Orange County, California, is home to more than 30,000 Arabic speakers, including roughly 10,000 in Irvine alone. Yet until this year, “there was no Arabic-speaking evangelical church in the city,” said Raid Safadi, who planted Irvine Arabic Church in May. “So we thought, ‘Wow, there is a big need.'”

Raid spent years serving in ministry in Jordan before government opposition forced him to leave the country. After relocating to San Antonio, Texas, he founded the North American Arab Pastors Network and connected with Acts 29 pastor Brian Henson.

Knowing Raid hoped to plant a church in California to reach the large Arab population there, Brian encouraged him to explore planting with Acts 29.

As Raid and his wife prepared for ministry, they found the Acts 29 assessment process valuable. “It was powerful,” Raed said. “It’s very intentional. It’s not about seeking information or filling boxes. It’s about understanding church planters and helping them do ministry better.”

As the church gets off the ground, Raid is building relationships throughout the Arabic-speaking community. One day, he invited a devout Muslim man to coffee. The man shared, “I’ve lived in California for a year, and even though I’m surrounded by Arabs and Muslims at the mosque, you are the first person who’s offered to get to know me.”

Raid feels confident that connections like this, small acts of obedience and love, will be what God uses to grow his church in Irvine’s Arabic-speaking community.

Pray for Irvine Arabic Church:

• Pray that God would open doors to meaningful relationships and conversations.
• Pray that new believers would grow into mature followers of Christ who can share the gospel and help make more disciples. 
• Pray that God would gather people, build community, and establish a faithful gospel witness in Irvine.