Across from Montgomery Village in Santa Rosa, Church of the Roses is located at 2500 Patio Court, one block from Montgomery High School. The Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation is particularly known for its free breakfast for local students, while its 10 a.m. worship, monthly Sacred Space gathering, choral music, mission partnerships and care ministries give the church a broad place in community life.
The church calls its sanctuary “a refuge for the lonely, friendless, and stranger,” a place where peace is promoted and love generously shared. Children are welcome, and Sunday worship is intended to encourage praise of God, hope and purpose. This welcome, music and practical service form the center of Church of the Roses.
Sunday at Ten: Teaching, Music and Welcome
What a visitor will hear and see
Sunday worship is held weekly from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary. Rev. Dr. Kevin Buchanan preaches most Sundays, reflecting on God's word and the way of Jesus Christ in the world and in daily life. His messages blend biblical history with modern-day wisdom, a style intended to make ancient truths feel at home in the present.
Music is central to the service. The Chancel Choir sings each Sunday, while the handbell ensemble Bellissimo performs once or twice a month and for special occasions. Carol Menke directs the church's music ministries. Projection displays the words of the service and hymns, and videos or slideshows are used periodically to add visual elements to the worship experience.
Children and accessibility
Children are welcome throughout the hour. Older children may attend Sunday School, whose curriculum is led by Children's Program Coordinator Chelsea Howard. A nursery room is located off the lobby, and parents may remain there with younger children while listening to and viewing the service.
Visitors who are hearing impaired can ask an usher for audio equipment during worship. The congregation also seeks to provide children with a safe, healthy environment in which they can learn from positive role models of different ages.
Fellowship after worship
Coffee, cookies and fellowship gather people in Bowen Hall after the service. The church also often schedules adult forums with special speakers following worship, creating additional opportunities for learning and conversation. Pastor Kevin is glad to meet visitors and friends, and departing guests receive a welcome bag with information about the church's local and international service projects.
Joining from near or far
Sunday worship is offered through Zoom as well as in the sanctuary. A recording is available through the Church of the Roses YouTube channel, with the most recent recording generally posted by Monday evening. Zoom links are sent through the weekly email, and sermons are also heard on KSRO 103.5 FM. The sermon archive includes recordings, written sermons and past services.
First Saturdays for Reflection and Song
Sacred Space gives Church of the Roses a second weekly rhythm. It meets from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month in the Rose Room. The service is intimate and meditative, centered on acoustic guitar, creative worship and opportunities to reflect in community.
Instead of following the format of a conventional Sunday sermon service, Sacred Space creates space for prayer, contemplation and shared experience. Steven Yeager serves as its coordinator. The result is a monthly gathering that complements the teaching, choirs and congregational singing of Sunday morning while offering a quieter way to worship.
A Warm Breakfast Before the School Day Begins
How the program began
The Montgomery High School Free Breakfast Program began in 1999. Rev. Tom Nolan noticed that hungry students were buying breakfast at a nearby store. With support from the Montgomery High School principal, he began serving free meals from Church of the Roses. The program has continued through the work of volunteers and community partners.
Every school morning from 7:00 to 8:30 a.m., the fellowship hall opens its doors to Montgomery High School students and other local students who come to the door. There are no requirements, no reservation and no preaching. It is simply a time for a warm meal, friendly faces and the sense of belonging that can make a school day start differently.
What students receive
The breakfast is designed to fuel learning, confidence and community. The menu rotates among burritos, pancakes, hot cereal, fruit, milk, cocoa and other hot morning foods. Church of the Roses serves approximately 110 to 125 students each day, and every dollar donated for the breakfast goes directly to food and supplies.
Students do not need to commit to a fixed schedule. Someone may come once or return whenever breakfast is needed. The absence of requirements or reservations keeps the program open and approachable, while the daily meal gives students a dependable place to begin the day.
A community effort
More than 25 volunteers take part each week, cooking, serving, cleaning and greeting students. Early support came through a G.K. Hardt Grant. Continuing support comes from Sonoma Speedway Children's Charities, the Presbytery of the Redwoods Hunger Task Force, Rotary Club of Santa Rosa East and West, Santa Rosa Violence Prevention Partnership, Presbyterian Hunger Program Cents-Ability, the congregation and many individual donors.
