Reach out, Restore, Release

Founded almost 50 years ago by Rev. Jorge David Marrero and Rev. Raul Marrero, Defenders of the Christian Faith Church, as it was once called, was created to provide church service to a Spanish speaking community in Dorchester, Boston. In addition to the church’s name change to Restoration City Church four years ago, many other changes have been made within the church to cater to an increasingly diverse neighborhood. Rev. Davie Hernandez, who was appointed lead pastor of RCC in 2006, envisioned a church that “actively comes out of its walls.” To put their vision to reality, they started with one ministry nine years ago on a rainy Friday night. They made sandwiches, hoping to give them to people who were in need, but they encountered only one person. They tried again the following Sunday, and they met more people that night. The church hasn’t stopped since, and today, they give about 500 sandwiches a week along with donations from Panera Bread and Roche Bros to provide hot drinks and soup for people living in shelters.

“We didn’t start [our programs] just because we wanted to,” Pastor Davie Hernendez said, “Every ministry is born out of a need, but also out of the hearts of people who want to help.” The church now has about 20 ministries that are actively working and going out every week to impact the neighborhood of Dorchester. Some of these outreaches include the sandwich making, visiting shelters, and even reaching out to women and girls who are sexually trafficked. With the church’s many ministry programs, a nonprofit organization called Rooted in Restoration was launched to “be the umbrella of all their ministries,” Pastor Hernandez said. Rooted in Restoration was created to help with managing and funding the many programs.

Although their journey as a church is far from over, Pastor Hernandez can testify to the fruit that they’ve seen come out of their dedication and consistency in going out every week. “We have people who are serving alongside of us whom we served years ago,“ he said, “And we found them underneath bridges and homeless, and now they’re leading our ministries.” And that, Pastor Hernandez said, is his vision for the church: to live out the Gospel and reach people the way that Jesus did. He, along with the many outreach teams, are motivated by the Great Commission found in Matthew 28: 18-20.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

Dorchester, MA. November 24, 2019: Raising their hands up in worship, members of Restoration City Church gather and sing together during the church’s 10 a.m. service. RCC is a nondenominational church located in Dorchester, and they meet once on Wednesdays for a midweek service and twice on Sundays for worship. (Photo: Tivara Tanudjaja)

Dorchester, MA. November 24, 2019: Lead Pastor Davie Hernandez stands in front of the church as he preaches about the Biblical character Joseph and his brothers. Pastor Hernandez’s message was a part of a larger series he had been preaching throughout the year, titled “Naked and Afraid.” Pastor Hernandez and his wife Carmen Hernandez had been leading the church in ministry since 2006. (Photo: Tivara Tanudjaja)

Dorchester, MA. November 23, 2019: Church volunteers Eulogia De Gracia (left) and Naida Del Valle (right) scoop rice and turkey onto a plate during RCC’s annual Thanksgiving luncheon. Every year, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Restoration City Church open up their building to everyone in the neighborhood. Around 20 members of the church arrived two hours before the event to prepare hot meals of turkey, rice, chicken curry, potato salad, and pumpkin pie. “We help when no one wants to help,” said Maria Youskee, one of the ministry leaders for the church’s homeless outreach. (Photo: Tivara Tanudjaja)

Dorchester, MA. November 23, 2019: Church volunteers and members of the Dorchester neighborhood sit together to enjoy a hot Thanksgiving meal. The annual luncheon was created not just to provide a hot meal to those who cannot afford it, but also to foster relationships with the people who live in the area. To reach as many people as possible, Marcus Youskee, one of the leaders of the homeless outreach ministry from RCC, went out to look for and invite anyone who may want to eat and celebrate Thanksgiving together. (Photo: Tivara Tanudjaja)

Dorchester, MA. December 4, 2019: Eighty colorfully decorated bags stacked on top of each other are delivered to UP Academy Boston. Seeing a need in their school, Maytee Peña, the family engagement coordinator of UP Academy, reached out to Pastor Davie Hernandez if the church could help with donations of toiletries and basic school supplies for students and families who cannot afford them. Through Rooted in Restoration’s connections with CASA Boston and Rise.org, the church was able to receive and donate bags filled with toiletries and books to give to the students of UP Academy. “We are so grateful that we are making a difference in so many children’s lives through our school partnerships,” Valerie Perez, executive director of Rooted in Restoration, said. (Photo: Tivara Tanudjaja)

