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Orbe Perez’s story is one of redemption, relentless faith, and a life deeply impacted by the mission of God.
Throughout 33 years of marriage and nearly three decades in ministry, he and his wife, Lázara Sosa, have seen the faithfulness of God unfold from their native Cuba all the way to Texas.
“I was introduced to Jesus by a woman of faith—my grandmother,” Perez said. “She took me to church until I was five years old, but after that, I was told [by others] not to talk about God anymore.”
Growing up in Cuba, his education was intentionally atheistic. That environment eventually impacted his life.
“I made decisions that led me far from God,” he said, “but my grandmother never stopped reminding me that Jesus loves me.”
Broken by his sin and facing a crisis that threatened his marriage, Perez found himself sitting in his living room staring at the ceiling one night.
“God,” he said, looking up, “if you’re real, I need you.”
That night, he now recalls, served as a new beginning.
His grandmother soon invited Orbe and Lázara to an evangelistic event.
“When they started singing, all the songs came back to me from my childhood—I couldn’t stop crying,” he said.
He was the first to respond to the gospel that night, and shortly after, Lázara did, too. Not long after that, they discovered they were expecting their daughter, Elianys Beatriz, whom they now call their first miracle.
Fresh off his new beginning, Perez dove into ministry. He said he served in every way he could—sweeping, setting up chairs, and doing anything else that was needed. Six months after giving his life to Christ, he was called to serve as a deacon at his church.
“I began to sense a fire to preach,” Perez said. “I would be at work, but in my mind, I was preaching sermons to an invisible congregation.”
One day, his pastor approached him on the street with a challenge: “I need someone to preach at a mission. Can you go?” That venue became Perez’s first mission field.
In 1995, Perez entered seminary and graduated in 1998. During his second year as a student, he was sent to pastor a church in a spiritually dark village.
“The people were steeped in idolatry and suffering. It was one of the hardest places we’ve ever served, but God worked there,” Perez said.
After three years, Perez and his wife moved to another church in crisis. They spent seven years there, planting five mission churches. Then, in 2006, God led them to Placetas—the birthplace of the Baptist convention in Cuba.
“It was a season of great growth for us and the church,” Perez said.
New season, new location
After 17 years of pastoral service in Cuba, God opened the door for the Perezes to come to the U.S. In 2012, they moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Perez began serving as associate pastor of the Hispanic ministry at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano.
The next year, a growing burden for unreached communities led Perez to begin evangelizing in Lewisville.
“We started walking the streets and praying,” he said. “One day, someone opened their home for a Bible study. That’s where the vision began.”
Despite not having a permanent meeting place, the Bible study blossomed into a full-fledged church service by 2017. The church would soon find a home after Perez learned that a church in Lewisville, Northview Baptist, was looking to start a Hispanic ministry.
In 2024, Prestonwood commissioned Perez to launch an autonomous Hispanic church in Lewisville. Partnering with Northview Baptist Church and supported by Send Network SBTC through church planter assessments and coaching, Iglesia Redes was officially born in November 2024.
“Our vision is clear: relationships, evangelism, discipleship, sending, and serving. That’s why we’re called ‘Redes,’” Perez explained, noting the Spanish word for “networks.” “We want to cast our nets for people and disciple them into maturity.”
Iglesia Redes has grown into a thriving congregation with around 400 members and an average attendance of 200. During the first three months of this year, the church had 13 baptisms and 27 professions of faith. “We give all glory to God. We’re just available and obedient,” he said.
One of the ways Iglesia Redes connects with the community is through a ministry called Heart of the City, which provides people with food, clothing, prayer, and friendships. “It’s not just service,” Perez said. “It’s love in action.”
God is using the church’s faithfulness to transform lives. Perez recalls an encounter with a woman and her grandson while he was walking in a Lewisville park. The woman’s husband had been in an accident, and during the conversation, she asked for prayer. Later, Pérez and his wife visited her home to pray for her husband. They became the first family they led to Christ.
“That family opened their house to us,” Perez said, “and now they are leaders in the church. I recently had the joy of baptizing one of their daughters.”
Iglesia Redes meets often: Sunday worship services, Wednesday Bible studies, Thursday home groups, Tuesday morning intercession, and monthly prayer meetings on Friday nights. The church also offers Zoom Bible studies during the week.
“We just want to be present in the community,” Perez said. “Our model is Jesus—He walked with people, He listened, He loved, and then He spoke truth.”