Those partnerships connect the breakfast to a wider network concerned with childhood hunger. The fellowship hall becomes more than a meal site each weekday morning: it becomes a familiar place where students encounter nourishment, kindness and community before classes begin.
Service That Reaches Across Santa Rosa and Beyond
Mission rooted in Santa Rosa
The Church and World committee has organized the mission work of Church of the Roses since 1952. Its emphasis is both local and global, connecting congregational service with organizations addressing hunger, health, housing, education, youth development and care for people in need.
Members serve in the community garden, volunteer with the Boys & Girls Club and Veterans, and support hunger programs, hospice work and local hunger initiatives. Among the church's partners are:
- Hope Counseling Services and Imani Presbyterian Fellowship
- Southwest Community Health Center and the Interfaith Network
- Habitat for Humanity Sonoma County and the Redwood Empire Food Bank
- Meals on Wheels, CHOP's Teen Club and Westminster Woods
- Task Force for the Homeless and The Living Room
- Salvation Army and F.I.S.H., Friends in Service Here
- Cook College in Arizona and missionaries Leslie and Cynthia Morgan in Africa
The church also works with Man 2 Man, an urban youth organization that helps men pursue personal development, professional enrichment and spiritual accountability. These partnerships reflect a broad understanding of mission that includes direct volunteer work, financial support and sustained relationships with community organizations.
Matthew 25 at the center of service
Church of the Roses has joined the Matthew 25 Movement and made a public pledge “to stand with and defend the vulnerable in the name of Jesus.” Matthew 25 calls people of faith to serve those who are hungry, oppressed, imprisoned or poor. Its three connected areas of focus are building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty.
The breakfast program, local partnerships, mission travel and care ministries give that pledge a practical form. The church's service is not confined to one program or one neighborhood; it extends from students at Montgomery High School to partners in Santa Rosa and work teams in Haiti.
Haiti mission work
In 2014, the church began organizing mission trips to Haiti under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Cindy Alloway and Kathryn Culver in partnership with the Foundation for Peace. A team of nine traveled to the Ganthier area and built an aquaponic garden for the Hope House children's home. The team delivered 52 backpacks filled with school supplies and planted 72 moringa trees for the CAD children's home.
The work established a faith-based relationship with the Kwa Kok church and later included service at two orphanages. Church of the Roses has continued organizing mission trips every one or two years, combining construction work, gardening, school support and personal relationships with the children, families and churches they encounter.
Giving, hunger and disaster response
The annual Giving Tree pairs vetted requests from local families, including children and seniors, with donors who select a tag, purchase the requested item and return it wrapped. A larger box of food, fresh produce, a turkey and presents has supported more than 60 families in the Santa Rosa area. The church also supports the Presbytery of the Redwoods Hunger Fund through Cents-Ability Sunday, when spare change collected in the narthex or Campbell Court helps fund hunger work, including the Montgomery High School breakfast.
Pedal for Protein is another annual effort, with Church of the Roses teams cycling for five days in a presbytery-wide fundraiser benefiting local hunger programs. At home, the Presbyterian Women quilt for hospice and children's hospitals on the second and fourth Thursdays from September through May. In times of disaster, the congregation supports Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and One Great Hour of Sharing.
Choir, Bells and Community Concerts
A music ministry built on participation
Carol Menke, Director of Music Ministries, is a lyric soprano known to Bay Area audiences as a vocal soloist and chamber music collaborator. She studied at the Franz Schubert Institute in Austria and holds an M.A. in Vocal Performance from California State University, Chico. She also serves on the music faculty at Santa Rosa Junior College and is Music Director of Cantiamo Sonoma. Before joining Church of the Roses, Menke was Director of Music at the Church of the Incarnation in Santa Rosa for 25 years.
The Chancel Choir is open to singers who want to make a “joyful noise” unto the Lord. Its members are nonprofessional but passionate singers who participate in every Sunday worship service and present two large cantatas each year. Rehearsal takes place in the sanctuary from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. on Thursdays.
Bellissimo works with four octaves of handbells. The ensemble performs for Sunday worship once or twice a month and for special occasions. Its Thursday rehearsal begins at 6:10 p.m. in the sanctuary. The group welcomes anyone who can read music, and prior handbell experience is not required.
Music beyond the congregation
The Roses Signature Concert Series brings mostly Sonoma County musicians to the sanctuary each month. Admission is free, artists and music are featured in a community setting, and donations support the performers. The series opens the building to people who may come for the concert rather than for worship.