Dorchester, MA. December 4, 2019: Looking through the different items within the bags, Pastor Davie Hernandez (left), Maytee Peña (center), and Valerie Perez (right), smile as they think about the students’ reactions to receiving these bags at the end of the day. Each of the donated bags are colored and decorated by someone from Rise.org and they are filled with books, a teddy bear, a blanket, and toiletries. “I already have kids in mind who will definitely need and love these!” Peña said. (Photo: Tivara Tanudjaja)

Dorchester, MA. December 7, 2019: Church volunteers Richy Pérez and Nancy Delgado sit together around a table, cutting thorns from the roses they will be giving out and tying a Rooted in Restoration business card to each one of them. The Rose of Sharon ministry was created almost four years ago to reach out to women who are sexually trafficked in the Dorchester area. every other Saturday at 2 a.m. in the morning, a team of four to five women and two men head out into the streets to give roses and, if they wanted it, to pray for the women working the streets. “The Rose of Sharon is just a light of hope,” said Liz Hernendez, the ministry leader for Rose of Sharon, “It’s something visual that they can remember." (Photo: Tivara Tanudjaja)

Dorchester, MA. December 7, 2019: Nancy Delgado, who has been serving in the Rose of Sharon team for three years, strings together a rose and a Rooted in Restoration business card together. Each card has the address and phone number of Restoration City Church’s nonprofit organization, where these working women can call or go to if and when they wanted help. The goal of the ministry is not only to reach out to these women working in the streets, but also to develop relationships with them. “It’s amazing because [these working women] feel like they could confide in [us],” said Nilvia Hernandez, a volunteer at Rose of Sharon of almost four years. (Photo: Tivara Tanudjaja)

Dorchester, MA. December 8, 2019: Sorting the different sandwiches they have, Javier Rodriguez and the rest of the homeless outreach team stop in front of the men’s shelter located on Mass Ave. and Albany to provide food and water. Every Sunday morning starting at seven, a team of five to seven people drive to different shelters, including a women’s shelter on Pine Street, to hand out food like sandwiches, chicken soup, rice, and cookies. Staying for around 30 to 45 minutes in each location, the team gets to know the people they meet and develop relationships with them. (Photo: Tivara Tanudjaja)

Dorchester, MA. December 8, 2019: Marcus Youskee prays out loud over the food laid out on the table they have set while the rest of the team scoop portions rice and soup into cups. The homeless outreach program was created almost nine years ago, starting with only one location and 100 sandwiches. Today, the homeless outreach had grown to a route of visiting three locations and a total of 500 sandwiches given out each week. “We’re here because we care,” Maria Youskee, who leads the team with her husband, said, “We may not be able to do a whole bunch because we are limited, but the little that we do have, we want to share with you and give you.” (Photo: Tivara Tanudjaja)

Dorchester, MA. December 7, 2019: Holding hands in a prayer circle, the Rose of Sharon team prays before they head out into the early dawn with their roses. This scene is not an unfamiliar one to the rest of Restoration City Church’s ministry teams that are actively reaching out to their community. The church centers every single one of its programs around God. “The catalyst for everything that’s happened is prayer,” Pastor Davie Hernandez said, “We just sought the heart of God.” (Photo: Tivara Tanudjaja)

Dorchester, MA. November 23, 2019: Restoration City Church is a nondenominational church located on 10 E Cottage Street in Boston. The church was previously named Defenders Church Boston until four years ago when Lead Pastor Davie Hernandez decided to change its name and overall vision for the church. He wanted to move the church towards a goal that was focused not within itself, but on the community. “How we saw that happening was to reach out to the broken and hurting,” Pastor Hernandez said, “To restore them to the Word of God, to the fellowship of believers, and through the love of God.” (Photo: Tivara Tanudjaja)