In some large congregations, individuals can feel as if they’re
lost in the crowd, remaining anonymous as they come and go on
Sunday mornings.
 But at Gilroy’s New Hope Community Church, this doesn’t
happen.
In some large congregations, individuals can feel as if they’re lost in the crowd, remaining anonymous as they come and go on Sunday mornings. But at Gilroy’s New Hope Community Church, this doesn’t happen.
Some of the credit is due to the work of the Rev. Chris Soto, associate pastor of small groups and assimilation. He provides numerous opportunities for those who attend the church to develop a sense of connection.
Soto, a native of Fremont, grew up in a Roman Catholic family. When still in elementary school, he sensed a call to ministry, and he spoke with his catechism teacher and the church’s pastor about it. They advised him to “remain open” to this possibility.
As a teenager, he felt God leading him in a “Protestant direction” and responded to an “altar call” while attending a Bible camp. He told the pastor of the Assembly of God church he was attending, and the pastor encouraged him to attend a Bible College to explore his vocation.
When he was 18, Soto was a freshman at Bethany College in Scotts Valley, studying for a degree in general ministry. This area of study allowed him to take a variety of courses in addition to Bible and theology – things like psychology, leadership, counseling and accounting.
Upon graduation in 1994, he became youth pastor of Tri-Cities Assembly of God Church in Burlingame. Starting with 30 youth, the group grew to 90 members by the end of Soto’s three years there. His duties included training youth and adult leaders as well as developing a worship band and prayer team.
Soto’s next call was as a “church-planting” youth pastor of Harvest House, a new Assembly of God church in Fremont. There he focused more on evangelism, developing Sidewalk Sunday Schools and serving pancake breakfasts in residential neighborhoods. All this time he had been a “bi-vocational” minister, helping to support his family by holding down a sales job with Frito-Lay.
A call to New Hope brought the young pastor to Gilroy in 2003. His special responsibility is the church’s amazing variety of small groups serving the needs of the growing congregation. Soto feels that “friends do life together,” and his groups lead “from evangelism to conversion to maturity in the Lord.”
A look at New Hope’s “Discover: Small Group Directory” for the winter quarter finds something of interest to nearly everyone. These groups meet regularly to “encourage, strengthen, and cultivate participants, providing a place to grow in God.” Groups include:
– Creative Arts (choir, drama, dance, scrapbooking)
– Marriage & Family (conflict resolution, parenting)
– Children & Youth (Missionettes for girls and Royal Rangers for Boys, groups for different ages)
– Recreation (golf, basketball, motorcycling)
– Bible studies of all kinds in many locations and at many times
– Recovery
– Seniors
Soto lives in Gilroy with his wife, Lori, who he met during college. They have two children: Veronica, 10, and Christian, 5. They love Gilroy, especially its friendliness and close-knit neighborhoods.
Soto invites unchurched residents to visit New Hope. He says the church “wants to make an impact on our city by serving those outside our congregation and making everyone welcome.”
For more information about New Hope interest groups, call (408) 842-4857.
