Legacy Community

Church and Watershed in particular is more than the people who gather on Sundays. It is also the people who have been shaped by their experience, carried something from it, and taken that something with them into the world. The people represented here are part of the story of Watershed—and Watershed is part of their story. Though their lives have taken them in different directions, the love, questions, relationships, courage, and curiosity they experienced here continue to flow outward into their families, communities, neighborhoods, and work. We celebrate these stories because we believe the impact of a community like Watershed is measured not only by who stays, but also by what people carry with them when they go.

Rich & Jen Robles
2012-2021
Boston, MA

  • We were part of Watershed from 2012–2021. We were small group leaders and worked with Matt to train and develop leaders of other groups, and Rich was also part of the Lead Team. What meant the most to us was being accepted regardless of where we were in our faith journey. Watershed helped us dismantle some of the traditional Christian faith we had inherited and taught us to show up in the world with a more loving, inclusive, and open-minded spirit toward others. The relationships and community we experienced there continue to be an important part of who we are. We now live in Boston with our children, Calli, Mari, Parker, and Elli.

Michael & Glori Gray
2012-2021
Boston, MA

  • Content coming soon…

Rick & Amanda Sichler
2005-2019
Cummings, GA

  • We were part of the original launch team for Watershed, from 2005–2019, and had the joy of helping get this wonderful thing off the ground. We have so many great memories from those early years of being part of Matt and Scott’s vision for a progressive, urban, nondenominational church in the QC. Between us, we were involved in the Watershed Band, Run Bloc, Movies in the Park, leading worship for GreenHouse, and countless other things. And who could forget singing “Little Drummer Boy” by Audio Adrenaline in all its raucous glory during many of the first decade of Christmas gatherings? Coming back for the 20th Anniversary month and co-leading with Austin Smith, with special guest and former Watershed-er Jym Chapman, was especially meaningful. Watershed taught us to accept others as they are. We are all created by God and loved by God—who are we to judge or stand in the way of that? Religion can get in the way of what matters most: love God, love people, keep it simple. We now live in Cumming, Georgia, about an hour north of Atlanta, with our two daughters, Evalyn and Kealy.

Jonathan & Blair Miller
2006-2015
Milton, GA

  • We came to Watershed in 2006, before we were married and before we had kids, looking for a church community. We connected instantly, were baptized there, joined a number of small groups, worked on the setup and tech team, and hosted a small group at our home called Goodies and Games. Our journey also included asking questions about our same-sex relationship and how it was viewed at Watershed. At first it wasn’t clear and was a little messy, but we were okay with that. It became a journey of understanding and asking more questions, eventually leading to Watershed supporting our wedding and becoming part of that celebration. The leadership of Watershed also played a pivotal role as we chose to adopt our three boys, Zeke, Cash, and Jamison, and they were there by our side through every part of that—and continue to be today. Watershed helped form our marriage, our friendships, our decision to adopt, and the way we parent. Although we no longer live in Charlotte, we continue to rely on the support, friendships, and guidance we found there. We now live in Milton, Georgia, near Atlanta.

Daniel & Jamie McCollum
2005-2017
Antigua, Guatemala

  • We were part of the original launch team at Watershed and were involved from 2005 onward. Between us, we were part of Movies in the Park and the launch team, served on the Lead Team, helped lead and teach GreenHouse, led women’s, marriage, and other Blocs, and participated in justice initiatives with Bridges Out of Poverty. Community was probably the most significant thing we learned during our years at Watershed. Even years later, it is the community we experienced there that continues to shape who we are and how we make sure community is part of our ongoing journey as a family. We also learned that theology and philosophy can be more about questions than answers, more about people and being than doing and achieving, and more about the love we give away through generosity of time, resources, and justice than about climbing ladders of status or achievement. We came to see that as a link to our God-given purpose, and it has become part of our DNA individually, in our marriage, and in our family. We now live in Antigua, Guatemala, with our children, Maryn, Elias, and Everest.

