Jesus is taking back our cities.

Christmas is the season for giving and a time to celebrate the greatest gift ever known to man. Emanuel God with us "because of the tender mercy of God by which the rising of the sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the path of peace" (Luke 1:78 & 79).

As we humbly celebrate the privilege of watching God work in this ministry, we are reminded of the countless stories and ways that God continues to fulfill this prophecy. Joe, at the age of 15 came to our home from Houston for truancy, gangs, and setting his school on fire. Today, he is married loves the Lord and is serving God in Iraq in the military. Angelica was sent to our home for truancy, and runaway charges. Today, she loves the Lord, is married, has a little boy, and is going to medical school to become a mid-wife. She hopes to one day move back to Bryan and house girls. In her words, "to help them receive the same kind of help in a relationship with Jesus as [she] did." Steve came from a life of gangs and drugs, until he met Jesus. Today, he is married, has three children, leads worship, drives our buses, and teaches our teenage boys class. Francis came to our women's class seeking answers for her marriage, she encountered Jesus. Today, she is still married and her husband has received Christ. They also have two beautiful girls and she teaches bible studies at her job twice a week. There are endless stories that show the power of the love of God. Yes, it was this love that caused justice and mercy to meet at the cross and create the most beautiful story. God was redeeming man unto Himself, the price, the gift of His Son. God is still redeeming man unto Himself. Yet, there are still many walking in darkness, lost and confused that just haven't heard the good news. It is our greatest desire to take this love into the inner cities that He may touch them with this gift to find their way back to peace with God. Thank you for your continual love, prayer, and support because together we can share this love of Christmas all year around.

Merry Christmas!
In His Love,
J. J. Ramirez

Upcoming Events Jan. 8th-5th Trinidad Mission Trip Jan. 13th Carmen's - Tuesday Bible Study in Maxwell Center @ First Baptist Church, Bryan Jan. 16th S.O.S. Friday Night Service begins Jan. 17th - 19th Revival in Ballinger, TX Jan. 19th Monday Night Leadership Class begins in the Maxwell Ctr. Jan. 22nd Thursday Bible Studies begins in the Maxwell Center Jan. 27th Wallace Pack Prison Feb. 6th & 7th Men's Conference @ Aldersgate U.M.C. in College Station Feb. 11th Luther Unit Prison Feb. 22nd J.J. is preaching @ Aldersgate U.M.C. in College Station

LIGHT NIGHT On Halloween night, some kids want to get dressed up in costumes, eat lots of candy till they can't anymore, and do things that don't please God. SOS did not want to celebrate Halloween, so we decided to have a night full of good clean fun, for the kids and adults. Reuben spends time with the boys playing video games We called it "Light Night." Lots of people showed up, from age 7-50. It didn't matter how young or old you were, we were all there for fun, food, and fellowship. There was more than enough food, we had hamburgers, hotdogs, sandwiches, chips, dip, and my personal favorite, desserts and candy. Most of the younger kids went straight to the game rooms, while the adults were either outside preparing the food or inside watching movies. Most of the time, the kids were playing play-station, ping-pong, and foosball. Boys playing foosball It was an awesome feeling to know that we could provide a safe place for them to play and have fun on Halloween night. Most of these kids don't get the chance to come to a place where they can see their friends and be surrounded in a positive environment. Steve Savala, our worship leader was singing and rapping to songs and letting the kids sing on the microphones with him. I would say the party was awesome. "Light night" was an experience to remember. I had lots of fun eating candy, and watching movies, but most of all I thank God for allowing the kids to come to "light night" instead of roaming the streets. This night was God's night! Renee Pineda Cooking hamburgers at Light Night

"The Call Texas": A life changing event When I have thought of the weekend after Thanksgiving Day, I remember football games, time to relax with family and left over turkey that goes great on a sandwich. I can honestly say, much to my regret, that prayer and fasting weren't things I remembered during those times. That changed on November 27th of this year. SOS Ministries made an early morning journey to Dallas, TX. for "The Call Texas." It was a time of prayer and fasting at the Cotton Bowl Stadium. We were blessed to be able to take some of the young people that are involved in SOS with us. So, through a chilly day with many people, young and old, we agreed together in prayer, fasting, and faith that God could and would give our nation mercy by bringing our nation back to Himself. I watched for hours, as teenagers, college students, and adults prayed, worshiped, and cried out to God for his healing on our land. The audience was mixed with every age, race, worship style, and heart's cry. Some people sought forgiveness for injustice against other races. Others longed to see abortion come to a complete stop. Other people were seeking personal holiness, because they knew that they could not please God the way they were living. People prayed for our President and government officials. People prayed that our culture would shift toward a revival of holiness. As people prayed for so many things and as people shared their testimonies about how God changed people in spite of their circumstances, I noticed a few things. Even with people from the 700 Club being on stage, worship singers Jason Upton and Rita Springer, and other "celebrities" in the faith being involved, no one came seeking their "fifteen minutes of fame". They came to worship the King, bear their spiritual scars, and open themselves to us. I also was enlightened by the unity that was displayed. It was a type of unity that could not be manufactured or commercialized by the people that were involved in putting "The Call Texas" together. It was a unity that was sent from the kingdom of heaven and poured down on us to show us the way that the church of God should be. We, for those twelve hours, were able to put aside our different denominations, races, social status, etc. to come before the Lamb of God and worship Him for who He is. We were also treated to a sneak peek of "The Passion". This is a movie about the last twelve hours of Christ's life. The clip showed, in graphic detail, the sacrifice that Christ went through for us. I could not have walked away from "The Call Texas" unchanged, even if I tried. I thank JJ for getting us involved in this moment of history and mobilizing people in the Brazos Valley to get involved in "The Call." I learned that prayer and fasting will not only be something I do at different times in my life, but also it will become a lifestyle for me. Only when we are willing to live in a lifestyle of prayer and fasting do we truly see God move to bring His family together. Only then can we truly love Him and love each other the way we need too. So maybe when next Thanksgiving comes, prayer and fasting can truly be a part of our spiritual diets. Will Holland Assistant Men's Home Director

Come Join us!

Men's Bible Study on Monday nights at 7:00 pm
Women's bible Study on Tuesday nights at 7:00 pm
Thursday Night Bible Study for all ages at 7:30 pm
Worship Service on Friday nights at 7:30 pm

All services held at the Maxwell Center on the campus of the First Baptist church in Bryan, located at the corner of Texas Ave. and E. 27th St.
Phone #: (979) 775-5257