The longstanding Good Friday Concert follows a similar community-minded tradition. Carol Menke brought the choral concert tradition from the Church of the Incarnation to Santa Rosa, and it has become an important part of Holy Week in the city. Cantiamo Sonoma, members of the Chancel Choir, community musicians, a chamber orchestra and soloists join for a major Requiem, bringing large-scale sacred music to both regular worshippers and people from outside the congregation.
Room for Children and Every Generation
Rosebud Preschool
Church of the Roses established Rosebud Preschool, which is located at the church on Patio Court. The school provides a loving, safe and developmentally appropriate environment where children can grow, learn and discover the world around them. Its philosophy emphasizes an affirming, positive and cheerful experience that allows each child to develop at an individual pace through age-appropriate learning activities.
Children's ministry
Sunday School serves older children, while the nursery allows parents to stay with younger children during worship. Chelsea Howard leads the children's program, and Teddie Newman serves as Sunday School Coordinator and Director of Youth Ministry. The church also has a tradition of family activities that includes Summer Family Movie Nights, Easter crafts and an Easter Egg Hunt involving children from Rosebud Preschool and the church.
Vacation Bible School takes the form of a mini day camp for children ages four to 11. Its activities include music, crafts, skits and games. Parent Night Out gives parents a two-hour break while children ages two to 11 enjoy games, crafts, a short movie and pizza. These gatherings extend the church's welcome to families beyond the Sunday worship hour.
Groups for adults and seniors
Stronger Seniors Exercise gathers on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for an invigorating movement session focused on vitality and well-being. The PCOR Men's Group meets in Bowen Hall on the third Saturday of each month at 8:15 a.m. for breakfast, laughter and friendship. At the same time, PCOR women gather at Pascaline's for coffee, pastries and conversation in a relaxed, no-agenda setting. Presbyterian Women also come together for learning, laughter and fellowship.
What Church of the Roses Believes
Church of the Roses centers its faith in the grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit. It trusts in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone it worships and serves. God comes in free and undeserved favor through Jesus Christ, who lived, died and rose so that people might belong to God and serve Christ in the world.
Jesus is the central means of understanding God. The Bible, prayer and the experience of the Holy Spirit as guide, counselor and advocate all help people learn about him. The love of Jesus for humanity calls Presbyterians to love one another, serve as humble servants, seek peace and respond to the needs of the global family of God, including all creation.
The church describes its Spirit-led work in the world as the work of love and acceptance. It works with others for freedom from oppression, the healing of earth, and peace and justice. Baptism and Holy Communion are identified as the church's sacraments. In public life, Church of the Roses belongs to the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Presbytery of the Redwoods and the Synod of the Pacific, participating in a connectional church that works around the world for the benefit of all.
Care, Weddings and Memorial Services
A network of caring
The church's deacons have developed The Church Buddy program to support communication and care within the congregation. Each deacon has been assigned a group of church members as buddies. These volunteers provide caring home visits, introduce people to church programs and activities, and offer information about supportive community resources. The program supplements rather than replaces the pastor's pastoral role. Stephen Ministry also forms part of the church's adult care ministry.
Weddings and facility use
Weddings are held in the sanctuary, with reception space available in Bowen Hall. The church seeks to honor the Christian traditions on which Presbyterian Church of the Roses is founded while helping each couple shape a service reflecting its own style and taste. Public blessing, family participation and the deeper meaning of married life all have a place in the preparation and celebration.
Several rooms are available for rental for small or large groups, with discounts for certain groups. Memorial services may also be held in the sanctuary, and the church's rooms can accommodate gatherings connected with those services.
Memorial services
A memorial service ordinarily lasts about 45 minutes to one hour. It includes prayer, reading from Holy Scripture and an affirmation of the Christian hope for life everlasting in Jesus Christ. The service commonly includes congregational hymns, a responsive psalm reading and an affirmation of faith. Tributes may also be included, with each kept concise and rehearsed. Holy Communion can be included when approved by the Session, and deacons may provide cookies and punch afterward.
Giving is available through online giving, including gifts directed to the Montgomery High School breakfast program. At Church of the Roses, that blend remains central: a 10 a.m. sanctuary service, a free breakfast before school, music that fills the building, and a community of service extending far beyond 2500 Patio Court.