Nearly a year to the date after the former Ormewood Park Presbyterian Church shuttered its doors with 15 remaining members, there are signs of new life at the historic sanctuary on Delaware Avenue. Ormewood Park residents, surrounding neighbors, families of the Ormewood School, and fans of the well-loved Ormewood Dog Yard gathered on multiple occasions throughout the spring and summer of 2016 in p
ot-luck style community meetings to discuss the fate of that 1071 Delaware Avenue property after the closing of the church, which is owned by the Presbyterian Church USA [PC(USA)]. The voice and vision of the people came in no uncertain terms -- to keep this geographical Ormewood Park center as a neighborhood community gathering place that prioritizes nearby residents while offering refreshing and creative new ways for neighbors to engage with one another, and for some, with their faith. And so, per the vision of the community, a seed for a brand new church plant was sown. Through the late summer, fall, and winter, a group of 12 Ormewood Park and nearby residents of all backgrounds met to dream and discuss how a new church could look in our neighborhood. These 12, with the loose guidance of the Greater Atlanta Presbytery, drafted and published an advertisement for an organizing pastor followed by months of interviews, listening to sermons, and late nights of discussion, disagreement, and eventual unanimity over pots of coffee in the depths of the church, overlooking the Dog Yard. This groundwork culminates on March 15, as Jenelle Holmes accepts the call as the first organizing pastor of this new “Ormewood Church.”
Formerly on staff at Trinity Presbyterian Church in North Atlanta, and with degrees from Whitworth University and Emory’s Candler School of Theology, Jenelle “grew up running amok in the neighborhoods of Washington State,” hiking, kayaking, and beach-combing the Puget Sound. She is an avid reader, wife, mother of two plus a dog (to her credit for those who love the Dog Yard) and cat (jury still out on this verdict), and she has impressed with what has been perceived as a “quiet revolutionary” spirit. Most of all, she is a neighbor.
“Being attentive and loving in the space where I live seems like a worthy calling,” Jenelle says. “Being a good neighbor is at the heart of the Gospel, and what a better place to start than your own front porch.”
We are all excited to begin the slow and steady work of building a faith community and creating a space where we can be a neighbor to all. For questions or further information about Ormewood Church or its timeline in the coming months, please contact [email protected] or follow along on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OrmewoodChurch.
