“Navigating” is the perfect word for church planting. Cause at times it truly feels like a real-life obstacle course. But through every step, God’s hand has clearly been on this journey. One of the ways we’ve seen His faithfulness most is through the people He has brought to our church at just the right time. When we first started meeting in our home, and now in a school cafeteria, we understood that those environments can be difficult for some people to fully commit to long term. We’ve had people come, stay for a season, get involved, grow, and eventually move on. But the beautiful thing is that every time someone leaves, it seems God has already been working in someone else’s life to step in, serve, and continue building the church. That has been one of the clearest reminders that this church belongs to Him. Right now, we are entering a new season where we are beginning to explore the possibility of finding a place of our own. We truly believe God is preparing to take SOBA Church into the next level of development and impact.”
The heart that EVC has to see other parts of the body of Christ grow and reach people for Jesus is incredible. That same heart for the Kingdom has now become part of the DNA of SOBA Church as well. Because of your prayers, generosity, and faith in what God is doing, we’ve seen incredible growth this past year. When we first began meeting in the school a year ago, we were averaging around 25 people on a Sunday. Today, we’re averaging about 52 people gathering together to worship Jesus. Those aren’t just numbers—they are lives, stories, and souls that God is entrusting to us. That’s double from day one, praise the Lord!! Together, we’ve also been able to serve our community in very tangible ways. We have given away 205 pairs of shoes and over 3,000 pairs of socks, showing the love of Christ through practical care. You helped us make Christmas special for five families and eleven children, reminding them that they are seen, loved, and not forgotten. You’ve also helped us launch SOBA Groups, where people are building real relationships, accountability, and spiritual growth together. But most importantly, heaven has been celebrating, cause we have seen 23 salvations and 12 baptisms, and every single one is a life transformed by the grace of God. proclaiming Jesus and meeting needs.
Looking ahead, we are incredibly excited about what God is preparing for SOBA Church. We believe the next step will be finding a place of our own to gather and serve from, which will allow us to expand our ministry in powerful ways. Our heart is not just to open doors to a building, but to open doors to more hearts that are searching for a place to belong.”
-Pastor Joe Rangel
