Arizona Mission Offering funds renovate church building for Set Free ministry

James Romero was called to start Set Free Church of Vicksburg, located between Quartzsite and Wickenburg, to help people who want a life change. 

The River Valley Baptist Association (RVBA) had previously been given a church building in Vicksburg — perfect for a new church. But the building needed several improvements before it could be used for services and programs. And since Set Free houses people in transition, the building needed to be habitable.

“Set Free baptizes a slew of people each year because they share the gospel with a passion and immerse the people in the Bible,” Bruce Cannon, associational mission strategist for the River Valley Baptist Association, told Baptist Press. “They literally go out in the street and find the homeless, different people who want a life change. They tell these people about the program and invite them to stay with them awhile. They have a very unique, intense and hands-on ministry that offers hope to ‘the least of these.’”

Set Free’s mission is to remove people from unhealthy environments, give them a place to stay as they seek God, immerse them in Bible study and get their lives back on track through a 60-day program.

The Vicksburg church building needed improvements before it could serve this purpose.

But God was faithful to meet this need thanks to the financial and physical generosity of the River Valley Baptist Association and Arizona churches through the Arizona Mission Offering (AMO). 

Set Free of Vicksburg received a $20,000 Arizona Mission Offering site grant in 2025, a portion of which was used to make the necessary improvements. The association matched funds totaling $14,000 for some of the work and to support the continuing ministry. Calvary Baptist Church in Lake Havasu City, a member of the River Valley association, added more matching funds.

Kingman First Southern Baptist Church, another church in the association, sent a team of men at their own expense (including a plumber and electrician) to work on the building, investing more 200 man hours. 

Members from Kingman First Southern Baptist Church volunteer their time to help renovate the church building in Vicksburg. (Photo courtesy of Bruce Cannon)

Bathrooms were renovated, adding two showers. New lights and fans were installed. Plumbing and electrical work was completed to install a washer and dryer. A building AC unit was repaired. A major sanctuary roof leak was patched. The double cistern plumbing system was upgraded. A new church sign was installed. 

Cannon is thankful for the generosity of churches that give to the Arizona Mission Offering and notes that those gifts directly change lives.

“Without the AMO grant, getting the building ready for ministry would have been impossible,” he said in a phone interview. “The RVBA didn’t have enough funds to get the place ready. Work couldn’t have even started without the AMO. The area is isolated with significant shopping 40 miles away in Parker. There is no central housing or business in the area. Pastor James and his wife Bella are very sacrificial. They’ve chosen to live and minister in a very rural area with little resources.”

The Arizona Mission Offering is a unique, once-a-year offering Arizona Southern Baptist  churches take part in to support church plants like the Set Free Church of Vicksburg, which started in November 2025. 

The goal for the 2026 Arizona Mission Offering is $225,000 with $32,142 going to seven distinct areas of ministry, including planting churches. The theme for 2026 is We Connect, based on Galatians 6:2. 

The renovation means that Set Free program residents have a safe place to stay as they seek God and rebuild their lives during a 60-day program. (Photo courtesy of Bruce Cannon)

“While only 30 percent of people complete the program, that 30 percent are literally set free,” Cannon said. “Set Free also offers regular Sunday services, so after the program, they move to a regular church setting, serving and attending.”

That 30 percent are people who Jesus loves and died for, and the Arizona Mission Offering has had a direct impact on those lives.

Learn more about the Arizona Mission Offering at azmn.org/amo 

Tony Young, a freelance writer living in Phoenix, is executive pastor at CityView Church in Phoenix.