Ormewood Church in Atlanta officially charters as PC(USA) congregation

ATLANTA — On Sunday, Ormewood Church in Atlanta officially chartered as a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), marking a significant milestone in its nearly decade-long journey from a new worshiping community to a fully constituted church.

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The chartering service, held in the sanctuary of the historic building that once housed Ormewood Park Presbyterian Church, included a reaffirmation of baptism, a congregational meeting, the ordination and installation of ruling elders, and the formal installation of the Rev. Jenelle Holmes as pastor. 

“Everything you can put into a worship service including a congregational meeting is in this,” said one visitor upon opening the bulletin.

“This is a day of celebration and a culmination of a journey of more than eight years together,” Holmes said during the service, noting that the service would be longer and more formal than the church’s usual style but would also include its signature warmth and welcome. “We come today not to start something new, because a lot of us have been in this room for a really long time, but to recommit ourselves to a characteristic that this community has held sacred — curiosity.”

The worship service reflected the church’s values of community, creativity and spiritual depth. Holmes preached from Acts 17:22-28, emphasizing the role of curiosity in Christian faith. “Without curiosity, our Christianity becomes less a path to God and more a path to control,” Holmes said. “The church must be sufficiently quiet and non-anxious for people to learn that they can perceive the ultimate truth of the universe.”

The Rev. Lindsay Armstrong, executive director of the New Church Development Commission of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, shared the church’s origin story. “On April 3, 2016, the Ormewood Park Presbyterian Church celebrated 106 years of ministry and closed its doors,” Armstrong said. “We didn’t know what was next. But after about 90 hours of one-on-one meetings with neighbors, we discerned that God was already doing something here.”

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That discernment led to the formation of a new worshiping community, which eventually called Holmes as pastor. “Less than nine months later, Rev. Jenelle Holmes was unanimously called as pastor of what would become Ormewood Church,” Armstrong said.

The Rev. Andy James, stated clerk of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, presided over the congregational meeting and the presbytery's executive presbyter, the Rev. Aisha Brooks-Johnson, officiated the installation of elders. “Be curious, be faithful and be true in your ministry," she prayed, "so that within our own life, we bear witness to the crucified and risen Christ.”

As the future clerk of session, Jake Hill led the congregation in the covenant of chartering: “We, the undersigned, in response to the grace of God, desire to be constituted, organized as a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), to be known as Ormewood Church. We promise in covenant to live together in unity and work together in ministry as disciples of Jesus Christ, bound to him and to one another as part of the body of Christ in this place, according to the principles of faith, mission and order of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)"

Six ruling elders were elected to serve on the church’s first session: Catherine Clevenger, Stacy Fedewa, Jake Hill, Dave Mayr, Valerie Calhoun and Eric Banister.

During the service, Holmes reaffirmed her pastoral call. “Will you encourage us to recognize that ministry belongs to all people of God?” asked Catherine Clevenger while leading the liturgy. “If so, say ‘I will.’” Holmes responded, “I will.”

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While looking at photos of community life over the last decade, Gray Clevenger reflected on the journey of Ormewood Church. He attended the first community meetings nearly a decade ago when his wife Catherine was pregnant. At that time the community affirmed that despite the fact that Ormewood Park Presbyterian Church congregation had just closed, the community still wanted a church to be present in the space and sustain the property for community use. His son was the first child to be baptized when Ormewood Church organized as a new worshiping community a year later. His wife was one of the elders ordained in the service to serve on session. Gray described how his family usually rides bikes to church on Sundays and how great a place it has been to raise their two sons, ages 9 and 6. “Looking at all the photos I realized how long we've been at this,” he said. “It's been really nice just to have a consistent group of people in our lives."

As a staff at the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta for over 25 years, Ruling Elder Cassandra Morrow has attended many church chartering services and also worked with the congregation of Ormewood Park Presbyterian Church in their final years. She remembered the decision to turn part of the grounds into a dog park and marveled at the work of the Spirit in the community. “They’ve gone through their challenges over the years,” she said. “But today, they’re in a good place. I’m excited to be here.”

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Between communion and the granting of the charter, the bulletin promised a rite called “Distribution of the Shenanigans.” When baskets of loud and colorful props were passed through the aisles, the sanctuary erupted in a joyful burst that captured the spirit of Ormewood Church. Children darted between pews with streamers, while members of all ages laughed and kazooed the closing hymn. The band shifted into an upbeat groove that had everyone dancing. It was a moment of holy mischief — an exuberant celebration of community, grace and the kind of sacred “shenanigans” that according to Holmes makes Ormewood feel like home.

Ormewood Church’s journey from closure to chartering is a story of resurrection, said Brooks-Johnson. “Some churches have to die, but we are resurrection people,” she said. “This is a story of death and resurrection, and it will continue to happen until Christ comes again.”

Read more and watch a video about Ormewood Church’s journey.