Ashley & Mary-Kate Morris
2019-2021
Richmond, VA

  • We were part of Watershed from 2019–2021. We were involved on Sundays, in Blocs, Preface, volunteering in the Shed, and with Kindred. What meant the most to us was the permission to ask questions, to be unsure, and to be ourselves. It wasn’t a performance; it was real, and it was healing to be around other people who were grappling honestly with life’s big questions. Watershed helped us build a foundation of confidence to show up authentically in the world. Before Watershed, we often felt less than in religious circles. Now we know we aren’t wrong or broken—we just believe differently, and that’s okay. It’s okay not to copy and paste all of the beliefs and values that were handed to us as children. We now live in the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia, with our daughter, Sloane.

Ricky Hill
2015-2020
Washington, DC

  • I was part of Watershed from 2015–2020. Ha. I was too done with church to volunteer, but I sent up a good praise—and I did a few Blocs. More than anything, Watershed gave me a place to rest and to figure out what spiritual community meant to me. It was a place where I was allowed to freely and openly think about and wrestle with god. That freedom to question and wrestle, without having to pretend I had it all figured out, became a meaningful part of my experience there. I now live and work in Washington, DC.

John Nance
2005-2006, 2012-2017
Charlotte, NC

  • I was part of Watershed in two seasons, from 2005–2006 and again from 2012–2017. I began simply attending and eventually joined the morning welcoming group. As a former pastor and as someone who had come out as a gay man, I was looking for a community of believers who would accept me and allow me to work through the dissonance between faith and my orientation. The relational journey with the pastoral leaders and their spouses became one of the most meaningful parts of my Watershed story. It included many conversations and hurdles, and there were painful years, but the relationships strengthened. In some ways, I became a spiritual voice pushing Watershed, and in ways I didn’t realize it needed to be pushed. Through that experience I became a stronger advocate. At first my advocacy focused on my own needs, but over time it shifted toward advocating for others as well. I learned more about my own strengths and abilities, and the whole experience became part of my identity development and helped me become more complete within my own internal world. I now live in Charlotte.

Meagan Page
2023-2025
Vlorë, Albania

  • I was part of Watershed from 2023–2025. I wasn’t as involved as I would’ve liked to be, but I attended services, went through Preface, hung out with the Blockbusters group, and even spoke during the service on my last Sunday. I came to Watershed during a very vulnerable and tumultuous time in my life—leaving an abusive marriage, separating, getting a divorce, and learning how to stand on my own for the first time as an adult. I never felt like Watershed asked me to show up and be anything other than what I was, where I was. It truly felt like a safe place, a place where I could be myself and be loved and enough. I also found a community deeply committed to love—real love—and to justice, always making room at the table for one more and room in the theology for other possibilities. Watershed helped me find my voice again. Through the love I received, I started feeling okay letting myself be seen—by others and even by myself—and that lost part of me came back online. My understanding of God became more expansive, and I became more okay with not having all the answers. I now live in Vlorë, Albania, with my children, Caedmon, Jonas, and Effie, following Watershed online as much as I can.

Julia Husar
2023-2025
Boston, MA

  • I was part of Watershed from 2023–2025 and was active with Kindred and with work around trans representation. For me, one of the most meaningful things was having the ability to deconstruct alongside other people and gain the language to understand why I was disillusioned with Evangelical Christianity. It wasn’t so much the end result as it was the process of doing it and the tools I picked up along the way. Watershed introduced me to the idea of decolonizing my Christianity—something I didn’t even know existed. I see that experience continuing to shape my work today. My research focuses on how marginalized groups, specifically trans individuals, interact with sociotechnical systems and how those systems can reify power structures and further marginalize people. I think the ideas of intersectionality, listening to people at the margins, and meaning-making in community were all things I was primed to understand because of my experience at Watershed. I am currently pursuing my doctorate in Boston, Massachusetts.

