Born and raised in the Gambella province of Ethiopia, Pastor Oboya Ochalla emigrated to Canada in the early 2000s following political unrest within that region of Africa.

Pastor Oboya trained for pastoral ministry here in Canada through the pastors-with-alternate-training program of Lutheran Church-Canada. He was ordained and called to serve as assistant pastor at Saint James Lutheran Church in Winnipeg in 2019 where he coordinates outreach and ministry to the local (and Canadian) Anyuak and Amharic communities.