A congregation in Santa Cruz, Mexico gathers in front of their new One-Day Church. [photo: Ruben Trujillo]
Maranatha Volunteers International hosted its first Hispanic convention February 26 in Winter Park, Florida in an effort to involve more of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Spanish-speaking population in outreach.
The California-based non-profit organization -- a supporting ministry of the Adventist Church -- has operated in 17 Spanish-speaking countries throughout Latin America. Recent efforts include building hundreds of One-Day Churches throughout Ecuador and Mexico.
The convention marked a deliberate move to involve more of the United States' Hispanic community "right here at home" in such outreach, said Kyle Fiess, Maranatha vice president for Marketing and Projects.
"With such a large Hispanic population within [the U.S.], we're realizing an opportunity that will help grow the Adventist Church and provide more houses of worship," Fiess said.
Maranatha's One-Day Church program, launched in 2008, provides quality, easily-assembled church kits for $3,000 each. A steel frame and roofing materials arrive in the back of a pick-up truck, and members use local resources, such as brick or bamboo, to complete the walls. So far, the program has housed more than 1,600 congregations worldwide, Maranatha officials said.
Maranatha has already operated in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
By familiarizing Hispanic Adventists in the U.S. with ways they can impact their Spanish-speaking friends at home and worldwide, Maranatha hopes to inspire a new enthusiasm for mission, Fiess said.
"We find that the long-term support comes from people who have previously been involved as volunteers," he said. "They come back and they're invariably more involved in their own community."
Last month's convention was a joint effort between Maranatha and Adventist Church administration in Florida. Abel Paulin, vice president for the church's Spanish-language ministries in Florida, said the event -- which drew members from nearly 90 local congregations -- sparked a renewed interest in outreach with its focus on "church planting, growth and baptisms."
Mark Finley, special assistant to the Adventist world church president for evangelism, told the 5,000 attendees that Maranatha is "one of the most significant things that is happening within the Seventh-day Adventist Church today."
Adventist evangelist and author Alejandro Bullón, who also spoke at the convention, challenged attendees to get involved. "It doesn't matter how much money you have. All of you have time," he said.
Bullón is expected to contribute to a forthcoming Spanish language television program produced by Maranatha highlighting the organization's mission projects worldwide.
A second Hispanic convention in the U.S. is also on the docket as Maranatha moves forward with its new emphasis on the country's Spanish-speaking community.