James & Katie Schwabach
2012-2017
Williamsburg, VA

  • We were part of Watershed from 2012–2017. We were involved with the setup team and small groups, and some of our most meaningful friendships came from our small group. Watershed was the most progressive and loving church we had ever attended. After we moved, Katie and I really tried to find a church community in Florida, but the messages were often misogynistic and we felt like we were basically hiding our viewpoints on most “cultural” topics. Our experience at Watershed made attending other churches harder because the message of loving everyone seems so difficult to find. It can feel like the Venn diagram of loving Jesus’s example and loving everyone is so slim in today’s cultural climate. So we show up differently because we know how hard it can be to find an accepting community. We now live in Williamsburg, Virginia, with our children, Noah and Grayson.

Kristy Yetman & Desmond Smith
2007-2020
Bay Roberts, Newfoundland, Canada

  • I (Kristy) was part of Watershed from 2007–2020, starting out volunteering in GreenHouse and eventually participating in and leading a couple of Blocs. After leaving Charlotte, only a handful of my meaningful relationships didn’t come from my time at Watershed. Watershed gave me a chosen family when my own family was geographically far away. I used to work for a church in outreach, but I never felt comfortable inviting people into the building and ultimately to the people. I have never felt that way about Watershed. When someone is looking for a church community, I can confidently say, “You might like this place because they’re welcoming to all, genuinely curious, and aren’t afraid of what the world has broken in you.” I will always appreciate the transparency at Watershed. The leadership was willing to admit they didn’t have it figured out but were willing to try and try and try again. Watching them walk through the messiness of figuring it out helped me embrace my own insecurities and welcome the idea that perfection isn’t the only option.

    I (Desmond) was a part of Watershed from 2007–2024, and between the two of us we were involved in just about every corner of the community—band, GreenHouse, Bloc leadership, the tech team, staff, and the Lead Team. I (Desmond) even served as Matt’s personal therapist! What we loved most was Watershed’s willingness to ask questions without fear of where the answers might take us, including the journey toward becoming an affirming church, along with its radical acceptance. Watershed was a real-life example of people working really hard to understand, accept, and love people. That will stay with us. We now live near family in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, with our spouse, Kristy Yetman.

Katie & Matt Sharp
2016-2025 & 2007-2025
Charlotte, NC

  • We have both been involved with Watershed in different ways over the years. I, Katie, was part of the Hospitality team for about six years and have been involved in several Blocs, and Matt has been involved in various Blocs as well. What has meant the most to us has been the messages, the music, and, more than anything, the people and the inclusive culture with zero judgment. That was a huge obstacle for me with churches in the past. Watershed has made me even more thoughtful and open-minded, and we have watched the community show up for people when they need help or support—particularly in our Blocs—which has encouraged us to do the same.

    I (Matt) have been involved at Watershed from 2007–2025 and Katie from 2016–2025. Over the years we’ve both been involved in various ways. Matt served on the setup and production teams and was involved in book Blocs, soccer Bloc, Rove, men’s groups, the singles Bloc, and service trips to Mexico, Guatemala, West Virginia, and more. Katie was involved in hospitality and women’s Blocs. The early years were especially formative as we developed an updated spiritual compass after college. The relationships we formed at Watershed are still intact and very strong. More than anything, our time there helped us assess the spiritual practices and approaches to faith we had inherited and develop a new spiritual compass to guide our lives now. We continue to live in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Kendra & Scott Miller
2006-2017
Charlotte, NC

  • We’re Kendra and Scott Miller, and our family was part of Watershed from 2006–2017. Scott was on staff, and over the years we both led blocs and volunteered with GreenHouse. More than anything, we’re grateful for the relationships we formed at Watershed and continue to nurture today. We also deeply valued having a space where we could wrestle with our beliefs, ask questions, challenge our views, and arrive at new and freeing awareness. Our time at Watershed shaped a willingness to see faith—and its implications—much more broadly. Today we’re still in Charlotte with our three kids, Elle, Carsyn, and Jones. We recently celebrated 25 years of marriage, and the kids are growing quickly—we’re starting a new school year with two high schoolers and a middle schooler!

