College Hill Mennonite Church

College Hill Mennonite Church
3506 Machado St
Tampa, FL 33605-1362
(813) 247-2798

Religion: Christian

Denomination: Mennonite

Contact: Reverend Roy W. Williams, Senior Pastor

You can listen to the interview with Reverend Williams here.

When I first drafted my list of religions, Mennonites were on there. Only because I had no clue whatsoever they were about. I remembered seeing some at a vacation resort in Oregon as a kid. Even at the swimming pool, the women were dressed very conservatively, wearing scarfs on their head.

Talking to other people, I had the impression that they were somewhat like the Amish - very restrained, but still interacting with the outside world as programmers, technicians, and, well, every walk in life. I knew the religion originated Europe, mainly the Dutch/German area.

With this in mind, when I walked into the College Hill Mennonite Church, expecting a congregation full of people of Germanic descent.

When I found a church filled by almost entire African Americans, I thought I had the wrong location.

It's not that I hadn't attended churches where the congregation was mostly black. I'm still fascinated by the evolution that caused churches populated by majority African Americans to be different than churches mostly populated by - well, white folks like me.

I think the first time I really encountered the difference was working on a door to door election campaign, trying to make sure people were registered to vote.

Yes, I get the irony. Last year I was debating coming out of the Atheist closet and leaving the Mormon church, and there I was going door to door on another kind of crusade.

A member of the group asked if we could have a prayer circle before heading out. I didn't mind - if it made them feel better. But in that little group, you could see the difference between the white people and the black people.

Prayer giver: Dear God, please help us this day....

White people: ...

Black people: Amen!

Prayer giver: And keep us safe-

White people: ...

Black people: Oh, yes.

Prayer Giver: And thank you Jesus for all we have-

White people: ...

Black People: Praise Jesus.

I'm not writing this to mock either white or black people - but there is a distinct difference in worship styles for whatever historical reasons.

Either way, I walked into a Mennonite church expecting a building full of German looking people, and I found a church full of black people. Very welcoming, very friendly, with people coming up and all smiles and happiness as I introduced myself.

What I saw is a congregation of mixed styles. There was a song by a choir with calypso beats, followed by a liturgy as they read from James 1. The pastor asked who the congregation trusted, and they answered "God."

"WHO?" He shouted.

"GOD!" They called back.

People were asked to come to the pulpit, to tell of their needs, because "God wants to hear your voice, for he loves you." People came to the podium and expressed their needs, asking for help from their creator.

More traditional songs that would have been in place 200 years ago followed, then the pastor spoke. Reverend Williams spoke of obedience, and how the leaders in your work and community are placed there by God. That you should follow them even if they are mean or poor bosses, since they may be a test from God.

He spoke of service, and I heard something I'm not sure I've heard in other Christian churches. Reverend Williams spoke of the need to serve, that our duty in life is to serve.

Service is ingrained in the DNA of College Hill Mennonite church. They came into the area almost 50 years ago, spreading the gospel in the heart of Tampa's African American community. A group of white, Germanic descendants building a church and working to help the community become better, reduce crime, and work for equality while spreading the word of Jesus. They faced challenges. Reverend Williams told me about the cross burnings the church endured for that simple act of service to a community that needed it.

What he said that struck me was that people had to walk away from the Cross of Jesus. They couldn't just pray for the world to get better, they couldn't just hope for it. According to Reverend Williams, Jesus said that the people that get into Heaven are the ones that, as described in Matthew 25, serve. The ones that clothe the naked, heal the sick, feed the hungry. In order to do that, one doesn't "pray on it" or "hope for it" - they leave the cross, and go out, and serve.

What struck me as, honestly, a little sad, is that Reverend Williams believes that there will be an end of the world, as revealed in revelations. From his religious perspective, the Mennonites believe very strongly in the separation of Church and State. To the point that they actually believe that Revelations describes a world when the church and state are so intermingled that it interferes with the faithful, and by doing so brings on the End Times.

Which means that, in a way, all of that service that I so respect this man and his congregation for - what's the point? If people really believe the world is so broken it can't be fixed except by God coming down and removing all of the non-believers - why continue to serve when it's all for naught?

I don't mean to disrespect Reverend Williams. I greatly admire the man's service, his intelligence, and his dedication to his congregation. To doing what he can to serve in the way he believes that God has asked him to.

Perhaps its even more impressive that he, and others of his faith, continue to serve even though in the end, they feel it may not matter. The fact that they serve, work to actually do what Jesus said to do instead of simply saying that he existed, is enough to gain my admiration.