Church Hill is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Richmond. Originally it was the main middle class suburb to the downtown Richmond area. It is most famous for St John’s Church, where Patrick Henry delivered his “Give me Liberty…” speech. In the mid-20th Century, the neighborhood began to dramatically change. Racial dynamics shifted as more black families moved in and white families moved further out into the suburbs. Dramatic transfers of power occurred as people of wealth and influence moved further out of the city. By the 1970’s, Church Hill became a community marked by intense poverty, especially the section of the neighborhood that is north of Broad Street. Today, 82% of families in Church Hill are single parent households, 37% of households are below the Federal Poverty line ($17,600 for a family of 4), 50% of enrolled 9th graders will not graduate high school, and less than 10% of high school graduates go on to college. There is a 40–60% unemployment rate. Despite these facts, Church Hill remains a diverse neighborhood marked by many contrasts. Many different kinds of people congregate in Church Hill – older affluent professionals, young professionals who want to brave the urban environment, highly secular people living on the fringes of society, an active homosexual community, middle class African American families, but by far the most dominant group is the urban poor. Despite this diversity, over 85% of the population in Church Hill is African American.
Over the last decade many Christians have turned their attention to the work of God in this part of the city. One of the co-pastors of EEF, Don Coleman, grew up in Church Hill as a foster child. Don is now a pastor, community leader and the 7th District School Board representative. For years Don prayed and hoped for a movement of God’s people in the East End who would commit to seeing its transformation. Church Hill has many saints and servants like Don who have lived here for many years and who are committed to working for God’s Kingdom in this part of our city.
Other people have relocated into this neighborhood to join this Kingdom work. One example is Angie and Percy Strickland, who in 2002 moved into the neighborhood. By simply inviting kids and youth into their home, Church Hill Activities and Tutoring (CHAT) was born. CHAT is a Christian community development organization – the goal is simply to “be neighbors in the community” and to open homes and lives to youth and children in the neighborhood.
In addition to CHAT, over the years other ministries have sprung up in response to community needs. Some of these include Church Hill Academy, an alternative school for at-risk high school students, Blue-Sky Fund, an outdoor education program that works with urban youth, and Urban Hope, a non-profit that works to create community through developing home ownership and affordable housing. All of this work has been influenced by the principles of the Christian Community Development Association, especially the idea that neighborhoods like Church Hill will not be healed simply by lofting people and resources in from the outside, but through people actually moving into neighborhoods to take on the problems and pains of the community as their own. It is a thoroughly incarnational model of ministry – to live with those we are called to serve.
In the Fall of 2008 John Perkins, founder of the Christian Community Development Association, visited our community in Church Hill to see what was happening. After 36 hours of touring the neighborhood and ministries, Dr. Perkins gave us his “assessment.” He affirmed much of the work as consistent with the ccda model, with one important omission! The worship of Jesus Christ was not at the center of what we were doing. He encouraged us to begin regularly meeting in worship as a public demonstration of our unity and reliance on Jesus Christ.
In February 2008 we began meeting weekly at a local high school officially as East End Fellowship, where we worship, pray, share and support one another. Our goals are to bring visibility, unity and corporate expression to the work God is doing in Church Hill and the presence of His diverse community living in the East End. We are providing vibrant, multi–cultural worship gathering for the residents of Church Hill, and trying to give special attention to children and youth, providing them an opportunity to worship in their own context and include their families. We also want to help connect opportunities and ministries that are at work in the East End, help collaborate the ongoing work.
Jeremiah 29:7 shows us God’s desire for cities like metro Richmond is SHALOM: the spiritual and physical flourishing of the human community. Shalom is like a tapestry, where every part of the city is interconnected and woven together. The church is called to be especially concerned about those places where the tapestry is unraveling, for communities that are the most vulnerable. These communities don’t just need us—we need them, because we belong to each other and need each other for our own wholeness.
