In 2021, Carlos and Amanda Campa followed their calling and launched Almacen in the South San Diego community of Barrio Logan. As ARC church plant #966, Almacen had a mission of becoming a “storehouse” for all humanity, as the Campas explained.
Their goal in planting their church with the help of ARC (Association of Related Churches) was to provide a place where God gives people what they need for their souls to be equipped, connected, whole, and empowered to make a true difference in the community.
The Campas have sought to do this by filling a significant need in their community for an ARC church that is multi-cultural — with services available in both Spanish and English — and multi-generational at the same time.
Filling a Major Void
In their South San Diego community, there was a major need for more churches before Almacen was planted in the fall of 2021. At the time, there was only one church for every 2,700 people in the city.
Since the city is half Hispanic by demographics, the Campas knew that if they wanted to reach the maximum number of people, they needed to offer services in both English and Spanish. It’s one way in which the couple worked to create unity in a place that they say often lacks it.
“Even though we’re a very diverse region, something that’s a little unique about San Diego is that it is also very fragmented. There’s not a lot of unity amongst churches,” Carlos said. “So, we see some of those needs and some of the things that break God’s heart. We don’t necessarily think that we have all the solutions, but we’re here to do our part.”
Bringing the Community Together
One thing that Amanda said has been heartwarming about their ARC church is the benefit of dual language services for families. Elderly Hispanic people in the region often speak Spanish as their primary language, yet the children in their families attend schools that speak English primarily.
“We’ve been able to see the kids come to English service, where their great grandparents get to come to Spanish service and experience the same culture, the same identity, the same mission from our church,” Amanda said.
It’s that unifying theme that has resonated among members of this congregation, which is a member of ARC (Association of Related Churches). With support from ARC, churches such as Almacen are able to unite the community in their mission.
Called to Ministry Early On
Carlos and Amanda Campa both attended Portland Bible College together. Carlos says that they both felt called into ministry during their time there.
Sometime during 2020, he explained that the couple felt it was time to take that next step and start a community congregation of their own. So, through the support of ARC (Association of Related Churches), the Campas took the chance to, as Carlos put it, “see what green lights we were getting from the Holy Spirit.”
Thanks to the support this ARC church received from the organization as a whole, it’s been able to show love to many people in the South San Diego region while pointing them toward Jesus.
About ARC (Association of Related Churches)
ARC (Association of Related Churches) is a cooperative of independent churches from different denominations, networks, and backgrounds who strategically resource church planters and pastors to help them reach people with the message of Jesus. ARC exists to see a thriving church in every community, reaching people with the message of Jesus. Since its beginning in 2000, ARC has grown into a global organization and has helped plant more than 1,000 churches.