On September 6, 2023, the Longwood City Commission honored Mother Michelle Roach with the Annual Key to the City Award. Vicki Nidzgorski, the Senior Warden at Christ Church, accepted it on her behalf.
The proclamation read by the City Commission on September 6, 2023, read as follows:
Mother Michelle Roach was born on the Island of Barbados to parents who were devout Anglicans. She spent most of her life involved in church activities. As she likes to be called, she migrated to the United States, living first in New York City and years later relocated to Orlando, Florida. She is married to Michael, and they have one son, Brandon.
Mother Michelle holds an Associate of Applied Science with honors from Kingsborough Community College, New York, and a Bachelor of Professional Studies specializing in Human Resources from Barry University. She first attended The Institute for Christian Studies (ICS) to affirm her call to ministry. Six months into the courses at ICS, she decided to enroll at Asbury Theological Seminary. Later, she transferred to Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, where she graduated with a Master of Divinity. Mother Michelle worked for Marriott Corporation for over 23 years before her call to ministry. Her career started in reservations and then moved into Human Resources and Payroll. She held the position of Priest in Charge at Christ Episcopal Church in Historic Longwood for six years, from 2017 to 2023. Christ Church is a church in the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida and was established in Longwood in 1879. It has consistently supported the community through its outreach programs. It has been a tower of strength to its community and the surrounding communities during times of difficulty, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mother Michelle and Christ Church have been active in the community. They have a Food Scarcity Program and Back to School Drive for Longwood Elementary; Christmas Food Scarcity and Clothing Drive for The Sharing Center; Christmas Caroling to the Nursing Homes on State Road 434 in Longwood; participate in the City of Longwood National Night Out and Easter Egg Hunt Events; have a First Responders Service of Blessing and Thanksgiving; a Faith and Blue participant and hosted The National Day of Prayer for all faiths both sponsored by the Seminole County Sheriff's Faith-Based Committee.
The City of Longwood is very pleased to have presented the Longwood Key to the City Award to Mother Michelle Roach, recognizing her as an outstanding leader and for her countless hours of labor done in love for ministry and faithful, dedicated service to God, giving of her time and energy.