This is the answer we have been waiting for!" exclaim church leaders around the globe. According to Maranatha's data, more than 100,000 Seventh-day Adventist congregations do not have permanent church buildings. Maranatha and Adventist-Laymen's Services and Industries are partnering to purchase, ship and assemble (yes, in one day) church buildings in developing countries, such as Ecuador, Mozambique and Mexico.
In the Autumn 2008 Communiqué then Oregon Conference president Don Livesay challenged Oregon congregations to take advantage of the opportunity to build churches for as little as $3,000 each. The 60 attending members of the Gresham congregation made this project a focus in December 2008. One Sabbath morning, members Lorain Miller and Nancy Godman presented the One-Day Church project during the worship service.
When the final count was in, not only was $1,500 raised, but seven times the amount! Over the next couple weeks, another $5,000 was raised, for a total of $15,000. With the ASI matching funds for the first 4,000 churches, the total became $30,000—enough to ship and build 10 churches.
"This has to be a God-thing!" exclaims Rudy Salazar, church member. "These projects struck a chord, as we realized how blessed and thankful we are to have a church that is paid for. We want the same for other believers."
With only 875 of the targeted 4,000 churches funded to date, there is room for others to help. For more information on the One-Day Church project, visit http://onedaychurch.org.
Maranatha and Adventist-Laymen's Services and Industries are partnering to purchase, ship and assemble (yes, in one day) church buildings in developing countries.
