• The 2004 Convention celebrated the 35th anniversary of the organization.
• Maranatha was founded in 1969 by John Freeman, then a resident of Berrien Springs, Michigan.
• Over the years, Maranatha has mobilized 55,000 volunteers in 61 countries.
• In 2004, more than 2,000 volunteers will have participated on a Maranatha project in Peru, India, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and the United States.
• In January 2004, Maranatha launched the “1,000 Churches in 1,000 Days” program, an effort to construct one place of worship each business day for the following 1,000 days.
• Half of Maranatha’s active volunteers are under the age of 20.
• There are nearly 600,000 Adventists in Peru in 3,926 congregations and only 1,529 church buildings. Maranatha is constructing 100 places of worship in Peru to help fill this urgent need.
• Since 1998, Maranatha has constructed 750 churches in India and plans to construct 750 more. Adventist Church membership in India has grown from approximately 225,000 to more than 850,000 in just six years.
• One hundred percent of a donation to a specific project goes towards that project.
• Maranatha is the only Seventh-day Adventist organization that specializes in filling the worldwide need for churches and schools.
• A donor can sponsor the construction of an entire church for as little as $5,000.
• Maranatha’s $10 Church program, which asks its members to donate only $10 a month, funds at least one church a month. To date, the program has sponsored construction costs for more than 130 churches.
