Pradeepan and Amreitha Jeeva launched Kalos Church in 2017 in the beautiful city of Bellevue, WA. Transplants from the Midwest, they share openly about their passion for the local church, which stemmed from their own upbringings.
“My whole existence is because of a pastor loving people.”
Pradeepan recounts how a local pastor helped rescue his parents, immigrants from Sri Lanka, who were about to end their lives together. Amreitha shares, “I really have a passion to give back what I received.” Abandoned as a baby in India and adopted into a loving, Christian home in Kansas City, Amreitha attributes her passion for sharing the gospel to witnessing her parents’ being the church outside the four walls and being people who really believed the scriptures that God sets the lonely in families.
Gathering nonbelievers and building a multi-ethnic church felt like an improbable dream, but God placed it in their hearts, and they believed He would do it. Several months later, they have truly gathered the nations. Many of Mosaic’s congregation members do not speak English as a first language, and the church is full of accents, various cultures, and different socioeconomic backgrounds.
From their own context of what the church and loving pastors have meant to them, they are able to share the love of Jesus selflessly in the Pacific Northwest, an area known for having hurt and division, polarized by different views.
The Jeevas discuss their journey to launch from their own pain of a miscarriage to persevering to build a spiritual family. They knew God called them to a beautiful city to share the beautiful message of Jesus.
After building the church to upwards of 500 in attendance, the pandemic hit, and the church went online for 58 weeks. Digital services and small groups became the norm, while many left the church and accused the Jeevas of not being “right or left enough.”
Once they were able to regather, they had 38 in attendance – the same size as their original launch team. They recall how hard and awkward that season was, and how they wanted to give up. But after seeking counsel, prayer, professional counseling, and persevering, they now see that they are stronger than ever.
“We’re stronger now than we’ve ever been. I actually like Kalos Church more now on this side of the pandemic.”
Check out their church planter story to hear more about the beautiful message of perseverance through pain, the effectiveness of co-pastoring, and the joy of being part of a calling to impact lives eternally.
Since 2000, ARC has helped to plant more than 1,000 worldwide. If you have a dream in your heart to start a life-giving church and reach your city with the message of Jesus, ARC is here to come alongside you in the journey. Attending ARC Launch, a church planter training event, is the first step in planting a church with ARC. You will hear from ARC pastors, coaches, and staff as they share the nuts and bolts of church planting.
