Song Jesus Christ Is The Way

Taking church to Catfish Corner

Outside Catfish Corner one warm summer night, I saw the hand of God. Except His hand was mostly human — men and women, some clutching Bibles as they exited vans and cars to share the love of Christ in the heart of the West Side.

Blues music from a live band spilled into the glowing night air from the makeshift wooden stage on a parking lot outside Wallace’s Catfish Corner restaurant on California and Madison Street. People holding cups of spirits sang and danced, as members of the New Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church set out on an impromptu mission beyond their church’s walls.

Moments earlier, the Gospel caravan was bound further west as part of their ministry to prostitutes. Their aim: Not to beat these wayward sisters over the head with the Bible — but to let them know they are loved, to give a care package, to touch them in soul and spirit, to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I was tagging along as a writer/observer a few years ago, seeking to chronicle the effectiveness of the church to help heal community — to be “the church.”

As we neared the stroll, a police squad approached the church van and an officer told the pastor that police were doing a sting. He asked if the good reverend and his well-meaning church folks would not minister there tonight. Respectfully, Rev. Marshall Hatch agreed and drove away. But just a few blocks west, while passing Catfish Corner, he got the unction to park and share the Gospel.

Within minutes, pockets of the church’s members stood praying or immersed in conversation with people attending the blues fest. Then suddenly a familiar voice crackled over a loudspeaker. It was Rev. Hatch, who somehow had convinced somebody to give him the mic — someone apparently unaware that unless you want a sermon, you never give a preacher the mic. The blues fest took on the air of an old-time revival as the musicians began playing old hymns and people flocked to the front of the stage for prayer, tearful and lifting up their hands.

That night a few things became clear to me: that the church of Jesus Christ is ever powerful, transformative and prevailing if and when it moves beyond the temples of brick and mortar that separates the churched from the un-churched; and that amid social dysfunction, devastation and despair, there is a great need for the message of hope and salvation.

Off-the-Cuff with Alyice Edrich of The Dabbling Mum: Interview ...

Rosemarie Ashely, a.k.a. 'tude Vox Ro, is an outspoken recording artist, making music to help every day people succeed by combining captivating sound with thought provoking words in an eclectic mix of life changing songs. Ro's brand of Sassy Alternative Music has powerful instrumentation and a passionate deliver of relevant songs to motivate and inspire listeners. As a young girl, my grandparents took me to see the movie "Jesus Christ Superstar". I wasn't thrilled about going to church or the hymns we sang, but watching this show was a spiritual experience. I connected with the character Mary, of Magdalene. I could feel her passion and immediately, I wanted to play that role. I absolutely loved the show with the rock music, cool dancing and impassioned delivery. That was the first time I performed in front of strangers. After that, my confidence grew, I participated in the school choir throughout the years and eventually was invited to sing solo's in the concerts. In my junior year, I was cast in the musical "Godspell", which had a similar effect on me as watching "Superstar". I was in other musicals, but none moved me like that one. I buried my desire to be a professional musician for decades, got advanced business degrees and became a successful professional. My business career started in Management and Training Consulting. The 5 day a week travel was grueling so I found local work as an Employee Development Trainer in the mortgage division of a local bank. I really enjoyed training people about the company as well as how to communicate more effectively. I also met my husband and we partnered to eventually open our own office. He hired Shane Capone, a local rapper who later introduced me to my producer/engineer, Scott Sumner. Scott mentored me and gave my work the professional edge I needed to turn it into a career. I began making music in 2004 while I was still working a day job. I closed my mortgage origination office in 2008 and decided to finally get back into Training; at the beginning of the "great recession". That's when I saw this economic crisis as an opportunity to launch my career. It's as if the universe is intentionally giving me the time and inspiration to walk my talk while contributing to the transformation of human consciousness. I opened my mind to creating a new model of success in music. While conventional models require extensive touring or being signed by a big label to sell CDs and merchandise, the business is changing.

The way of Jesus Christ, Christology in messianic dimensions

On the way to Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ's Incarnation and the Way to Him

Herald and Presbyter

The More Excellent Way, 2000 Years of Jesus' New Way of Life