Emily Hildebrand
palmettoreport@gmail.com

(Rock Hill, S.C.) – Upon This Rock 3-Cord Ministries, is a new church in Rock Hill, hosted its first event Nov. 21, which was a Holiday Pop Up Shop showcasing local small businesses.

“We just started this ministry here at the end of September. So we’re looking to do a lot for this community,” said Pastor Clifford Datzler, the pastor at Upon This Rock 3-Cords Ministry.

“We have about 30 local businesses here,” said Jalissa White, owner of the business, True Devine Xpressions. The event also featured two food trucks and a free workout class.

The crowd was initially hesitant to join Trish Watson, who runs the fitness brand Get Lit with Trish, in her hip-hop mix-fit routine, but by the end, a group of around 15 people were dancing along with her and working up a sweat.

Watson said she was originally contacted by White to participate in the event, but was initially uncertain about the offer since she had never done an event like this. But she said she told herself, “You know what Trish, you got this.”

Watson said she felt good about providing a free class for the event. “This is what I want to do. I want to give back,” she said.

For some vendors, it was also their first time at this type of event.

“I feel like it will be a great experience,” said Jalessa Feaster, owner of Bag Talk, which specializes in selling extra-long lashes. “I went ahead and did it to get that nervousness out of the way and get experience,” she said.

The staff at Upon This Rock said they hoped the event would be a way to give back to small businesses.

“We feel that COVID-19 has effected small businesses. So this is a way to help boost them and help them get to the next level,” said Datzler. “This is what we can do to get together and help them right before the holiday season.”

Church leaders hope to continue showcasing small businesses by having a similar event in the spring.

This time around spacing was limited due to COVID-19 restrictions, “but we had such a large interest that we want to try to do it again to get some new vendors in,” said White.

Upon This Rock offers both in-person and virtual services on Sundays and bible school on Wednesdays. You can find more information about the church on their website or Facebook page.