Soma Community Church

Gospel/ Family/ Mission

Statement on Sexual Abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention

Dear Soma Family,

This weekend, the Houston Chronicle published a devastating articles about decades of sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention. It is devastating not only because of the crimes themselves, but also because of the response of pastors and church leaders. Many victims were shamed, made to feel at fault, and given horrible counsel in response to their reports of abuse.

It is clear from the article that these weren’t isolated cases. Instead, it reveals a pattern of abuse and cover-up that extends to some of the highest levels of leadership inside the SBC. Pastors who committed abuse were quietly sent off to other ministries. Victims were told to keep silent. Further abuse was perpetuated on other victims. [Read more…]

A Path Through Life

by Soma college intern Alex Templeton

“You know, we’ve been placing bets in the teachers’ lounge on whether or not you’ll graduate.”

One of my teachers told me this my senior year of high school.

“Most of us are betting against you, and I think they’re right.”

I knew their prediction would probably come true, but didn’t care. Yet somehow months later I proved them wrong and received my diploma, wondering how in the world I made it. I felt I must have had someone on the inside looking out for me. My suspicions were confirmed when I found out a teacher had given me a D when I should have had an F, just so I could graduate.

During my entire time in middle and high school, I had an IEP and received help through almost every class. This on top of knowing a teacher gave me a grade I didn’t earn made me feel that I didn’t accomplish anything and didn’t deserve the diploma. Yet no matter how much I didn’t enjoy, nor succeed in, school, I never second-guessed going to college. I knew I had to go, but I wanted to do it on my own. If I couldn’t finish on my own, I felt would never make it in the real world.

[Read more…]

Seasons: Waiting on God

by Jake Wise

Last summer, my wife and I had the incredible privilege of visiting Yosemite National Park with our family. We found ourselves on different pages and in a difficult season as we packed in the car to drive the 29 hours from Missouri to California. Miscommunication and my own sin and heart-idols had brought us to a point of confusion and frustration. In His infinite wisdom, God knew what the beauty of His astounding creation could do for a soul.
[Read more…]

Defense

by Soma member Daniel Wilhelm.

As I was driving early last Tuesday morning to meet with a friend for breakfast, I was proud of myself. I had woken up at 5:55 am, gotten dressed, and was ready to leave by 6:10 for our 6:15 meeting, only three minutes away from my house. I was feeling good—until less than a mile away from my house I looked to my left and saw the Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu martial arts studio with its lights on and several people inside practicing their defense techniques.  I could see two men grappling on the ground, fully dressed in their Jiu-Jitsu uniforms.   

At that moment I wasn’t feeling too cocky about my roll-out-of bed, 2-mile drive to eat food someone else would prepare for me.

I would like to tell you that this was the moment of revelation, but it wasn’t.  The meeting with my friend was good and spiritually convicting.  However, it was on my way back that God truly unpacked what he was showing me.

 

[Read more…]

Moving Forward: Walking though Grief

by Pastor Jon Nelson

A few years ago my mother lost her battle with cancer.  While her death was not sudden, it was devastating.  Over the following days I walked through a myriad of emotions that affected not just myself but my family also.  Grief is a normal response to loss. It is an emotional process that affects people in many different ways. It is normal to feel like you are on an emotional rollercoaster, that your reactions are out of control. Although it is a normal process, it can be quite difficult to navigate, especially as a student. The grieving process can disrupt routines, impact deadlines, and make focusing on taking care of yourself and completing your assignments difficult. Sometimes it can be hard to disclose your struggles to others. You may not want to “burden” them or retell the same story over again. You may worry that you should “be over it by now” and that others won’t understand why it is still bothering you.

[Read more…]

Prayer (2018)

For the last few years, we have used the month of January the same way, we use this month as a catalyst to remind us about the importance of robust prayer, giving us a renewed resolve to carry us through the rest of the year.  We have chosen to tackled three fairly large topics.

  • We’ve looked at racial reconciliation. We tend to do that the weekend before Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.
  • Then we’ve tackled the idea of life and what life is and when life begins and how the Christian ought to consider life.
  • Lastly, we’ve looked at the unreached peoples or what the Bible would call the nations. All over the world, there are men and women who do not know about the mercy and grace afforded to them in Jesus Christ. Yet we see in the Scriptures that Christ did not die for those who might be saved but for those who will be saved. We pray. We send. We go. And we consider the unreached in the world.

[Read more…]

The Season of Advent

The King is coming!

Jesus Christ has come and will come again. This is the hope of the Church whom He purchased with His blood. It is the eager expectation and desire of His people. His coming is our joy, for He is our treasure, our greatest good. Advent, formed from a Latin word meaning coming or arrival, is about the coming of Christ. It’s the traditional celebration of the first advent of Jesus and the anxious awaiting of His second. The season is a time for remembering and rejoicing, watching and waiting, and a time to reflect upon the promises of God and to anticipate the fulfillment of those promises with patience, prayer and preparedness.

[Read more…]

It’s been a while.

I hope and pray that this message finds you well. Firstly, I thank you for your continued prayers and offerings as we seek God’s kingdom here on campus at Lincoln and in our neighborhood. We see the fruit of your prayers daily and even when we struggle, we know that it is your financial gifts that make much of what we do even possible, so thank you.
You’d probably like to know what we’ve been up to.

[Read more…]

in the news

“In the News” brings together some of the most interesting content I’ve found online, as it pertains to the church and the people God has called us to reach. Keep in mind, I don’t endorse or agree with everything you’ll see included in the these articles but I find them interesting and worth the read or watch.  Take some time to check out the articles and let me know what you think.

[Read more…]

Patriotism and the Church

Having lived my life on two sides of the same [Christian] track I have seen a lot of different things, especially when it comes to views of this country.  Growing up in a historic African American context I heard much about the United States but not much around National holidays and an unintentional differentiation between.

[Read more…]

Soma Community Church

804 Fairmount Blvd
Jefferson City, MO 65109
(573) 635-4832

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