Our Story
Every story has a beginning. This is ours…
In 1996, Pastor Mike Rasavanh and his wife, Dara, felt a nudge from God to plant a church. After spending 15+ years meeting in the basement of First Church of the Open Bible in Des Moines, they purchased an old building on 1300 Buchanan Street in Des Moines and named the new church Asian Church of the Open Bible.
In the mid-2000s, the decision was made to change the name from Asian Church of the Open Bible to Lifesong Church of the Open Bible. The change was necessary in order to give the public a better sense of our mission: to welcome and reach ALL people. Not just those of Asian decent.
After 20 faithful years as the lead pastor, Pastor Mike & Dara stepped down in order to pursue God’s call to be missionaries in SE Asia. They currently are doing missionary work in Thailand.
In 2016, Pastor Somkong (“Kong”) Vong was voted to be lead pastor. Chris Cavan was voted as her associate.
Read about Pastor Kong’s story in the Message of the Open Bible here.
Pastor Kong served Lifesong faithfully for 5 years. In October of 2021, she went home to her Savior after battling ovarian cancer for over nine years. Her presence is still greatly missed, but her legacy continues.
On Oct 3, 2021, Pastor Chris Cavan was voted by the members of Lifesong to be its new lead pastor.
What does God have in store for the future of Lifesong? That’s not for us to know. All we want to do is to stay in His will and be obedient to reaching our families, workplace, and community.
All Glory to God!