WORLD NEWS & PERSPECTIVES

Maranatha Volunteers to Construct 100 Churches in Peru

BY JULIE Z LEE, Maranatha Volunteers International public relations director; and RAY DABROWSKI, director of the General Conference Communication Department

commitment to construct 100 churches and 14 schools in Peru is the latest "initiative of faith" announced by Maranatha Volunteers International (MVI), a supporting ministry operated by lay Adventists, that is committed to constructing urgently needed buildings through the use of volunteers.

The effort is part of the ministry's "1,000 Churches in 1,000 Days" initiative to be launched in 2004, an organized plan to construct 1,000 urgently needed houses of worship in countries where the Seventh-day Adventist membership is swiftly increasing. (See related story.)

MVI officials met with leaders of the Peru Seventh-day Adventist Church in Lima to discuss the current needs in the wake of the denomination's phenomenal growth. Currently there are 600,000 members in Peru, and they expect to baptize 50,000 more in the upcoming year.

"The most critical need we have right now is church structures. We, as leaders, need to demonstrate responsibility by providing houses of worship for our rapidly growing congregations," said Melchor Ferreyra, president of the Peru Union.

The churches are growing so fast that the leadership is having difficulty keeping up with the demand to house the congregations. As a result, members are independently seeking solutions by finding empty buildings or the shade of trees for worship space.

The growth is attributed to the church's emphasis on small groups. These groups hold intensive studies on prophecy, Bible doctrines, and methods on the coordination and management of a church. Each church member is also asked to bring at least one new person to the group each quarter. As a result, Adventist church membership in Peru is now considered among one of the fastest growing worldwide.

MVI president Don Noble said that like nearly all initiatives "we are involved with, this one here in Peru begins with a 'faith-factor.' We usually start with no money at first, but we know that God provides. He has not failed us yet." Noble also pointed to careful and visionary planning of the church leaders in Peru.

Maranatha will begin construction preparation in Peru this fall. Volunteer opportunities will begin in mid 2004. The "1,000 Churches in 1,000 Days" initiative, of which construction in Peru will account for 10 percent of the entire project, will focus on church needs in South America, Inter-America, Africa, and India. About 75 percent of the projects are slated for areas within the "10/40 window," a geographical designation of people groups that have little Christian influence.
                                                         --Adventist News Network

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