Our Story

We are a Multi-ethnic, and Intergenerational community, Gathering in Worship, Growing in the Word, and Giving our lives to Witness.

Meet Our Pastors

Yosam and Grace K Manafa

Yosam and Grace have the privilege of leading the team at Sojourners. They are committed disciples of Jesus Christ, passionate about building community, and thrilled to participate in God’s mission in the world through the church and academia. Both born and raised in Uganda, they came to California in response to God’s calling to pursue graduate theological education.

Yosam and Grace enjoy coming alongside, equipping, and empowering people, especially young adults, to fully live into their God-ordained purpose and vocation and are committed to building families and marriages that honor God. They have been married for ten years (2024), have two kids, Daudi and Siima, and love hosting people in their homes. They are always ready for some good food and great conversation.

William and Maggie Maweu

Maggie and William are our Associate Pastors at Sojourners. They have been married for twelve years and cherish being parents to Jessica Amani (11) and Jeff-Zion Fadhili (5). Maggie is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) and is passionate about work in neglect, trauma, and abuse. She enjoys hosting, serving, and team-building events. William holds a master’s degree in intercultural/ diversity studies and is currently working on his PhD in teenage voicing and anti-human trafficking advocacy and artivism. He enjoys working for justice, networking, and hiking. They both have ministry backgrounds in church planting and non-profit management. They also Co-founded Amani Complex International, a non-profit that works for dignity, agency, voice, and justice for and with at-risk children and their families in Kenya, their home country.


Feruz Jemal and Michael Eshete

We are blessed to have Michael and Feruz serving at Sojourners as directors for Children's Ministry (Feruz) and Youth and Young Adults Ministry (Michael.) Michael has been involved in Church and Ministry for over a decade. His educational background includes a B.S. in Computer Engineering, a B.A. in Theology, and an ongoing M.A. in Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary. Feruz has experience as a teacher, child advocate, social worker, behavioral therapist, and instructional aide, in Ethiopia and California. She holds a B.A. in social work and is currently enrolled in a master's program for Holistic Child Development. She has always wanted to witness the holistic development of every child and prays that children know God, His holy word, and have a relationship with Him. Michael and Feruz are originally from Ethiopia and currently reside in Pasadena CA with their daughter.

What We Believe

  • We believe that the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are inspired by God and are God's revelation to man. They are the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct. 

  • We believe in the one true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and the Redeemer of mankind and all creation. He has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

  • We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal begotten Son of God. And we believe in his: virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, substitutionary work on the cross, bodily resurrection from the dead and His exaltation to the right hand of God 

  • We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit’s personality, role as Comforter, role in the conviction of sin, deity, and work in each believer. We believe in the Spirit’s baptism, indwelling, and empowerment of each believer for Christian life and service. 

  •  We believe that every human carries the image of God, in which all humanity was created. We also believe in the voluntary fall of man and, hence, the brokenness of all humanity and all of creation. 

  • We believe that humanity’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Being justified by grace through faith, humanity becomes an heir of God according to the hope of eternal life. 

  • We believe in sanctification, which is an act of separation from that which is evil and of dedication unto God. Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, and by faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that union, and by offering every faculty continually to the dominion of the Holy Spirit.

  • We believe in the local church, the body of Christ, the dwelling place of God through the Spirit, consisting of a company of believers who have voluntarily associated themselves for worship, edification, and service for our Lord. We believe that the church should manifest the Kingdom of God in the world, bringing the hope of Christ to the community and the world

  • We believe in the personal and visible return of our Lord Jesus Christ to raise the dead in bodily resurrection, to judge all according to their deeds, and to establish God’s kingdom. 

  • We believe in baptism by immersion in Water as commanded in the Scriptures for all who repent and believe in Christ. 

    We believe in Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, a commemoration of the Lord’s death and in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice. 

  • We believe that “marriage” has only one meaning: uniting one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. 

  • We believe that both men and women are equally called into full participation in our faith community's congregational life and leadership

Our Values

 

Word.

We are committed to the inspired Word of God, intentionally growing in it and being transformed by it. God’s word shapes our Vision, Strategies, and programs.

Worship.

Worship is our lifestyle. We gather together to celebrate Christ and are sent out to continue our worship by offering our entire lives as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.

Witness.

We give our lives away to Witness. Sharing the salvation, transformation, and love, we experience through our relationship with Jesus as empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Generosity.

Our faith compels us to live lives of extravagant Generosity, not because of what we expect to receive, but rather because of what we have been given, which is the free gift of Christ’s abundant love and grace

Community.

Life is best lived in a Community, with each one of us caring for the other and extending love, encouragement, and hospitality.

Justice.

By being attentive to the pains of those on the margins, we participate in restoring Justice to those for whom injustice continues to be perpetuated.

Excellence.

We aspire for Excellence, bringing our very best, and in accordance with our gifting and abilities.