My First Visit to Rochester

By Jomo K. Johnson

I'll be honest — I didn't know exactly what to expect walking into Rochester for the first time. What I found was a city that felt less like a place I was visiting and more like a place that was quietly, warmly, inviting me to stay a while.

Beechwood

I spent a good chunk of my time in the Beechwood neighborhood, and it left an impression on me fast. There's a realness to it — the kind of neighborhood where people actually know each other, where community isn't a buzzword but just how things work. It's not hard to see why it felt like the right place to plant roots.

Coffee, Conversation, and the Public Market

No first trip to a new city is complete without finding a good coffee shop, and Rochester delivered. Good coffee, good conversation, the kind of spot where you sit down for twenty minutes and somehow end up staying two hours.

From there I made my way to the Rochester Public Market — and if you haven't been, you're missing out. Fresh produce, local vendors, the smell of something amazing cooking three stalls down, and just an energy that's hard to manufacture. You can tell a lot about a city by its market, and Rochester's told me this city has heart.

Meeting George Carter and the Teen Aviation Program

One of the highlights of the trip was getting to meet George Carter, who runs a Teen Aviation Program here in Rochester. I had the privilege of doing some filming for him and his students, and I walked away genuinely inspired. Watching young people get hands-on exposure to aviation — dreaming bigger than the neighborhood they grew up in, with someone like George in their corner pushing them forward — was the kind of thing that reminds you why investing in young people matters so much. Rochester is lucky to have him.

Finding Our First Church Home

Somewhere in the middle of coffee shops and the market and filming with George's students, something even bigger happened: I found the meeting location for our first church, The Lord's Supper.

There's something surreal about walking into a city as a visitor and walking out with the place your church community will actually gather. It made the whole trip feel less like scouting and more like being led.

Oh, and I Skateboarded

Not going to lie — I got a little board time in too. Nothing like rolling through a new city on four wheels to make it feel like yours a little faster. Rochester, you passed the vibe check.

A City That Feels Like Community

If I had to sum up my first visit to Rochester in one sentence, it's this: this is a kind, caring community. From the neighbors in Beechwood, to the vendors at the market, to George and his students, to the folks who welcomed a stranger with an idea for a new church — Rochester made it easy to feel like I belonged before I even unpacked.

I'm looking forward to being part of this city. Not just planting a church here, but actually being a neighbor, a friend, and a small part of what makes Rochester special.

More to come soon. Rochester, I'll see you again shortly.

— Jomo