Mission to Amplify Compassion by amplifying marginalized voices in our community, including those marginalized by their race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, or any others searching for equity. We will help challenge our congregation to amplify justice, mercy, and humility to create a more compassionate church.

Visit The Levine Museum of the New South. Join Dilworth’s Amplify team and friends as we tour the Levine Museum (200 E. 7^th St.) on Sunday, September 12 at 3 pm. Following our tour, we will meet back at the church for a discussion of our trip over a catered fellowship meal. Please RSVP to Pastor Cade (cade.barefoot@dilworthchurch.org) to express your interest in this trip.  

Reflection – Aisha Newton

A New Path For Purpose

I have always known that I wanted to help others, but I didn't know what that looked like for me for a long time. I changed my major in college so many times I'm sure I hold a World Wide Record. I finally decided to major in public relations. Public relations is the professional maintenance of a favorable public image by a company or other organization or a famous person. That was it; that's what my career would be. I got my Bachelor's Degree from North Carolina A&T State University. Once I graduated, I was on to the job hunt as well as working on my Master's Degree in Internet Marketing from Full Sail University. After a couple of months of job searching, I got a job as a Junior Publicist at a small PR firm. While there, we worked for other companies, mostly non-profits which always was exciting for me because it was a chance to use my career to help others.

I ended up with that PR company for a while until I decided to go back home to be with my family. While at home, I got a job at a church; it was a bit different for me because although I'm a Christian, I'm non-denominational, and this was a Presbyterian church. Everything was pretty foreign to me, but I got the hang of it. From then on, my career has been working for churches. It has been great and definitely challenging because, yes, it is a church, but it's also a place of business, and church people can want things their way. You have to learn that it's not personal and that we are all here to show God's love, but we are all human.

When I received the job at Dilworth, I was so happy because my previous job treated me terribly (non-church job), and I was on the job hunt for a long time. This has been one of my favorite jobs; everyone has made me and my son Kellen feel like family, from the staff to the congregation. So why wasn't I happy? I got everything I wanted in a job. I prayed for it down to how much I would get paid. God provided it all. I felt guilty. How could I not be happy? I thought back to what I wanted to do in life, which was to help others, so I prayed on it. God took me back to my time during my job hunt, and how some jobs would just not respond, or if they did, it was months later. I said to myself, I don't want anyone to have to go through that, so I started to look at jobs in Human Resources.

I knew I wanted to wait because of my job here, but my mentor sent me jobs here and there. Many jobs said no, so I decided, ‘ok, God, it's best I stay where I'm at.’ Well, a job that said no before contacted me again and said, hey, we want you for another position, and I did two interviews. I prayed on it once more, well, only two hours after I got word that I received the position as a Recruiting Coordinator. It was a bittersweet moment. I'm happy to change my career path even in my early 30s, but I'm sad to leave my Dilworth family. I love you all, and you have made a great impact on my life. I know God has put me on this path for a reason, and I'm blessed and grateful.

Share Are you interested in sharing a reflection in the Amplify newsletter? If you feel called to share a story, testimony, or devotion related to diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation, please reach out to Pastor Cade (cade.barefoot@dilworthchurch.org). The Amplify Team is open to all members who feel passionate about shaping our conversation and working for justice in and through Dilworth UMC. Please contact Pastor Cade to become a part of this important ministry.

Sign up to join Dilworth as we participate in the Racial Healing and Reconciliation Learning Cohort through the WNCC Equity and Justice Ministries. This group will learn alongside of eight other congregations in an attempt to grow as allies and advocates for equity and justice. Below is the proposed meeting schedule, all sessions will be conducted over Zoom and will be recorded). Please reach out to Pastor Cade (cade.barefoot@dilworthchurch.org) with questions and to sign up for this opportunity.

Join Dilworth’s A Tu Lado Team! Interested in making a difference in the life of an immigrant family in Charlotte? A Tu Lado is a partnership ministry in which Dilworth church members and friends work together in partnership with an immigrant family to make their transition to life in the city a success.  Please reach out to Pastor Cade to express interest in being part of this ministry (cade.barefoot@dilworthchurch.org).  

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