On Saturday, December 17th, 2022, CBW celebrated its 10th anniversary.
Who would have believed it possible when Fr. Edmond Harris, our founder, first brought a handful of communicants from the Church of the Epiphany in Rumford to Burnside Park in Providence to minister to the over 1000 Occupy Providence demonstrators congregated there that this action would eventually lead to the planting of a street church in the city that remains active to this day.
Fr. Edmund and his crew – Susan, Jim, Sally, and Christopher – wheeled a little red wagon filled with coffee, socks, and sandwiches through Burnside Park. They dispensed these items to help satisfy the physical needs of the gathered crowd but their presence alongside the protestors served a much deeper purpose. It showed a sense of solidarity with their cause to eliminate a corporate and lobby-driven General Assembly and to replace it with a truly democratic one.
Ten years later we continue to gather in authentic Christian Community every week, in rain, snow, or even perfect weather. Pease join us any Saturday, at 2 PM in Burnside Park in downtown Providence as we worship, and enjoy fellowship at our coffee and hospitality hour.
A Message from Our Founder- Fr. Edmund Harris
GREETINGS From Waylon, our second missioner!
To my dear friends of Church Beyond the Walls,
Happy 10th birthday! I am sorry that I cannot be with you in person, but please know that I am thinking of you today as you celebrate this wonderful occasion. When Pastor Edmund moved to Seattle, I was blessed to have the opportunity to work alongside you as we explored what our new future might look like. During that uncertain period, God led us to form new friendships with people like Pastor Linda and so many others who believed in the powerful work we were doing in Burnside Park. It was an uncertain time that required us to muster tremendous faith, but it was also a time of remarkable transformation, both for us as a community and for us as individuals looking for God’s guidance in our lives.
During that time, I myself was undergoing a process of discernment, and after passing the baton to Pastor Linda’s steady hands, God ultimately led me to San Diego to go to medical school at the University of California so that I might one day be able to serve others as a physician, and in 6 months I will graduate with my MD, then continue training in residency. Leaving behind friends and family to start medical school across the country at the age of 41 was scary, and the past 3 and a half years have had some challenging moments, to be sure, but the things I learned in my time with Church Beyond the Walls have sustained me.
This loving community taught me to find strength by banding together with friends on the journey, to use my brokenness as a bridge to others who are suffering, to find joy in stressful times by devoting myself to service, and to keep going–no matter what!–because someone out there who is isolated and all alone is waiting to be embraced, nurtured, and loved back to health. That’s what Church Beyond the Walls has been doing for 10 years. This community is a beacon of hope, reminding everyone that they are worthy of God’s love no matter who they are, where they are from, or how badly they may have messed up. Every single one of us has value. Our love for others has the ability to transform Providence and the world, one heart at a time.
I am so very grateful for the past 10 years of Church Beyond the Walls and to have had the opportunity to worship with and learn from this amazing community. Blessings to you this Advent Season. May the witness of Church Beyond the Walls continue to be a powerful testament to the transformative power of the love of God for the next 10 years and beyond.
With great admiration and affection,
Waylon