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"We’re still developing that accent, still exploring what it means to be Reformed in this context. We want to be true to the confessions of the church, yet minister in a relevant way to this young, primarily African-American constituency. It’s a challenging road to walk, but God is with us.” The son of a preacher, Rockett was raised in a home where faith, family, and a firm Christian foundation shaped and supported everything he did. “We were in church all the time,” he says. “In fact, my first job was directing the children’s choir. I was twelve. Certainly that childhood pointed me toward ministry and influenced me to explore what God wanted me to do.” His exploration started with a decision to go to college in Florida, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration, but he then veered away from the corporate world. “God had other plans for me,” remarks Rockett, who returned to Chicago and entered seminary. As it happened, Rockett’s father had plans for him, too. His father had begun a non-denominational church while Rockett was still in school and asked his son to be the associate pastor. He gladly accepted, moving a little further down the path God had laid out for him. Shortly after, one of Rockett’s former internship supervisors called to ask if he could preach one Sunday at Roseland CRC on Chicago’s south side. Rockett accepted the invitation, starting a dialog that eventually led to ordination in the CRC. He received his M.Div. in 2006 and was recently ordained in the CRC. Please consider a gift! This ministry is funded in part by Home Missions. You may give to this ministry directly by contacting Fresh Word at erockett25@yahoo.com. Or, give to the ministry's Home Missions grant at www.crhm.org.
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Pastor Ed Rockett has a vision of using music, dance, drama and theater as a way to address the needs of people on the south side of Chicago, Ill. Having forsaken the business world for a career in ministry, Rockett recently launched Fresh Word Ministries with assistance from Christian Reformed Home Missions. With its emphasis on the arts, Fresh Word will try to offer, says Rockett, a contemporary worship service with a Reformed focus.