Rev. Ro

The Woman Behind the Pulpit!

Happy Wednesday, Golden Divas!

Ladies, March is a great month, not because it is my birth month (3/12) nor the birth month of my good friend who you will be meeting in a few minutes. Her Birthday was Monday, March 2nd. Happy Birthday again, Golden Diva. Hey, I’m showing some “Pisces love,” this diva is an official Club Fifty member because she just entered into the world of the FABULOUS FIFTIES!

Anyway, most people (men and some women) get on board for ‘March Madness;’ you know the time where the annual NCAA college basketball tournaments are all the rave throughout the month. However, this beautiful month is set aside and dedicated to ‘Women’s History Month,’ where we get to honor women’s contributions in American history. We have so many women who have done great things, yes, dare I say it, who “Made America Great Again and Again!”

Golden Divas, this young lady understood the calling that God has placed on her, and she is fulfilling her assignment graciously. I met this ‘Diamond Warrior’ at the church that I attend, New Faith Baptist Church International. The first time I heard her preach, it was an immediate connection, her unorthodox way of delivering the word spoke volumes to me. A female preacher at the pulpit, keeping it real and sometimes uncensored with secular music to get her message across (now you know I fell in love). This Golden Diva is an “Around the Way Girl” who keeps it, “100” ladies, and that’s why I love her!!

I felt like this diva was my kindred spirit; she was delivering the word just to me. She is in my trio collection of top female preachers, just like the 3H’s (Humor, Holiness, and Holy Ghost) resonated with her from Pastor Trunell Felder, her 3H sermons resonated with me. This Golden Diva has equivalently sealed the trio of being “Foxy, Funny, Free and Fine,” behind the pulpit.

Let me introduce to some and reacquaint to others the woman who is in the ranks of two other female giants Rev. Dr. Alexis Brinkley Felder and Elder Lisa Ballard. Rev. Rochelle Hambrick, better known as Rev. Ro.

MEET REV. RO

Rochelle Hambrick is 50 years old. She was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. She attended Susan B. Anthony elementary school and Chicago Vocational High School (CVS). Rochelle began working for the Federal Government directly from high school. This upcoming June, she will celebrate 31 years of government service.

Rochelle has not had a traditional educational journey. She initially started pursuing her undergrad studies in 1993; however, after overcoming some of life’s challenges, she successfully completed her Associates of Arts (Sociology) from Prairie State Community College in May 2017. This upcoming May, she will graduate with her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology – Diversity, and Inequality. Rochelle plans to open her own business once she retires.

Rochelle remembers being called at the age of 6 years old after surviving a fire in which she suffered third-degree burns. She formally accepted her call to ministry at the New Faith Baptist Church International in May 2014. In June 2019, she was ordained at the New Faith Baptist Church International by Drs. Felder.

Rochelle is a mother of one beautiful and charming daughter, Breana. Rochelle has an unparalleled passion for God and serving God’s people. In her personal time, she relishes “old school” and house music, cooking, exercising, Starbucks, fine dining, traveling, “family time,” and barbeque outings with her CVS classmates. Rochelle believes in taking life by the horns! Here are some of Rochelle’s favorite things: Favorite Movie: Rocky Series, Favorite Rap Artist: Tupac, Favorite Color: Pink, and her favorite food: Mexican and Steak. Her personal slogan for her life is…

“No One Can Cheat You, But You”!

Ladies, before you start reading this spectacular interview with Rev. Ro, listen to this beautiful song ‘Closer’ by Goapele as we grow closer to our dreams.

IN CONVERSATION WITH REV. RO

First I would like to officially welcome Rev. Ro to Club Fifty, where living the golden life on the other side of fifty is worth all of the buzz!!!  

C50: Can you tell us about your calling into the ministry?

RR: I grew up in a Pentecostal church where the five-fold ministry was in full effect. I remember being prophesied to at the age of 6 years old. My first Pastor, Rev. Dr. Randolph Moore, prophesied to my mother, telling her that God had chosen me. My family and I sat under this ministry, which was also a deliverance ministry from the time I was six years old until I was 32 years old. Dr. Moore told my mother that I was chosen and that my calling was not optional.

As a young woman, I ran away from my assignment for a very long time. I wanted to enjoy stepping, partying, and partake in the relationships I chose to consume myself with. I wanted to do all the things I was big and bad enough to do. I tried to ignore God for as long as I could. The scripture in Hebrews 5:8 says it best regarding my life, “I learned obedience through the things I suffered.” In May 2012, I finally surrendered to the Lord after many mistakes, bad choices in relationships, and just downright rebellion.

C50: Why do you feel called to serve at New Faith Baptist Church International?

RR: I know without a shadow of a doubt, God has placed me under the leadership of Dr. Trunell D. and Dr. Alexis L. Felder. I joined New Faith because Dr. Trunell D. Felder’s sermons spoke directly to me. His messages were humorous; he emphasized the importance of the Holy Spirit, and his messages are not watered down because he stresses the importance of holiness. I like to jokingly say it was the three H’s (Humor, Holiness, and Holy Ghost) of Dr. Trunell Felder’s sermons that resonated with me.

I also know I am called to serve at New Faith Baptist Church International because our leaders saw God’s anointing on me and did not let what I did not have to detour them from inviting me to the ministerial team. Our leaders encouraged me to pursue my education but did not make my not having advanced degrees prevent me from serving. Our leaders believed in me, developed me, and then encouraged me to serve just as I was while I pursued greater. They both are amazing, selfless, and anointed vessels who push as well as celebrate their sons and daughters!

C50: What do your family and friends think about you being a minister?

