Thank you, Pastor Marc
Freedom Communities’ spiritual leader is moving on – but what a legacy he’s leaving
Change is inevitable, and that’s both a blessing and a shame.
We witness change for the better every day at Freedom Communities as we watch people transform their lives.
Some changes we’re more reluctant to embrace. Rev. Marc Dickmann’s upcoming departure is one of those. While we celebrate his new role as pastor of a church in north Charlotte – which puts him closer to the aging parents and in-laws he’s helping care for – we’re hesitant to say goodbye. (In his typical fashion, Marc says of his and his wife, Amy’s caregiving roles, “That’s a responsibility we take on joyfully.”)
He’s been our North star.
‘The presence of Jesus’
Dr. David Docusen, the Freedom Communities Board member and Neighborliness.com founder who helped bring Marc onboard says, “Marc is a natural shepherd. He has the ability to bring peace and the presence of Jesus into any room.”
Marc was Freedom Communities’ second employee – hired right after our first executive director, Steven Smith. He officially joined in 2018, but his commitment to west Charlotte goes back further.
“Pastor Marc” – as most everyone calls him – has had a passion for Charlotte’s west side for more than two decades. It started when he was associate pastor at Warehouse 242 church at the intersection of W. Morehead Street and Wilkinson Boulevard – a role he took on in 2000.
In looking for ways to build meaningful relationships with neighbors, Marc helped form a partnership with Bishop Spaugh Community Academy, which, at the time, was the lowest-performing middle school in the state. CMS ultimately shuttered Spaugh Academy, but that didn’t stop Marc’s work in education. He immersed himself in Ashley Park School – where many of the displaced students had gone – in 2013.
The partnership started with backpack donations. Over time, congregants became reading mentors to Ashley Park students.
Marc never thought public education would be part of his ministry, but that’s where he saw the greatest need. “There was a prompting from God to dive deeper into the educational space,” he says. “The west side has a complicated history. There’s been a lot of injustice that people of faith have navigated as we’ve sought to serve our children and our neighbors.”
Marc doesn’t take credit for the life-changing work he’s led. He gives it to others. “We got to know educators and administrators who faithfully, steadfastly and without fanfare … serve people with dignity and love,” he says. “They became my heroes.”
Building relationships is one of the ways Marc lives his faith. He says that partnering with others has been one of his greatest joys during his tenure here: “The relationships have been the sweetest thing for me.”
A prayerful life
Prayer is central to Marc’s life and work. Erika King, a Moms Moving Forward transformation coach, says, “Pastor Marc will ask me if any moms have specific prayer needs. He’s not asking for any personal information – just enough to tailor a prayer to them. He’ll call the moms and pray with them. He’ll share his opinion, which is always grounded in spirituality. When he speaks, it’s never from a biased, opinionated standpoint.”
Marc has always focused his heart and attention on whatever the greatest need at the moment was. For most of his time as a westside advocate, that was education. But his focus shifted when we began Moms Moving Forward. “We decided the best way to support children in education was to support their moms as they learned more about how to be great advocates for their children,” he says. “That’s when my role went from director of education to a more spiritual integration focus.”
“I’m available for pastoral and spiritual support for our families,” he says. “I participate in all the Moms Moving Forward workshops. I’m available to meet one-on-one with the moms, pray with and for them. I like to be a steady presence for our moms, who come to this campus once a month for a group workshop. That’s an opportunity to welcome them, serve them a meal and remind them how much they’re loved.”
He loves seeing lives transformed. “I see moms go from hesitation to self-confidence and full-on engagement as they begin accomplishing their goals,” he says. “I’m honored to celebrate with them.”
In 2015, Marc and a group of westside pastors began regular Wednesday prayer time. “Since we began, we’ve seen some incredible changes for the better,” he says. “This was even before the Movement Center, the Movement School, Noble Smoke and so many other good things happening along the Freedom corridor. All these good things we’ve seen emerge … are the result of collaborations.”
There’s a disconcerting dichotomy to those changes. The challenge of gentrification along the Freedom corridor – the rising rents and rising cost of living – make it difficult for families to stay here. At the same time, those changes are creating more opportunities for westside families than ever before.
“We celebrate the positive growth in our city,” Marc says. “And yet, we can’t forget those who are too often left behind. It’s those twin dynamics that make this work an ongoing challenge and require steadfastness and resilience on behalf of the organizations and leaders who serve.”
‘Always a new day’
Marc is boundlessly hopeful and helps our staff and clients be hopeful, too. Progress isn’t always a straight line. Sometimes, our clients backslide after making progress and need extra encouragement to get back on track. Marc never, ever gives up. “As a pastor, I’m a resurrection person,” he says. “I believe that, as long as we have breath, we can’t be counted out. There is always a new day.”
Marc reminds us he, too, is human and therefore fallible. “If I’ve grown over the years, it’s been in large part because people have been patient with me,” he says. “And people have poured into me, advocated for me, challenged and loved me and sometimes told me hard things. That’s been to my benefit.”
Many of us think Marc hung the moon. Erika says, “His heart is so pure. I’m sure he’s made some mistakes; no one is perfect. But you can feel his spiritual energy. He is walking in his faith and in his purpose.”
Marc says, “People and God have been patient with me. And surely, I can extend that same grace to others.”
And because Marc is always giving others the credit, he adds: “I’ve seen the beautiful people on the west side who are doing this work. They don’t want to be shouted out. They just want to do the work. It’s their life’s calling and, in many ways, their ministry. And if no one ever knows about it, they’ll still keep showing up. And, surely if they can do it, the rest of us can keep showing up, too.”
And we will. Even though Marc won’t be in our office, he’ll always be part of our team. And we’ll keep showing up to do this work we’re called to do – and do it in the loving spirit Marc modeled for us.
As David says, “Marc’s love for and commitment to Jesus helped anchor our organization and keep us focused on where to find true healing for every family we serve.”
Marc – We wish you and Amy; your kids, Zac, Max and Zeyna; and your extended family all the love you’ve poured into us over the years. We’ll keep following the example you’ve established and work tirelessly for our neighbors and this neighborhood. You’ve led the way.
With love and gratitude,
Hannah Beavers