Rooted in Faith, Built for Service

When a group of men from Rockwall decided to put their faith into action, the results were anything but small.

There's a moment in every genuine act of service when something shifts when a weekend morning that could have been spent on the couch becomes something you'll talk about for years. That's exactly what happened when the Men's Rooted Group from Lakepointe Church's Rockwall campus rolled up their sleeves and got to work for S.O.U.L. Church in Dallas.

Lakepointe Church's Rooted Groups are more than a small group experience. They're intentionally formed communities — built on genuine relationship, honest conversation, and the conviction that real discipleship looks like something. For this band of men from Rockwall, it looked like sawdust and sweat.
The group made their way to S.O.U.L. Church — Servants Of oUr Lord — to work on an expansion to one of the ministry's small buildings. It might sound simple. But at S.O.U.L. Church, every square foot matters.

If you've never heard of S.O.U.L. Church, prepare to be inspired.
Founded in 1995 by Pastor Leon Birdd, S.O.U.L. Church is a ministry unlike most. There's no steeple. No padded pews. No building with a marquee sign out front. Every Sunday, rain or shine, Pastor Leon and his team transform an open field across from Fair Park at 800 4th Ave in Dallas into a full worship service sound stage, tents, generators, and all for over 150 people, many of whom are experiencing homelessness.
As their own mission puts it: "We have no roof. We have no walls. But under His Wings, we have refuge."
Beyond Sunday worship, S.O.U.L. runs the SOUL Shared Food Ministry (SSFM), which receives over 20,000 pounds of food every week and distributes it to more than 40 organizations across 13 counties throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. With only a handful of salaried staff, the ministry runs almost entirely on the dedication of volunteers and the generosity of donors.
They are, in every sense, a church of the haves and have-nots meeting people exactly where they are.

That's the context the Men's Rooted Group stepped into. They didn't come to write a check or offer advice. They came to work contributing their time, skills, and muscle to expand one of S.O.U.L.'s small buildings, creating more space for a ministry that is always outgrowing its capacity to serve.
This is what the Rooted experience is designed to produce: men who don't just study community but live it, who don't just hear about loving their neighbors but build something for them. The Rooted program at Lakepointe challenges groups to move beyond the comfortable and put their spiritual gifts to work in the real world and this group answered that call with enthusiasm.

Lakepointe Church has a history of showing up for S.O.U.L. volunteers from the congregation have served alongside Pastor Leon's team on multiple occasions, from food distribution to grounds cleanup. But this building expansion project represents something a little deeper: an investment in infrastructure, a bet on S.O.U.L.'s future, and a recognition that sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is pick up a hammer.
For the men involved, the day was no doubt more than a service project. It was a reminder that community isn't built in a classroom it's built through shared sacrifice, shared laughter, and shared purpose. There's something about working alongside someone, shoulder to shoulder toward a common goal, that cements a bond no small group curriculum alone ever could.

To the Men's Rooted Group of Lakepointe Church's Rockwall campus: thank you. Thank you for giving your Saturday. Thank you for seeing a need and meeting it. Thank you for modeling what it looks like when faith gets practical.
And to Pastor Leon Birdd, Pastor Bobby and the entire S.O.U.L. Church family: you continue to show Dallas and the world that the church is not a building. It's a people. You've been doing it since 1995, and because of friends like the men from Rockwall, you'll keep doing it for years to come.

Want to get involved with S.O.U.L. Church? Visit soulchurch.org to learn about volunteering, donating, or simply showing up on a Sunday morning at 800 4th Ave, Dallas, TX 75226.

Interested in joining a Rooted Group at Lakepointe Church? Visit lakepointe.church/rooted to find a group near you.