Sitting across the room from a man who is charged by his belief in Jesus refuses to be consumed by a mean of communication that has been jacked on steroids. This is not to say that social media is a bad thing or somehow he is above it. He simply says, “Social media is not a neutral medium. It doesn’t promote face to face interaction”.
It’s easy to look around society and see how people have lost the idea of what a genuine relationship looks like. People have moved on from knowing their next door neighbors and sharing meals to spending countless hours on social mediums to share their lives hoping for affirmations and acceptance. While in reality, most of those posts have been skewed to the conformity of the general voices of their target audiences.
So who is this man that seeks to justify this injustice that is happening to our society? His name is Matthew Nickoloff of the South Wedge Mission church in Rochester, NY. He’s more than a pastor but a lover of Jesus and what he stands for, that is genuine community and relationships. He’s a lover of people. He’s not just a leader of a church and community center but a front man for reconciliation between people.
His idea of community is getting to know his South Wedge neighbors, literally. He goes around and knocks on their doors to introduce himself and get to know the people. He believes that God is working in their lives and it’s about learning their life journey. He simply wants to learn about each person’s interests, joys, hurts, and basically their stories. True relationships know no boundaries, race, gender, or faith. His goal of resensitizing people to true community comes through even further through his Sunday services and community center.
His Sunday service involves 10 to 15 minutes of sharing God’s truth then he leads people into a worship space. This is where people can interact with what they have just heard through crafts or prayer stations. It’s about connections. They even sing in acapella because Matt believes through singing with our voices, they are communing with each other. As for the community center, the space is open during the week for usage like watching a show together and then having discussions or allowing the homeless a roof over their heads for a night.
His passion for people and community stems from his deep root in his relationship with Jesus. The love, acceptance, forgiveness, and affirmation that Matt has received from Jesus allow him to share all that he has received with the people around him. He believes that as gracious God has been to him despite of his shortcomings, he must be gracious to those around him when it comes to true community. He has a responsibility to share God’s truth but not what people believe yet learning to love and accepting people despite differences is all rooted in grace. He calls it the “vulgarity of grace”.
This “vulgarity of grace” allows a person to accept another despite differences to foster real genuine community. It’s about praying for someone that you don’t think deserve prayers or reconciling with someone who you rather hate. It’s about having an open heart to learn about another person whose beliefs and lifestyles are so different but being able to find common ground because at the end of the day, we’re all human beings. Matt has a drive and determination to see people come into authentic relationship with one another and he’s going about it one door at a time. Mother Theresa once said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” That is Matthew Nickoloff of the South Wedge Mission.
Peace Lutheran Church
125 Caroline Street
Rochester, NY 14620
http://southwedgemission.org
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