Today we’d like to introduce you to Carter Moss.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Ten years ago I moved from the Midwest into OB, to lead a new church (a campus of a larger San Diego church) there. From day one, I wanted the church to be known as “FOR the neighborhood”, to bring such value into the town that we would be missed if we were gone. So instead of focusing on marketing, we wanted to focus on serving in the community so much that it would become our reputation. And it did. We also didn’t want to just be a “country club” for those who already believe, but a group of people who lived out their faith through community service, so that people who are interested in spiritual things would have somewhere to go that they could immediately trust. We created a welcoming space at our building that looks/feels like OB (complete with a community mural), and formed partnerships with anyone we could, including: OB Mainstreet Association, the town council, SDPD, lifeguards, local schools, local businesses, local nonprofits, & more. Two years ago I planted a new church in OB (Submerge) to continue deepening these partnerships, add new ones, and try to keep being a blessing to our neighborhood. So we’ve been working hard on that, and even had one of our team members launch their own non-religious nonprofit that’s focused on bringing lots of good to OB (called “Love Thy Neighborhood”)!
One of my favorite stories we tried at Submerge that has really taken off–we really believe strongly in supporting local schools, and have focused our efforts on elementary schools (starting with OB Elementary & adding Dewey; also have helped a little at Silvergate). We completely remodeled the Teacher’s Lounge at both schools, helped revamp playground areas, helped run some events there, helped financially sponsor events, and supported the teachers through this idea we’ve tried at both schools: We put a “Teacher Request box” in the mailroom at the school, so that teachers who need things for their classrooms but don’t have school budget $ for it + teachers who see students in need of shoes/bike helmets/other needs, can put a request in, and then as a church we get it for them. We’ve been able to say yes to nearly every single request, of all shapes & sizes, at both schools! We all hear stories of teachers spending $ out of their own pocket for things, so people are inspired to hear these stories and want to give to help us keep meeting these needs (how beautiful would it be if every church adopted a school and tried this?).
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are several challenges in community work, some expected, and some not. A few example:
1) People don’t realize how hard it is to actually match up needs with people/orgs who can meet those needs. Many of us know lots of needs and lots of resources, but it’s hard to find the right timing & connections for those. So we’ve worked hard to do that and become a “connector” of people and resources. I’ve joined the board of OB Mainstreet Association, we’ve had members join PTA’s and HOA’s, we have our team member who launched the nonprofit, we’ve connected into schools, I regularly attend local networking meetings for entrepreneurs + local business owner meetings through OBMA, and lots of other stuff.
2) Finding volunteers is a common challenge–we’ve usually found enough, by building relationships and by trying to inspire people with the vision behind these needs. But it’s always something we need to keep growing in & getting better at!
3) Finances is a very common challenge–as a church, we’ve purposely kept our operating budget as low as possible, so we can give away as much $ as possible to help with these causes. But it’s always an area to keep growing in.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Submerge Church?
We are a 2yr-old non-denominational church plant in OB focused on loving God, each other, & our neighborhood. We highly value relationships & community-building, so we like to create opportunities to eat together (on Sundays, and throughout the week), and have fun together, and make it easy to invite friends. We even started a monthly Social Club where we support local businesses by bringing a big group of people (often 15-25) to eat/drink/hang out there. We also started our Adventure Club that does fun things together (also open to anyone) like tacos in TJ, bowling, hiking, Padres game, and all sorts of stuff.
We’re very known for our community involvement & service. We’re close friends with many local businesses & schools & nonprofits; we’re major sponsors of nearly every main community events, including OBMA Street Fair & Chili Cookoff (we run the Kids Zone), OB Holiday Parade (we sponsor the tree + always have a float), OB Kite Festival, OB beach cleanups, Dirty Birds Wings-eating contest, OB Women’s Club ping pong tournament, Sunset Cliffs Auto Show, and more. We have a very welcoming & fun atmosphere on Sundays, and like to use lots of humor, music, and food in our celebrations!
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Risk-taking is interesting for me personally–it’s really challenging for me, but I highly value it, so we’ve done it a lot! I took the financial & relational risks of starting a new church in an expensive place like OB, and I regularly try to take risks in trying new ventures, doing things people don’t expect as a church, participating in events not knowing what will come of it, etc. I believe if you want to be a “pioneer” in your field, it definitely involves lots of risk-taking! (“steps of faith) Also it helps if you learn to embrace “failure” to learn from it, etc. And if you redefine what “success” looks like.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.submergechurch.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/submergechurchob/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088662043469
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@submergechurchob
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/submerge-church-san-diego?osq=Submerge+Church
- Other: Podcasts: submergechurch.org/#listen
