Orbit Church witnessed the support of Arizona Southern Baptists after the young church plant’s storage trailer in Buckeye was broken into, and nearly $40,000 in audiovisual equipment was stolen.
“We immediately let people know to pray for us,” pastor Matt Rose said. “We knew in that moment we were not at war with flesh and blood.”
Rose was on a prayer retreat when he received a call from the sheriff of Maricopa about the stolen equipment. Since all of it had not yet been insured, the outcome was a total loss.
Giving it to the Lord
But despite the loss of valuable equipment, the church remained hopeful.
“Our team wasn’t stressed. They were amped,” Rose said. “If Satan is trying to attack us at this level, how much more will God do.”
Upon hearing of their need, fellow churches and the Arizona Mission Network of Southern Baptists helped provide financial support for Orbit Church.
Before long, the outpouring of support made up the cost for most of the damaged and stolen equipment.
‘Galvanized’
“Our people were more galvanized than ever,” Rose said. “We now knew people here in Arizona were here for us. We landed better than we started.”
In April 2022, Rose was serving in the Midwest when his family received a calling to plant a church in Phoenix. They came to Phoenix in March 2023 and officially started Orbit Church in February 2024. Twelve adults, believing in the vision of the church, moved with the Rose family to help launch the church.
“Our vision is to help people find peace and develop purpose by revolving everything around Jesus,” Rose said. “We want to be accessible and guide people into alignment with God, like a satellite orbiting around the earth.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Noah Jaeger and originally published by Arizona Mission Network’s Portraits.
