Raúl Alba Orozco

Raúl Alba Orozco was born on his family's ranch in Mexico near the city of León, Guanajuato, on August 7, 1954. He was the eldest of nine children of Manuel Orozco and Rosa Alba. In 1967, Brother Orozco immigrated to the United States with his parents. He graduated from Mt. San Antonio College with an associate of science degree in electronic communications.
On August 11, 1979, he married Alicia Correa Mora. Together they had six children: Beatriz, Joel Raúl, Caleb Armando, Alicia, Christy Ann, and Kayla Joy. Likewise, he enjoyed the laughter and joys of five grandsons, Andrew Eli, Seth Josiah, Emmanuel Raul, Benjamin Luke, Adam Nathaniel, and one granddaughter, Darla Arabella. At age seven, Brother Orozco, who later would be known to many as “Bishop” Orozco, felt the call to ministry. Having been raised as a devout Catholic, he thought this meant he would become a priest. However, he felt an agitation in his spirit and a desire for a deeper faith and the infallible truth. He found what he was searching for on May 2, 1982, when he was born again of water and Spirit. After his conversion, he began studying the Bible and taking seminary and ministry training courses both by mail and from Christian institutions of higher learning, including Gateway College of Evangelism. As he studied, he also became involved in various ministries at the local church he was attending. 
In March 1986, Brother Orozco was established as the pastor of a small congregation of seventy-five people in the city of Bell Gardens, California. He also planted his first La Senda Antigua church. This name, which means “the old path,” was derived from Jeremiah 6:16, which says, “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.” 
Through the years, the ministry of La Senda Antigua grew exponentially and came to encompass a large network of churches that has made a profound impact in Southern California and beyond. With the spiritual and financial support of its members, the La Senda Antigua network provided leadership seminars, workshops, and other ministry training opportunities, held evangelistic campaigns and monthly rallies, and hosted a daily radio broadcast which aired for more than two decades. La Senda Antigua eventually began hosting an annual conference known as Tiempo de Cosecha that regularly drew more than four thousand attendees.
As La Senda Antigua grew, it also provided Brother Orozco with a platform for ministering to Spanish-speaking Oneness Pentecostals outside the network. He became the first Spanish Evangelism Ministries (SEM) director for the SoCal District of the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI), and eventually a regional director for that ministry. In October 2013, he was elected to serve as general director of SEM, a position he held until his passing in 2020.
“He was an amazingly humble man who was mightily used of God to impact the Spanish-speaking majority of the SoCal District,” said SoCal District Superintendent Art Hodges III, who worked closely with Brother Orozco for many years. “His number one passion was evangelism. He had a heart for souls, revival, and planting churches.”
As he reached the later years of his ministry, Brother Orozco was often asked when he would retire. He would answer with a smile, “Not until my last breath, until the Lord calls me home.” True to his word, Brother Orozco preached his last sermon on December 6, 2020, one week before he was called home.  
Brother Orozco’s impact continues to be felt through La Senda Antigua Ministries, which remains the largest network of UPCI churches in North America. The network currently includes thirty-two daughter works and approximately 7,800 constituents. The ministry remains committed to fulfilling Brother Orozco’s vision of reaching “for a greater harvest of souls.”