Church Merger a Living Story of Redemption

"Family Reunion" This Sunday Exemplifies Tale of Unprecedented Actions, Restored Relationships, and Hope for the Future.

Sarasota, FL (PRWEB) November 13, 2009 -- While both Pastor Tad Mathews and Pastor Jesse DiMartino are accustomed to officiating at weddings, they recently celebrated something almost unheard-of: the marriage of their two congregations. And this week, the honeymoon gives way to the family reunion.

"In a time where congregations seem to be bickering and splitting more than ever before, we feel like joining together represents something much more powerful: restoration," said Rev. Tad Mathews, Senior Pastor of Church on the Rock.

And "Pastor Tad" (as he's referred to by congregants) knows a little something about restoration. After founding Church on the Rock in Manatee County 24 years ago, he and his ministry team saw an opportunity to bring restoration to a hurting Sarasota congregation 13 months ago and stepped up to the plate. They began providing leadership to a fragile remnant even before knowing for certain whether negotiations to purchase the 1400-seat campus at 8200 Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota would be successful.

Redeeming the Past
"We just came in and loved on these people," said Pastor Tad. "They were hurting after several splits and the loss of many of their members, and they needed somebody to come in and love on them."

Meanwhile, Rev. Jesse DiMartino, who brought his wife and family to Sarasota from Phoenix, AZ to found The Freedom Center in 2005, was sorting through how best to take action on his stirring to bring unity to the area's Christian community.

"We have so many congregations and there's such a revolving door in many of them," says DiMartino, "that it's hard to ever make progress on getting things done."

A Proposal of Marriage
And so, in the months after Mathews and his team finalized the purchase of the Sarasota campus – renaming it Church on the Rock Sarasota – a series of meetings with DiMartino began. This "courtship" explored the possibility of bringing DiMartino and his largely younger congregation together with the faithful – and now growing – remnant meeting in the property at 8200 Bee Ridge Road.

"Pastor Tad is a well-respected leader in the local community. His congregation in Palmetto is a thriving, vibrant, well-established group that has been serving Manatee County for decades," said DiMartino. "We met. We prayed. We deliberated. And we eventually concluded that 'marriage' made the most sense."

On November 1st, hundreds of people came out to Sarasota to witness the joining together of these two congregations. That Sunday Pastor Jesse DiMartino assumed his new role as Campus Pastor of Church on the Rock Sarasota under the oversight of Mathews and Executive Pastor Joseph Schroeder, who had served as Campus Pastor the previous 13 months. And the members of the former Freedom Center found a new home with other members of their new family.

To celebrate, Church on the Rock is closing its Palmetto campus and canceling both of its morning services there this Sunday, November 15th – something almost never done by a congregation – and all members are joining together at the Sarasota campus for a "family reunion" and "dinner on the grounds."

"We really view ourselves as one family in two locations," said Mathews. "And this Sunday is a time when the whole family will get together to celebrate and love on each other."

Known for his willingness to part with tradition for the sake of creating an authentic experience for congregants, DiMartino is welcoming the opportunity to work within his new "family" arrangement.

"Pastor Tad's willingness to take the risk of shutting down operations in Palmetto is just one example of the outside-the-box thinking that made me believe we could work together to have a positive impact on the region," DiMartino said.

A New Day
"There's real tangible hope amongst the people in Sarasota that our long-held dream of really making a difference in this community is coming to pass," said Sara Hand, who along with her family has been a long-time member of the congregation that has for years met at the Sarasota campus. "With the new leadership in the past year, and the new changes in recent weeks, there's a solid vision and people seem to be coming back to join forces and take action."

"With any marriage, there will be hurdles to overcome," said Mathews. "But we're confident that God put us together, and we're excited about the days ahead."

The "family reunion" worship service gets underway this Sunday, November 15th, at 10:30am at Church on the Rock Sarasota, 8200 Bee Ridge Road. The public are invited to stay for "dinner on the grounds" immediately following the service in "the mall" at the property.

More information about the merger may be found at: http://www.freedomcenterfl.com/heartbeat/

Church on the Rock is a vibrant, non-denominational congregation whose purpose is to Love God, Love People, Love Our Community and Reach The World! We are "One Family in Two Locations": 1401 14th Avenue West, Palmetto, and 8200 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota. Founded by Senior Pastor Tad Mathews and his wife, Ruth, in September, 1985, the Palmetto campus is situated on 22 acres and counts 1500 in its membership. http://www.COTRFamily.com/.

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