Photos immortalize moments in time: Blessings, joy, suffering, history, humanity. Photos encapsulate our lives and give testimony to God's work here on earth.

The Photo Ministry serves to reveal God's hand in the Rock Ministries through the eyes of its disciples.

What is the Photo Ministry?

The moments the Photo Ministry captures bless both church visitors and regular attendees

The mission of the Photo Ministry is simple but relevant: To document the life of the Rock, as the Rock Church seeks to save, equip, and send soul-winners for Jesus Christ.

The Photo Ministry is unique in that it serves solely as a support to the other ministries of the church, documenting events that may be featured on the Rock website, and providing material for church promotional and reference materials.

The Photo Ministry exists to share the blessings that are constantly occurring throughout the congregation and make the church seem "smaller," points out Brother Joe Ramirez, one of the leaders of the ministry.

The History

The Photo Ministry was founded by Pete Giordano when the Rock church opened its doors in 2000. He saw the immediate need for archiving God's faithfulness within the Rock and, along with a few others, began the Photo Ministry with a modest but enthusiastic membership base.

Thanks to the outpouring of interest at the March ministry fair, there now exists an ample list of volunteers eager to further the Rock mission with cameras in hand.

When asked about the ministry's greatest accomplishments or special moments, Brother Joe shared one of his personal favorites, involving one of the ministry's core members, Rafael Delgado.

When Rafael got saved at the Rock a few years ago, someone from the Photo Ministry captured the moment he stepped forward to surrender his life to Christ. It was not until later when Rafael became a member of the Photo Ministry and was skimming through some archived pictures that he discovered his salvation had been forever etched on film and God had brought him full-circle to this ministry.

This story exemplifies how God works in the lives of individuals and uses them for a greater purpose.

The Future of the Ministry

The photographers have an ambitious list of big ideas and agendas for the future of the ministry.

Many of those ideas involve utilizing the strengths and talents of its members to offer courses and seminars at the Rock Academy. Educational instruction regarding use of a camera, purchasing the right camera and creative composition are just a few of the classes that may eventually be offered to junior high and high school students studying at the Rock Academy. The vision is that similar classes will also eventually be added to the Rock University curriculum.

The goals of the Photo Ministry are many and filled with promise for the future. However, as the ministry grows and the need for photographs at events increases, so does the expense. Resources have been begun to fall below the mounting needs of the ministries' services.

Fortunately, the team has some innovative ideas that they are praying will help meet the needs of the church body and the greater San Diego church community. The ministry's vision is to serve as a role model for other church communities desiring to create their own Photo Ministry.

Eventually, they would like to be in a position where they could offer their services to other churches, as well as subsidizing smaller Rock ministries that have no budget. In the end, it's all about serving God and each other.

What it Takes to Serve

Two of the many good looking photographers

The great thing about the Photo Ministry is that you can join as long as you have a working camera and a heart for serving this ministry. A commitment to the Photo Ministry entails keeping an open communication about the events your primary ministry will be attending and documenting so that there is always someone covering an event.

Currently, there are no regularly scheduled meetings, however, as the group expands and reorganizes, it is anticipated this will change.

Got photos? If so, you may get the opportunity to showcase your talents on the Rock website as the ministry looks to offer a creative outlet for people like you to express how God can be seen in everything around us. The challenge is to visually tell a story based on a proposed theme and look forward to a featured spot on the website. It's just another way of bringing the Rock community closer together and illustrating God's faithfulness in our daily lives.

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.
-St. Augustine

To experience God's blessings upon the Rock church, please visit the photo gallery at: https://www.sdrock.com/pictures/.

For more information about getting involved, email photoministry@therocksandiego.org.