Interview with Denise Wright by Jessica Garcia

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Narrative Summary

Interview with Denise Wright by Jessica Garcia

Denise Wright is the wife of Phillip Wright, who is the pastor of The Venues church in Springfield, MO. Denise and her husband started The Venues around two years ago with the tagline “a church for all.” The church has flourished and is filled with every kind of person you could possible imagine. Denise is truly one of the most compassionate and kind-hearted people I’ve ever met, and I’m inspired by her desire to let everyone know much God loves them.

To begin, Denise was raised by two devout Christian parents and has been attending church and practicing her Christian faith for as long as she could remember. She talked about how she remembers going to church twice on Sunday and on Wednesday. Though her faith has always been a huge part of her life, she has also gone through a major transformation in the way she views God. She grew up with a very conservative view of God and had a very literal interpretation of scripture. Through many different experiences, her view of God has shifted from very conservative and biblically inerrant to focused on Jesus and love over everything else.

While recounting events that changed her faith, Denise recalled a time where she stood on a street corner near an abortion clinic holding signs. She says now that she really regrets ever evangelizing in that way. She says that she realizes now that holding a sign and judging someone going through a difficult time will never be an effective way to let them know that God loves them. She states that being against an issue and being against a person are hard to differentiate in times like that, and she credits that incident for revolutionizing how she views helping others. She says now that helping others means talking with them and being there for them with whatever they are going through.

Another issue that Denise credits for changing her faith is her encounter with the LGBT community. She said that there was a time where she and her husband had no idea that they actually had friends who were LGBT. While at his previous church, Phillip wanted to preach a sermon about homosexuality, but realized that he didn’t know any LGBT people and they decided to change that. So they hosted a dinner in order to get to know some LGBT people and hear their stories. They began developing friendships with the people they met and Denise credits those friendships with changing how they saw people. This was one of the trigger points that led Phillip to be released from his previous church, as well, and Denise said this also revolutionized their lives because they realized the number one message that they gain from the Bible, and especially from Jesus’ teaching, is to love others and love God and that became their main goal.

After Phillip was released from his other church, Denise said she went through a time where she didn’t want to be around other Christians because she was very upset, but that her relationship with God was very crucial to her because she found peace through that relationship. She said God also gives her the ability to see people that she might normally pass by. She said she understands how some people may be turned off by Christianity because Christians so often act in an unkind way. She talked about how her theology and doctrinal requirements have become shorter and shorter throughout the years, and that now the only thing left on her “doctrinal list” is to love God and love others. This love for others is what inspired Denise and Phillip to create The Venues. She said she is inspired by the fact that on a Sunday morning you can encounter a homeless person, an addict, and a very wealthy person all in the same place. She said that at The Venues, not everyone believes the same things or interprets the Bible the same way, but the church works because they create an atmosphere where everyone is welcome.

Denise inspired me by her over-flowing love for others. Her kind spirit and determination to show love were so evident. This love glowed when Denise talked about how, at the end of her life, she just hopes that maybe one person would say that she loved God and loved others well. She became emotional and it was so evident how important this was to her, and I could see so clearly how much she meant it. My conversation with Denise was so refreshing and uplifting and I’m so thankful she was willing to share her story with me.

Missouri State UniversitySpring 2015Religious Lives of Ozarks Women