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In 1988 a significant life change redirected Rev. Rosalind Russell to return to school. She investigated the numerous seminaries in and around California and decided upon the Santa Antia Church Ministerial School in Arcadia.
She was immediately accepted for attendance due to her past under-graduate work as well as her intense desire to discover her own spirituality as well as teach it in different ways than most seminaries expect of their graduating clergy.
She excelled in her classes for the next 3 years, graduating first in her class in 1990. She immediately began the second part of her schooling so as to become Ordained as well. Because she did not choose to do work in a church to achieve this added education as is the standard in this seminary, she had to petition the seminary board with a program that she was interested in working, as well as write the program, which she did wirte and they agreed to with excitement.
The program she offered was to work for a year in E.L.A. with Chicano gangs along with others of the community. She sat on the board of Romona Gardena for its entire existence of 6 years.
Once her year was completed with submissions of what was achieved, challenges met or not met, she was granted her ordination day. However, Rev. Russell is not superficial, and she continued her commitment to the gangs and the police in that area to continue until it could be passed off to another better qualified than herself.
On her own, with no support financially, she did keep her personal commitment to work with them for their improvement in jobs, education and family matters. for an additional 5 years. While there, reading programs were established for adults, youth programs developed from T ball to boxing; the 'turf' was walked by Rev. Russell with gang members at her side, not for her protection, but rather their introduction to the businesses, so as to reintegrate the disgruntled business owners with the idea of hiring gang members as it would serve the world, a form of peace being made after many years of continual break ins and robberies on their own community; fundraising was done in a variety of ways from car washes to selling tamales or auctioning off donated items to bring in money for the programs for the community.
While working in the LA gangs, she attended a special touching wedding ceremony of her life time friends son who is gay. It was then and there that her heart was so touched to enter into the arena of availing herself to offering Holy Unions to this put aside community of God's Precious Children.
It is easy to see her work touches her to this day with the personal touch she adds as well as to developing a relationship with the couple to the degree of their interest.
Counseling
Rev. Russell offers counseling for the couples so as to avert future difficulties at challenging times. Her mission and goal is to teach that peace in the world begins with peace in the home. The counseling is not confrontive, but supportive, defining and encouraging when all seems to be hopeless. This is not to say that 'work' is not to be done by the couple, rather that there is a light to aim toward with resolve in view.
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