DeKalb woman motivated to serve church, community

DeKALB – Sheridan Threadgill has long felt a sense of belonging to her church community at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church.

The Freeport native said it’s one of the reasons she’s stayed put in DeKalb after graduating from Northern Illinois University in 2014.

“I absolutely love going to New Hope,” Threadgill said. “We’re always doing things for the community. What I really admire about that space is it gives us a space to make us feel like we matter and where our voices can be heard. We get to be front and center.”

Threadgill said her favorite part about New Hope is the sense of belonging she feels.

“When you go to New Hope, it truly feels like a family,” Threadgill said. “People are genuine, and also that we’re always striving to give back to the community. [Pastor] Joe [Mitchell] always preaches about the church is not the four walls. The church is doing stuff to give back to your community. I think that’s why I chose New Hope – because it’s not just about what we’re doing inside the church but also outside of the church.”

For Threadgill, her membership to New Hope Missionary Baptist Church is a bit of a family affair.

“I was actually baptized at New Hope, and then I also got married at New Hope,” Threadgill said. “My whole family goes there and participates in things at the church. The kids go to the mentoring meetings on Saturdays. My husband’s part of the ministry. It’s a family thing. We all go and are active in church.”

Threadgill said church has always been a core part of her identity from a young age.

“I grew up going to church with my grandmother,“ she said. ”It was always central to me, and finding a church home was definitely important when I moved to DeKalb.”

Threadgill’s involvement in the community extends beyond New Hope Missionary Baptist Church as well.

Threadgill works as a substitute teacher in DeKalb School District 428. She’s done case management for about six years and has been in the nonprofit space the past 10 years.

At New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 1201 Twombly Road, Threadgill serves as capital campaign coordinator for Project HOPE, a nonprofit charitable fundraising arm dedicated to building a community center in DeKalb’s Annie Glidden North neighborhood.

Threadgill said she is excited about helping to draw some attention to what Project HOPE is looking to do in the future.

She said the community center will provide a space for everything from helping entrepreneurs with furthering their education to investing in community youth.

The Rev. Joe Mitchell of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church said he feels encouraged by how things have progressed with Project HOPE.

“It’s moving along well,” Mitchell said. “We have some meetings coming up with state and federal legislators about capital grant funding. We are having a public launch event in October.”

Mitchell said he believes Threadgill is a good person for people to get to know.

“Not only is she doing amazing things at New Hope and Project HOPE, but she’s extremely active in the community and non-for-profit space,” Mitchell said.

Threadgill pointed to what drives her love for community.

“I have a passion for people, and I think that comes from growing up where I saw my grandmother,” she said. “She dedicated business hours to the Boys and Girls Club and helping kids and really wanted to be community-oriented. I think, for me, that’s what it’s all about: pouring into your community so that we all can have the resources and things that we need to thrive. I obviously have a passion for that. New Hope definitely provides a space for that.”