Fixing the roof, building connections
Pastor Marcio Sierra Jr. and Pastor Karla Garcia breaking bread together.
By Phil Haslanger
The Collaboration Project Story Team
Pastor Karla Garcia of S.S. Morris Community AME Church did not know Pastor Marcio Sierra, Jr. of Lighthouse Church, but she felt a nudge from God to reach out to him.
S.S. Morris had been struggling with a deteriorating roof for several years. Now it was at a crisis point and the cost of fixing it was in the $50,000 range. Garcia was at wits end about what to do.
“The Lord said, If you contact him, he will know what to do,” Garcia explained of the impulse to contact Sierra. So in September, she sent him a long message on Facebook.
This involved not only reaching out across denominations but across cultures. Lighthouse Church, on Madison’s West Side, is a predominantly Latino congregation. S.S. Morris, located at 3511 on Milwaukee Street on the East Side, is part of the African Methodist Episcopal denomination – the oldest Black denomination in the nation.
Sierra saw the message and was perplexed.
“When she reached out to me, I said honestly, I have no idea what to do and how to help them,” he said. “I started praying and went to the elders of Lighthouse Church.”
That’s when things began to happen.
Lighthouse is a small church and, as Sierra noted, it has no rich people. Yet the leaders of the church began laying out a plan to respond.
On Valentine’s Day, Sierra stood in the sanctuary at S.S. Morris with Garcia and two leaders of the congregation. (You can see the Facebook video of this here.)
“I am here today because I have a check for you guy from Lighthouse Church, a check for $35,000,” he explained. “We want to bless you. Lighthouse Church is a small church but our God is a big God.”
Needless to say, Garcia and her congregational leaders were ecstatic, calling this a miracle. But Sierra was not done yet.
He noted that the check would only cover part of the cost of repairing the roof, that S.S. Morris still needed another $15,000. They were talking about taking out a loan to cover the difference. Sierra had other ideas. “We don’t need a loan – we have God,” he proclaimed.
Then he challenged other congregations and individuals to get involved – but not just for the $15,000. He talked about the food pantry in the church basement, the service ministry they have started to better serve the community and proposed raising enough money to renovate the basement as well.
“Can we double the $35,000?” he asked.
“This will help us to ensure that our building is stable, to ensure that we can do the work of the Lord,” said Garcia. She noted that this came in the middle of Black History Month.
Sierra picked up the theme: – “This is Black History Month. Let’s make history in Black History month.”
People interested in finding out more about how to donate can contact Sierra at msierrajr@lighthouseinmadison.org or Garcia at revkarlagarcia@gmail.com
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