By Jennifer Colosimo

Imagine how it would feel to grow up practicing faith one way, only to be judged for it as an adult—by the people who believe the same thing as you? For many Black women today, that’s exactly the case. They often don’t have a place where they can simultaneously grow in their modern faith and honor their African heritage. But The Faith Community Virtual (TFC) is ready to change that.

TFC is a vibrant community of people committed to the Greatest Commandment Theology (GCT). An ancient framework for modern faith, GCT was curated by TFC’s founding Pastor and community builder, Kristian A. Smith. Birthed out of a seminary assignment that evolved from an in-home Bible study to a brick and mortar then virtual church, TFC was established five years ago and meets once a month for worship and throughout the month via connection groups.

When the pandemic hit, TFC’s services and groups went digital, as many churches did. But they intentionally built upon the needs of their people and the virtual component formed a body of faith that was incredible, spanning well beyond Atlanta and the United States of America. Once churches began heading back into their physical sanctuaries, The Faith Community decided not to lose their new footing and instead found their calling in a hybrid, virtual space.

Today, as a virtual church, TFC hosts monthly in-person worship sessions to gather their local and virtual community in a carefully curated Ecosystem. Most of their events, including monthly connection groups and other specialized ministry services available to their community online, are conducted through Facebook, Google Meet and Patreon.

One of the most popular ministries of TFC is the podcast and connection group “Holy Smokes: Cigars and Spirituality.” The first “Black Women and African Spirituality” (BWAS) episode immediately emerged as a fan favorite. People loved it and continued requesting future episodes, so it became a recurring episode recorded each season.

According to Executive Pastor Tierney Ridley, also a Holy Smokes cast member and contributor to the BWAS series, “People kept saying, ‘we want more, we want to do this in community, we want this to be a connection group. They made it clear that this was the topic they wanted to discuss. And once we read the call for proposals from CBF, we knew that a grant would be the perfect way to launch something that could really serve women in this arena. We’d be able to get the support we’d need to get it off the ground.”

Pastor Ridley led the charge in applying for the CBF grant and as a result, TFC received $5,000 from the CBF Ministry Fund to launch Altars of Remembrance: Black Women and African Spirituality. They launched the connection group at the church’s recent anniversary celebration in August of 2023. As of late September, over 150 women have opted in and joined the Facebook group by the same name. They received welcome packets and resource guides, as well as having the opportunity for daily communication and conversation via the Facebook Connection group. Following the format of other groups within TFC, the group is a virtual gathering that will happen quarterly, in addition to touch points through email and Facebook. They’ll also host an in-person event later this year. 

“This group will create a community for Black women to explore their spirituality in a post-pandemic world,” said Ridley. “We’ve never really had a safe and supportive environment to connect with other women and share our faith experiences. We’ve never really been able to explore our spirituality without the risk of being judged or criticized.”

In addition, the new group will aim to “foster reconciliation and justice by empowering Black women to reclaim their spiritual narratives and challenge systems of oppression. It will address the urgent need for community-building and healing in the wake of the pandemic and to center the experiences and voices of Black women in this process.”

“In this space, we can talk about the things that are specific to our faith heritage, we can say ‘me, too,’ and we can encourage and support one another. We don’t have to be afraid to ask questions,” Ridley added.

Many of the logistics are still in the works, and the hope is that it will evolve as it grows. Ridley said that they’ve been immediately intentional about making introductions within the group, so that people can start connecting and having conversations with each other between sessions. For virtual and in person meet ups, they will facilitate a hearty, discussion-based conversation where participants are encouraged to ask questions, share thoughts and just talk.

“For me, it is really exciting to see their genuine desire to learn, unlearn and relearn what they know about African spirituality and how it relates to our Christianity,” she said. “Watching people light up at the reality that those two ideas are not on opposite ends of the spectrum, but can be completely related, watching them come alive and explore new things as it relates to their faith—it feels good.”

TFC’s promise to its community is that they will consistently ground themselves in women’s equity, anti-racism, LGBTQ+ inclusion, Bible criticism and theology. Through that, Ridley wants people to hear that their faith and their spirituality can be more expansive than they imagined. “You can curate a life and a relationship in God that fulfills you in a plethora of ways, not just in your grandmother’s faith,” she said. “We are in a very polarized society and this group helps women realize that faith is personal. Even if others don’t understand you or your faith, you’re no longer alone. There’s a community out there for you. And the fact that it’s a community around our faith is just so important.”