10 Questions with Tate Monroe
- How long have you been a part of St. Paul’s? Since June of 2017
- What is your favorite food? Medium Rare Prime Rib with extra Au Jus!
- What is your favorite memory from St. Paul’s? During the Gratitude Campaign I created a video highlighting the beautiful ministries that demonstrates St. Paul’s acting out of what it is to “Be” the church. I was moved to tears by the spirit of generosity I’ve witnessed.
- What is the best tv show you have seen recently? I am a huge cheerleader at heart and I love having someone or something to root for! That’s why my television is usually dominated by sports, particularly football and the OKC Thunder. I especially love when it’s time for the Olympics. My guilty pleasure is the CBS social fishbowl known as Big Brother. Studying the way a variety of different personalities work with or against each other fascinates me.
- What is your earliest fond memory of serving in the church? I was a member of First United Methodist Church of Downtown Oklahoma City from age two until adulthood. The earliest memory I have there was performing as a lamb at age three during the Christmas Pageant. “See that great big star up there? High up in the sky?” I must’ve worked so hard on that line that I’ve never forgotten it. That was the beginning of a wonderful relationship with the stage and performing, including an opera with the Philharmonic Orchestra titled Amahl and The Night Visitors.
- What are some things most people don’t know about you?
- As a boy soprano at age 11 I was a featured soloist performing in front of a sold out Civic Center Music Hall.
- I am a script writer and composer currently working on the next great american musical with aspirations of making it to Broadway.
- I have played my guitar across the country performing in a variety of places such as the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in D.C., Bourbon Street in New Orleans and the iconic Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.
- What is your dream for the future of St. Paul’s? To be an exuberant contributor to the revitalization of Downtown Shawnee and the neighborhoods around it. To meet the needs of the community and for St. Paul’s to be a place where you feel at home in worship and experiencing God.
- Where did you graduate high school? I graduated down the road at Midwest City High school where I was often found on the sidelines of the football stadium getting the crowd fired up during our state champion years or in the Performing Arts Center with the Show Choir or in many of our stage productions such as Anything Goes, West Side Story and Into the Woods.
- What is your favorite Scripture? I’ve wrestled with my favorite scripture for many years now because though it is my favorite it seems there must surely be a scripture that is less difficult a pill to swallow! The verse is James 1:2-4 which reads, “Consider it pure joy, brothers and sisters, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Let perseverance finish it’s work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Though I certainly do not get excited to know that there will always be suffering and hurt in life, it is comforting to know that our pain is not pointless. God can work with those experiences for the good of your life and others to God’s Glory.
- What is the best concert you ever attended? I love going to concerts so it is hard to pick just one. From Garth Brooks to Elton John, Harry Connick Jr to Jason Mraz, I love any concert I go to where I know every word to every song they play! Oh, how I love to be entertained!