Investing in Congregations: La Roca BIC

There’s no question that God is creative. He is the Creator after all. Yet, how often are we surprised by how he chooses to work?

La Roca BIC, a Spanish-speaking congregation in Roanoke, Va., needed a solution to their building problem. And our creative Maker showed up for them.

La Roca was founded in 2007 by Pastor Roberto Alegre, who still serves as lead pastor. Growth was slow for the first 11 years, “but in 2018, the church started growing at a faster rate,” says Pastor Roberto.

At that time, their building only fit up to 140, and their biggest challenge was ensuring adequate space for the children. “The kids would directly go to their classes because there was not enough room in the main sanctuary,” says Pastor Roberto.

Additionally, the location wasn’t ideal for the demographic they were trying to reach. “The building was in the middle of a community, which you would think was great,” says Ray Rodriguez, La Roca’s worship pastor. “However, it was not a Hispanic community, so we were not seen at all.”

The congregation began praying for another building. “We just didn’t know if it was going to happen or if we could afford it,” says Pastor Ray.

And for a long time, nothing happened – until they met Fellowship Baptist Church.

The Fellowship Baptist congregation met in a 42,000 square foot building closer to the center of Roanoke. “And they were in the process of looking for a smaller building,” says Pastor Roberto, “so we got together and talked about maybe swapping buildings.”

A building swap was exactly the kind of creative solution La Roca needed. “We couldn’t afford this building,” says Pastor Ray. “So it was God moving to find a church that also needed a smaller building.”

The BIC Foundation helped facilitate the swap, and La Roca took out a loan with the Foundation to cover the difference in value of the two congregations. “Through everything that we went through and swapping buildings and acquiring this new location, the Foundation has been there for us,” says Pastor Roberto. “They’ve been great in meeting our needs.”

For Pastor Ray, the fact that the Foundation inherently understood their congregation’s culture made it a life-giving experience. “Not only they were able to help financially, but they knew the culture,” he says. “We’re part of the Brethren in Christ, so they knew exactly what our vision was.”

Since moving into the new building, La Roca has steadily grown, and they have the space they need for effective ministry. “This bigger building allows us to keep the families together during worship and act on our vision to help the community,” says Pastor Roberto. With a larger facility, they hope to expand their ministry footprint to include a school for the Hispanic and special needs communities in Roanoke.

“We are excited about what God continues to do here at La Roca. We are excited about what’s coming in the future,” he says. “There’s so much joy in our heart to see what God’s going to do next.”