mixed emotions about the last twenty years of redevelopment and gentrification in downtown Cincinnati; I am honored and humbled that God has called us to this City for such a time as this. I recall the rich history of our missionional work in OTR via decades of volunteering and working at City Gospel Mission when it was located on Elm Street just one block north of Washington Park and Music Hall. During those years, Sadell and I ministered to homeless and transient men and women in need of food, shelter, and clothing. At the Mission, we provided much needed in-patient recovery services for addicted and formerly incarcerated men who were attempting to reclaim their lives. We provided transitional housing and job placement services to see men take major strides to reestablish themselves as viable tax paying citizens. All this work along with having parents and relatives who grew up in the West End and OTR make this a nostalgic setting for me.
Now, the demographics of OTR have changed dramatically. Property values have increased. This part of the City is recovering—after the pandemic, to its status as a booming go-to destination. An entire arts and small business community is burgeoning in Over The Rhine, and the FC Cincinnati Stadium is now open bringing another exciting professional sport to our City. Our Nation is in a struggle around race, economics, and implicit bias. God has uniquely and strategically positioned and equipped us to prepare and deploy disciples to bring His message to these new developing sectors of Cincinnati.
I am in awe as we celebrate the LORD’s provision and partnership with Hyde Park Community UMC to bring the Kingdom of God to a culture in need of healing, compassion and the love of Christ.