Abby Noble
2011-2015
Oslo, Norway

  • I was part of Watershed from 2011–2015, volunteering with the hospitality/coffee team and kids ministry and leading a Bloc for a number of years. Charlotte was the first place I moved to on my own after college, and I knew no one before moving there. Watershed became my family and my “home away from home,” and some of my closest friends—people who are still in my life today—came from those relationships. One of the biggest things I took with me was learning to be okay asking wild or scary questions. I came to see that questions aren’t sacrilegious; they can be a way to grow and develop. God is so much bigger than any wild question we can ask, and if God is our focus, no question is off the table as we seek to understand more deeply. These days I reside abroad in Oslo, Norway.

    I (Desmond) was a part of Watershed from 2007–2024, and between the two of us we were involved in just about every corner of the community—band, GreenHouse, Bloc leadership, the tech team, staff, and the Lead Team. I (Desmond) even served as Matt’s personal therapist! What we loved most was Watershed’s willingness to ask questions without fear of where the answers might take us, including the journey toward becoming an affirming church, along with its radical acceptance. Watershed was a real-life example of people working really hard to understand, accept, and love people. That will stay with us. We now live near family in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, with our spouse, Kristy Yetman.

Barbara Wright
2006-2012
Asheville, NC

  • I was part of Watershed from 2006–2012. I first started attending with someone I was in a relationship with at the time, and the Watershed community was there for me as I rode that roller coaster up and down and around. I loved that Watershed accepted people as they were and where they were. The complete lack of judgment and shame was especially compelling for me, having been raised in a strict Catholic environment. I was involved through mentoring and supporting a single mother who also attended Watershed at that time. I learned so much from my relationship with her and her family; we are still close and connected today. I also loved our book club and the freedom to question everything—to understand that questioning our beliefs could actually lead to a richer and stronger faith. My experience at Watershed exposed me to people living very different lives than mine. I became significantly less judgy and a true believer in transformation. You can love, respect, and appreciate people exactly as they are, while also believing in and supporting them when they choose to transform their lives. That has been a huge gift to me. I now live in Asheville, North Carolina, my kids David Wright, and Lillie Wright Hunnicutt are full on young adults now too!

Dan & Rachelle Cronin
2007-2020
Belmont, NC

  • We’re Dan and Rachelle Cronin, and we were part of Watershed from 2007–2020. We were engaged in an amazing bloc and attended Sundays from the Actor’s Theatre all the way through Watershed’s current location. We also took one awesome trip to Guatemala, where we formed some deep friendships along the way. One of the things that has stayed with us is watching a faith community grow from what it believes it is “supposed” to be into a real community that loves like Jesus. We also learned that being shown that your voice is valued encourages you to use that voice when it matters. Today we live in Belmont, NC, with our two beautiful children, Emerson and Whitman. They’re growing up quickly—Emerson is a feisty freshman in high school, and Whitman is a goofy fourth grader.

Kevin Ussery
2018-2023
Lewes, DE

  • I was part of Watershed from 2018–2023. I taught in GreenHouse, served on the GreenHouse advisory committee, participated in a Relationality Bloc, and was involved with Kindred. Being involved with GreenHouse was especially meaningful to me. As a queer person, I never thought any church would let me work with children, so being able to do that while being my full self was incredibly important. I loved helping to teach young minds about God in a way I never got to learn. Watershed also shaped how I think about life: I’m much more focused on the here and now and how I live in the world than I am with what happens when I die. I now live in Lewes, Delaware.

Katherine Mayer
2006-2015
Denver, CO

  • I was part of Watershed from 2006–2015, participating in many different small groups and volunteering for years with a child at Byers Elementary. What meant the most to me were the connections with other people who were also struggling to understand what faith means, the freedom to accept that faith can change, and the experience of being accepted and witnessing the acceptance of all. I also valued the close connection with church leadership and the feeling of being known and valued by people I admired. Watershed expanded my view of faith. I came to understand that there is no script or checklist, and I feel that I carry more of that understanding into the world today. Denver, Colorado, is home for me my son, Lennox.