Revolutionaries: Thomas and Dita Rose

“Every person, from every culture, has the opportunity to enrich someone else’s life. When we choose to do life together, in diversity, we are embracing the excitement and creativity that sort of life brings. That’s the kind of unity that points to Christ.”

Thomas grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, in an African-American subculture. All of his friends were black, and he had no desire to branch outside of that, until his grandparents moved into an all white neighborhood. Though Thomas became friends with those outside of his own race, his grandmother was very uncomfortable and at first insistent that he not bring “those kids” inside the house.

Dita, meanwhile, was raised in a very rural southern culture outside of Charleston. Her white family was polite to those from other races, but maintained very distinct boundaries. Hired workers of different races from nearby farms were not allowed to enter her grandparent’s house for water, but had to drink from an outside faucet, and Bill Cosby was not allowed to be on TV.

When Thomas and Dita formed a relationship in college, they had to reconcile the views from the cultures they grew up in with their relationship to each other. The clash came through the distrust and disapproval of some family members. But, Thomas and Dita came across a revolutionary idea: Maybe loving someone is about finding what people have in common and embracing their differences. Believing in the faithfulness of God, that He could work in their families and that He had called them together, Thomas and Dita got married.

The Rose’s have been married for five years and through long years of struggle have seen their relationship open up the minds and hearts of their families, including their grandparents, whose views were all changed as their families began to merge. Thomas now serves (alongside Dita) as music and creative arts pastor at a thriving multi-cultural community in an urban setting, where they continue to seek unity in the church for the exaltation of Christ. They also travel and share their hearts for unity with their band The Rose Factor. To learn more about Thomas, Dita, and the church where they serve, Mosaic Church in Nashville, Tennessee, visit mosaicnashville.org.

Editor’s Note: The Rose’s story, along with the stories of several other revolutionaries, is found in the Threads short-term study Red Revolution: Seeing the World through the Lens of Christ.