Dear Soma Family,

Over the past several months, many of you have reached out with kind words, prayers, and questions as Heather and I have stepped into a new season of life and ministry. Now that some time has passed—and with Soma Community Church having formally closed—I wanted to share a word of reflection and gratitude.

More than ten years ago, God invited us into a calling that forever shaped our lives: planting Soma Community Church. What began as a step of obedience grew into a gospel family marked by deep relationships, honest faith, and a shared commitment to love our neighbors well. Together, we worshiped, served, wrestled, celebrated, lamented, and watched God do far more than we could have imagined.

Soma was never just a gathering or a name—it was people. It was the quiet conversations after service, the meals shared in homes, the tears prayed through, and the joy of seeing lives changed by Jesus. For Heather and me, Soma was a place where we learned to pastor more faithfully, love more deeply, and trust God more fully.

Last year, after much prayer, counsel, and discernment, we sensed the Lord leading us into a new chapter. I now serve as Discipleship Pastor at Calvary Church in Muscatine, Iowa—a role that will hopefully bring renewed clarity, health, and joy to our family and calling. While the transition carried real grief and loss, it has also been marked by peace. We remain convinced that God was faithful in both the planting and the closing of Soma.

The end of a church is never easy. Closure carries weight but endings do not mean failure. Soma accomplished exactly what God intended for its season—bearing fruit in ways seen and unseen, many of which will only be fully known in eternity. I believe deeply that the seeds planted through Soma will continue to grow in the lives of those who were part of it and in the communities you continue to serve.

To everyone who walked with us on that journey—thank you. Thank you for your trust, your sacrifice, your courage, and your faithfulness. Thank you for loving our family and for loving Jesus together with sincerity and hope.

As I look back, I do so with gratitude, not regret and as I look forward, I do so with confidence that the same God who called us to plant Soma continues to lead His people into new expressions of mission and faithfulness.

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Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Jon Nelson

Lead Pastor of Soma Community Church