Changemaker: Pastor Kotane Gilbert

Pastor Kotane Gilbert serves as Lead Pastor of Restoration Christian Fellowship (RCF), a faith-based, multi-cultural, non-denominational ministry in Aurora. RCF is guided by a vison to restore people back to their rightful position in society, and their unique strategy to serve the community is housed under Restoration Christian Ministries, a 501c3 entity of the church.

Through RCM, the organization hosts six “operational centers” to meet the communities’ spiritual, physical, educational, vocational, social, communal, and recreational needs. Through the collaborative effort of like-minded organizations, RCM operates a Safe Parking program and a Safe Outdoor Space program for individuals experiencing homelessness, as well as Restoration Christian Academy, a state certified 5-star early education center.

RCM strongly believes in collaborative partnerships. “We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, said Pastor Kotane. “We’re just looking to hitch up with like-minded organizations to achieve a common goal.” The Salvation Army, the City of Aurora, Enterprise Community Partners, Colorado Health Foundation, CHFA, and other organizations have supported RCM as they’ve developed programs to provide a variety of services for community members in need, including hot meals, showers, counselors, case workers, health care, housing vouchers, and car repairs.

RCF was founded in 1999 by the husband-and-wife ministry team of Pastors Felix and Kotane Gilbert. Pastor Felix, who passed away unexpectedly in 2021, was raised in Guyana, South America. As a young boy his father sought a better life for the family, so he and his family transitioned to Saint Croix in the United States Virgin Islands where he obtained his U.S. citizenship.

During his senior year of high school Felix became estranged from his home and found himself homeless. He persevered through his situation and joined the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and was stationed at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, where he met his wife, Kotane.

They were both involved in a local church and passionate about outreach and working in the community. While serving his four years in the USAF, Felix earned a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Northern Arizona University. Shortly thereafter, he became a lead engineer at IBM and was relocated to Boulder. This move changed their lives, as Felix enrolled at Denver Seminary and ultimately obtained a Doctor of Theology degree in 2018.

Felix soon quit his lucrative job at IBM and began pastoring at a local church. His style of ministry led him outside the four walls of church and into the streets where he started a basketball ministry to reach out to urban youth. Not everyone was receptive to the increase of troubled teens and gang members that were beginning to attend the church. They ended up leaving that church and launching RCF, chasing after their passion to restore people and impact community.

Their first location, chosen specifically for its proximity to people in need, was a rundown office building on the corner of Emporia Street and Colfax Avenue in Aurora. As the church continued to grow, they moved to various sites and meeting spaces throughout Aurora until they found their current location near Sixth Avenue and Chambers Road.

“Ever since we moved into that building, there have been people living in the parking lot,” Kotane said. “We did everything we could to help them, to serve them meals, and to reach out to them. And then when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, that number of people increased to about 40 or 50 people every night.”

Amidst the pandemic, the church received a Colorado Safe Parking Initiative designation, which provided funding that enabled support and services for individuals and families living in their vehicles while connecting them with resources to obtain long-term housing.

To further support their vision that people facing homelessness would have a path to long-term stability regardless of their situation, RCM became the site of a Safe Outdoor Space beginning in 2021, providing a sanctioned encampment for people experiencing homelessness. What began with tents soon morphed into a village of over 56 individual units called Pallet shelters, which are named after the company that produces the easy-to-assemble structures shipped on pallets. Each unit has a locking door, electricity, heat, air conditioning, and a built-in bed.

“It was a vision of Pastor Felix to provide a full spectrum of services so that when people come in, and they honestly want to change their situation, they can,” Kotane said. “He knew what it was like to dig through a trash can for a meal and to sleep outside in the elements. He often shared his testimony as an encouragement to others. Our ministry is to offer a pathway to get people back to their rightful place and into permanent housing.”

As RCM continues to offer services for people in need who have found a temporary place to call home on their campus, the organization is preparing to break ground on a multigenerational affordable housing development on their donated 9-acre plot of land adjacent to the church. Upon completion, the community will offer 179 affordable rental units, and will be called King’s Crossing Village, named for King’s Cross Street in Saint Croix where Pastor Felix lived in homelessness for a year.

Since Pastor Felix’s passing, Kotane has filled the role of Lead Pastor at Restoration, and she continues to lead the church and the nonprofit toward the goal of serving the community and supporting people in need.

“Have we been burnt? Many times,” said Pastor Kotane. “It’s okay. Some people are going to use you and take from you. But you don’t know the end of someone’s story, and we’ve seen so many people who have done the hard work to make a change in their life and who have come out the other side. I know my husband is smiling and watching over us. We are so proud to honor his legacy and continue the work.”