About Us
Life in Christ Seventh Day Adventist Church
Welcome, We are a loving community of faith dedicated to worshiping God, sharing His truth, and serving others. As a Seventh-day Adventist Church, we believe in the power of the Sabbath, the promise of Christ’s return, and living a life guided by His Word. Join us as we grow in faith, support one another, and spread the message of hope and salvation.
Brief History of Life In Christ Church
Early in 2014 when West Wilmington Church was in the middle of pastoral transition, the Conference President Elder Rick Remmers met with the Church board and there was consensus that the idea of church planting was a healthy idea and something worth doing even as the church worked towards getting an associate pastor.
With the arrival of Pastor Rick Christman in the summer of 2014 as the associate Pastor at West Wilmington and the Senior Pastor at Providence, he was a great support for the church planting process although it would take several months before the idea of church planting would begin to take shape.
The church planting idea was given impetus in September 2014 at a Seeds Conference hosted by the Chesapeake Conference at Atholton Church where the Conference Leadership encouraged leaders present to take steps in planting churches.
In 2015 discussions begun among the pastors of West Wilmington and the Conference leadership on how to start a church plant. The West Wilmington church board was asked if they were in favor of the church planting idea becoming a reality. The leadership approved and a group of individuals were identified to help form the core group of the church plant that would start meeting as a small group. The leadership of Providence church also supported the church plant and some members from Providence church agreed to be a part of the church plant.
The core group that begun praying and fellowshipping on Sabbath evenings to lay the groundwork for the church plant comprised of Allan Morris, Valerie Morris, JoAnne Figaro, Gershom Soire, Ellen Soire, Debby Nyarunda, Mike Ivey, Jasmine Ivey, George Schurter, Rosie Schurter, Joel Nyarunda, Holly Palmer, Zach Atinda and Roschel Atinda.
The group met on various occasions under the mentorship of Pastor Rick Christman to agree on the Vision, Mission, Core Values and the name of the Church. The core group also explored options for the church location. As part of the demographics study done, the consensus was to plant a church with an intent of inviting millennials and leading them to Christ. The demographic study showed that the Bear area of Delaware has a huge population of unchurched individuals who are millennials.
After much prayer and deliberation, the team was convicted of the name Life in Christ SDA Church to be the name of the church. In their search for a location, they identified the Union United Methodist Church under the leadership of Pastor Alice Johnson Ervin who accepted to offer their church for rent on Sabbaths. With the support of the West Wilmington Church and the Chesapeake Conference an agreement was signed. The group started fellowshipping at the new venue in February of 2017 with the intent of officially launching the church plant in April 2017. During this period, more friends have started coming to be a part of the Life in Christ church with many more to come.
Like the children of Israel, we can declare, “Ebenezer” thus far the Lord has helped us and by His grace, the future is filled with hope because of what God will do.
Pastors
Pst. Akeem James
Akeem James, was born on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. He lived there for 12 years, and then came to the United States at the age of 12, in 2001. In 2005, he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ due to a series of prophecy meetings held by Amazing Facts. In 2007, he was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Having a great desire to share Jesus, his love, and His end-time message, he started a ministry, by the name of Ultimate Cry in 2012. Since that time, he has attended Washington Adventist University for his Bachelors in Theology, then Andrews University for his Masters in Divinity degree, and currently he am acquiring my Masters in Social Work. All the while he has continued to grow in ministerial experience, which has given him the opportunity to live out his greatest desire, which is communicating to others the message of salvation, through Jesus Christ alone
Pst. Ricardo "Rick" Cala, Jr.
Pastor Ricardo “Rick” Cala, Jr. is honored to serve as Associate Pastor for West Wilmington as well as the Lead Pastor at both Hope Community Church and Providence Church. His wife, Taimara Cala, and son, Ricardo "Ricky" Cala III, deeply love the Lord, a passion deeply rooted from their family's long-standing dedication to pastoral service. Born into a pastoral family, Rick was inspired to pursue theological studies, obtaining his undergraduate degree from Washington Adventist University and a Master’s in Divinity from Andrews University. With a rich background in various pastoral roles, Rick is adept at fostering healthy, Christ-centered church environments, guiding congregations toward spiritual growth and community engagement.