50th anniversary of The Tomb celebrated with gathering in Arnold

Daniel Crenner was among the first to walk through the doors of The Tomb in Arnold on Friday evening for a gathering celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Christian coffeehouse.

Crenner, 69, who had lived in Arnold and Washington Township, made the trip back from his home in Sugarcreek in central Ohio. He met his wife, Susan, at The Tomb — formerly Lazarus Tomb — and they were married for 35 years before he died in 2019.

“I probably wouldn’t be here today without Lazarus Tomb,” he said.

Before some co-workers invited him there, Crenner said he was “a real scuzzball.”

“They introduced me to Christ,” he said. At The Tomb, “I was able to see Christians could have fun. I developed relationships and learned more about Christ and what true love was really all about.”

People whose lives were touched in one way or another, or whose lives went through The Tomb, gathered from near and far to mark the milestone anniversary with Rosetta Lecocq, who started Lazarus Tomb with her husband, Bob, in 1972. He died in February 2011 at 74.

Lecocq, now 85 and living in Lower Burrell, said it meant a lot to her to see everyone gathering for the anniversary.

The celebration will continue next Saturday at the coffeehouse, 1821 Fifth Ave., with a performance by Risen to Save from 7 to 9 p.m.

Lecocq is now a “director emeritus” of The Tomb, which is under the guidance of Shannon Santucci, a former Arnold police officer and chief.

“We like to feed the soul as well as the body,” Lecocq said. “We are here to show God’s love and extend a hand to help.”

Bob Waterloo, 69, was among the first to walk through the doors of Lazarus Tomb when the Lecocqs opened it in a bowling alley in Lower Burrell. He is now an associate pastor at Rivers of Life Outreach Ministry in Arnold.

A friend had hounded him, he said, to go there, saying there were good things happening. His first time was a Tuesday night Bible study. He remembers the first song, “We Are One in the Spirit,” and standing in a circle with the others, holding hands.

“I never felt love like that from total strangers,” he said. “That had an impact on me. I was there every Tuesday, every Friday and every Saturday.

“I asked Jesus into my heart. It changed my life. Things have never been the same.”

While Waterloo met both of his wives there, he calls Rosetta one of the more Godly, nurturing and loving women he’s ever met.

“I was a stranger. They took me in, and they loved me,” he said. “I think the world of Rosetta. She’s an amazing lady. Her husband was a fantastic guy, too. They’ve left a great legacy.”

The Lecocqs’ daughter, Patty Wilson, was 16 when her parents started Lazarus Tomb. She has lived in Kentucky with her husband, Mike, since 1980.

As she looked out across the full room Friday night, Wilson saw the younger faces of the people who had gathered.

“You see the person that they were,” she said. “It’s neat to hear what everybody’s been doing.”

As needs arose in the community over the years, Lazarus Tomb was there to meet them. At one time, that need was addressing drugs; at another, children coping with broken homes and absent parents.

“Throughout time, it has morphed,” Wilson said. “It’s a special place. Hopefully, it will meet the needs of the community for many years to come.”

Her mother and the coffeehouse are inseparable.

“It’s her and she’s it. She’s the heart and soul,” Wilson said. But, “I think the mantle’s fallen on Shannon (Santucci). She has a great heart for the community.”

Shannon Singleton, 42, of New Kensington calls Rosetta her spiritual mother.

“She always shows love and compassion,” Singleton said. “She’s generous. She’s been an inspiration to my life.”

Singleton said her grandmother told her about Lazarus Tomb in 2001 when she was looking for a place to go and meet other fellow believers. She met Bob and Rosetta and, “I fell in love with the place.”

At first shy and timid, Singleton said the coffeehouse helped her open up about her faith.

“I’m a better person than I was before,” she said. “I keep continuing to grow through this place.”

More places like it are needed, Singleton said.

“It’s a bright light in this community of New Kensington and Arnold,” she said. “God has used people to keep this place going for 50 years.”

Cindy Smith, who grew up in New Kensington and Arnold and now lives in Lower Burrell. She started coming to Lazarus Tomb in 1976, when she was 14, and it was at a location in the Parnassus area. It was a place to hang out back then on Friday and Saturday nights.

“It saved my life,” she said. “I wouldn’t be where I am right now without this place. I’d be out on the street or dead.”

Even if she got away from the place and had troubles over the years, Smith said she’d come back to find the doors open and the people welcoming.

“People should know we love them and care about them. We’re here for you,” she said. “No matter what you look like or anything.”

Lecocq is still thinking of ways to help others. An idea she has now is to start an outreach called “A Mother’s Cry,” where mothers in the Alle-Kiski Valley who have lost children to violence can get together to talk with each other.

“I’m thrilled that the ministry is still going on to bless others,” she said. “I hope it never ends.”