Our Vision & Mission
Our vision is to resurrect children, youth, and their families that have experienced spiritual, emotional, and economic death and decay by sharing the Gospel in a way that calls all to love and live the Christ life.
Our mission is to evangelize, educate, emancipate, empower and expand Christ’s Beloved Community. Here you will find a purpose to live for, people to live with, principles to live by, a profession to live out, and a power to live on!
Our History
Established in 2002 as a faithful response to the deep historic divide between the Church, the Academy, and lived reality of the community and streets, Resurrected Life Community Church grew out of a small bible study at the home of Rev. Dr. Gregory J. Edwards and his wife, Pastor Denyse Edwards. The congregation held its first worship service on Sunday, July 28, 2002, at the former Winding Brook Banquet Hall in Whitehall, Pennsylvania and then subsequently at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in the city of Allentown. The congregation grew spiritually and numerically and began offering a variety of ministries aimed at the resurrection and liberation of children, youth, women and men in the church and the wider community.
On July 5, 2009, the congregation held its first worship service at its current facility, 144 N. 9th Street in Allentown, the former home of the St. Michael’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. The move to center-city Allentown aligned well to the church’s vision of resurrecting individuals, families and communities through spiritual nurturing and growth, educational excellence and economic self-sufficiency.
On August 6, 2010, the church purchased its current facilities which includes a five hundred seat sanctuary, separate educational building, and several adjacent parking lots.
In September 2011, Dr. Edwards established the Resurrected Community Development Corporation, Inc. as a 501 (c) nonprofit organization in order to assist the church in addressing the overwhelming, long standing community needs for culturally competent childcare, early education, youth programming and employment. This entity, RCDC, now owns and operates the Resurrected Life Children’s Academy, the James Lawson Freedom School, the Urban Angels Awards Gala, and other informal opportunities for community organizing, and civic engagement on issues pertinent to educational excellence, economic dignity, and social justice.
In May 2019, after a two year long process of prayer, discernment, and preparation Resurrected Life became an official United Church of Christ (UCC) congregation, Paving the way for an inevitable trifecta impact on the formerly independent, non-denominational congregation:
- Affiliation and fellowship with Christian denomination unapologetic in advancing racial, economic, and social justice;
- Resources to advance the church’s vision and ensure it’s sustainability, longevity and legacy for generations to come;
- Global connection to missional opportunities around the world Based on theology of justice and mercy.
Now as Resurrected Life Community Church, UCC approaches 2022 and its 20th year in ministry, Pastor Edwards and the leadership of the church have developed a multi-faceted, comprehensive strategic plan to address the emerging and Future needs of the church, and community.
Campus Renovations
Exciting change is coming to Resurrected Life. With the help of Alloy5 Architecture, our community will soon have a renovated space where we can worship, gather, learn, and play. This major renovation is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2022 and includes updated classrooms, multipurpose rooms, event spaces, and outdoor play areas. We cannot wait for our community to come together again in this new space. To view the full plan, click here.
Want to donate to our campus renovations?
Click the button below and choose “Campus Renovations” from the dropdown.
About the RCDC
The Resurrected Community Development Corporation (RCDC) is a 501 (c) non-profit organization with a vision to create communities of equity, excellence and empowered residents by focusing on individual and community liberation and transformation through the provision of high quality, culturally responsive early childhood education, before and after school programming, literacy and leadership skills, and workforce development.
RCDC currently operates the Resurrected Life Children’s Academy, a Pennsylvania licensed Keystone Star 4 early learning center; the James Lawson Freedom School in partnership with the Children’s Defense Fund, and the Urban Angels Award Gala, an annual gala which recognizes the contributions of individuals and organizations that promote social justice, economic dignity, and community well-being.