RR: This question made me chuckle. I believe my family always suspected that I would preach, my mother, especially because she was a praying woman. My family considered my mother as the family’s “prayer warrior.” My mother was bedridden for nine months when she was pregnant with me. My mother told me she prayed with me the entire time she was pregnant with me because she lost the child before me. It was no surprise to my mother I was called to the ministry. However, my high school buddies and friends were in total astonishment. I attended the Chicago Vocational High School (CVS) class of 1988. The CVS class of 1988 still dominates to this day. During CVS 1988 20th class reunion, I won the Turned Out Better Than Expected award because my classmates remembered the wild child that roamed the halls back in high school. By the grace of God, he chiseled me into a woman who would share his oracles in plain language to His children. My classmates know it was no one but God who changed me because they knew me as “Rodee,” not the PREACHER!

C50: How do you go about delivering your sermons so that it’s fresh and relevant?

RR: What I have learned in preparing my sermons is that it is imperative that I must practice God’s presence to hear His voice so I can hear what He is saying to Ro. The funny thing about how God speaks to me is He speaks to me via my personality. I include all of me when I deliver the sermon God gives me. I include my painful experiences, my experiences growing up in the hood, my struggles, and my victories. I like to refer to myself as an “Around the Way Girl.” I believe because I keep it “100” when I deliver God’s messages that keep things fresh and relevant. Stiff and stuck up does not work for me because people can spot a phony a mile away. The only way to keep things fresh and relevant, I believe, is to be my authentic self.

C50: Rev. Ro, when did you realize that your sermons were so relatable not just to women but men as well?

RR: Interesting question. Initially, I did not realize my sermons were so relatable to not just women but to men, until men would just walk up to me out of nowhere, telling me how much they enjoyed my sermons. One of my brothers at church told his wife, “Ro is in the top five of the preachers.” I laughed when she told me. Another one of the brothers at church just stopped by and said to me, “You a bad girl.” I was so surprised because men are straight forward and the gentleman who told me this is very particular. When I preach, I am just focused on delivering the message the way God has given it to me. I am totally in a “zone” when I am preaching; I do not see anyone. It is just God and me.

C50: Is it easy or hard when you share the pulpit with male ministers?

RR: It is very easy to share the pulpit with male ministers at New Faith because our Pastors foster an egalitarian environment. It is very much a part of the culture at our church for women to share the pulpit with male ministers. As a matter of fact, we have more female ministers than men. However, I do realize this is not the norm in most churches across the world. Our Pastors have richly blessed the ministers at New Faith because they allow us to operate with delegated authority in and outside of New Faith.

C50: As a single woman in the pulpit, do you feel that there are stipulations towards you when it comes to dating?

RR: Absolutely, there are stipulations towards me when it comes to dating! As a minister of the gospel, the bible tells me that there are stipulations when it comes to dating. I am expected to live my life according to the scriptures. One scripture in particular that comes to mind is the scripture found in Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God–this is your true and proper worship.” I want to live the life I preach about. I am a living epistle read of men and women. My life must line up with God’s Word.

As it relates to dating, I also have stipulations for myself. I believe it is imperative to establish a friendship first. I believe you find out more about the “true” person when you build a friendship. Another key stipulation for me is time. The best tester of anything is “time.” My walk with Christ has disciplined me in the area of dating by not rushing. The goal for me in dating is not to just get married. The goal is to be whole! I am not in a rush. I have the assignment to fulfill and plenty to do. It is of the uttermost importance to wait for God to speak whether the person I am dating is my assignment, a good friend, or more. Hence, the key is to wait and enjoy the person’s company.

C50: Are men intimidated by you woman of God when they find out you are a minister?

RR: I laughed when I read this question. I do not tell men that I am a minister. I try never to wear my title. I am Rochelle. I want the gentleman to get to know “Ro” first. I am not just a minister. I am a woman first, and ministry is what I do. Another reason I do not tell men I am a minister because he would probably be on his “best” behavior and withhold the “real” joker if I told him I was a minister.

C50: What are some of the challenges that you may face as a woman when you are trying to do Kingdom building within the church?

RR: One of the challenges I face as a woman when I am trying to do Kingdom building within the church is to maintain balance. I believe it is vital to remember to have fun, celebrate, and, more importantly, laugh. Women are naturally nurturers, and we give so much that oftentimes we “give out” leaving nothing for ourselves. I have purposed in my heart to build’s God’s Kingdom, but to remember to laugh and make the gospel fun. For example, I plan my personal life around responsibilities at church, but once a month, my homegirls and I go to dinner, a play, or something just to laugh and kick the “Bo Bos.” This helps me to keep balance and be better at Kingdom building. One cannot give what one does not have. We, as women, must carve time to pour back into ourselves—balance, balance, balance.

C50: How would you influence the culture of women behind the pulpit?

RR: I would hope to influence the culture of women behind the pulpit by encouraging sisters to be their authentic selves. I would also try to influence the culture to be one of interdependence and celebration. The reality is we all need each other. While we are all different, I would try to influence the culture of women to focus on our commonalities instead of our differences. God said we are fearfully and wonderfully made. I want to influence the culture of women behind the pulpit to love and accept themselves and others just how God created them.

Bonus Question

C50: What is the one thing that you want my loyal readers to know about a woman in the pulpit?

RR: The one thing I want your loyal readers to know about a woman in the pulpit is she is no different than a woman who is not in the pulpit. The only difference is a woman in the pulpit life is on display. However, it is up to that woman to decide to fight for her own identity. A woman in the pulpit can be foxy, funny, and free despite the unrealistic expectations forced upon her!

C50: There you have it Golden Divas, a woman who is contributing to making women great behind and beyond the pulpit, my girl Rev. Ro, bringing people to Christ in her unique way. Love you, girl!