Midtown Church
Midtown Covenant Church is a multiethnic, multiplying, reconciling, and disciple-making church. We are a church for the unchurched, those who have been burned by the church in the past, and those wondering if they are passionately welcomed back into the church after being gone for whatever reason. We care deeply about our city, the nation, and the world. We believe that Christ changes everything and provides us with the power and authority to make a transformative difference in the world. We share Christ’s heart for the vulnerable, marginalized, lost, and broken. We are committed to being a bridge of empowerment, unity, and love in a divided world.
Midtown Church
Black Excellence Series: Serving with Compassion with Phyllis Marshall
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In this episode, Phyllis Marshall, an attorney in public policy, shares her passion for serving vulnerable communities and advocating for those who are unhoused. She reflects on how faith, compassion, and cultural identity shape her leadership and encourages others to show up, use their voice, and lead through service.
Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/D5F5TQZzc-Q?si=gjLpenC6zOQyqqwM
My name is Phyllis Marshall. I've been attending Midtown Church, Elkgrove, uh probably for about three years. Have a lot of friends at Midtown, and you know, I'm happy that we opened up an Elk Grove campus. I'm an attorney. I graduated from law school in San Francisco. Started my career working at a law firm. I came to Sacramento and I've been working in government affairs on public policy. Currently I work for the county of Los Angeles and we deal with a lot of issues, vulnerable communities. And one of those communities are people who are unsheltered. And so it's become very important to me personally to really do what I can do individually. You know, providing supplies. You know, if I see someone, I always stop and, you know, ask, is there something I can do for them? And, you know, sometimes it's bold to do that. I think a lot of folks want to be able to do that. They just don't know how to. You know, God leads me through those journeys, just connecting with uh individuals who are unhoused. And it's always been with me where I kind of stand in the gap. Something I think I learned from my mother in particular, and my grandmother, you need to be able to speak out for people who are vulnerable. I taught it to my children, and I've seen that in them so many times, and now they're teaching it to their grandchildren. It's just what we're supposed to do. It's what God wants us to do, you know. We're all supposed to do this. This isn't anything special. This is just how, you know, we're kind to our neighbors. I think it's very easy for me to blend both my cultural identity and my faith together and never forsake one for the other because that's the way I grew up. My mom would, you know, she taught us to read the Bible. You sit there in the church and pull up the scriptures. And that's one of the things I like about Midtown Elk Grove in Midtown Sacramento. It's very Bible-based, okay? The scripture is important, and the way that they're able to bring the scripture alive and make it pertain to you is amazing. Being who I am as an African-American woman, uh, knowing who I am and, you know, the position that, you know, I hold, I'm led by the Spirit and by the Scripture. And those two things, they just blend together perfectly. You know, I think that you show up your authentic self, who you are. And, you know, God has given me the strength to, you know, tell my story in spaces where others may be reluctant to, but it's because of that conviction, uh compassion that I'm able to do that. But also just because of my belief in God, okay? He's just kind of waking me up every day, and he has a plan for my life, and I'm just submitting to that in the way that I think he wants me to. No, I think one of the biggest roles that a church can play in terms of shaping their leaders is that in order to be an amazing leader, you have to be an amazing follower. You have to be able to serve. You know, so many people have so many definitions of what a leader is. For me, I'm that kind of quiet leader or server that sits in the background, just listens, and stands in the gap. And so I think it is so powerful for leaders to be followers, to be able to follow others and to be able to learn from whether it's uh a woman who is unhoused, you know, living on the street to my ministers at church and be able to listen to them and grow in your relationship with God. So be a good follower and you'll be a good leader. I would say to young black leaders living in our church today, for one thing, keep doing what you're doing because church is a place where people come and they strengthen their relationship with God. They strengthen their relationship with individuals who are trying to be godlike. And that would include me. And they strengthen their relationship just with community, and that's important. Black leaders play a particularly important role in their community and, you know, really stick, you know, standing up and using their voices to really help the younger generation, you know, kind of aspire to do more. And so they have to be present. We're living in a time where we're all being challenged. I think it is so important that everyone in their own way uh find a way to just show up. You know, black leaders need to show up in spaces where, you know, you have an opportunity to be a mentor, to be able to be successful at what you do through Christ. And those things, they're synonymous, okay? They're not mutually exclusive. And, you know, and I just speak up when it's time to speak up. And that's what I try to do. You know, there's some things you don't really have to, you know, speak up about, but there's other things where you have to take a stand. And I would certainly encourage, you know, black leaders to do that so that they encourage others to do that as well.