Inside Story: Columbia
Garage Church
By Andrew Mcchesney, Adventist Mission
Ten-year-old Luis moved with his parents to La Apartada, a town without a Seventh-day Adventist church in northern Colombia.
Image © Pacific Press
Father and Mother wanted Luis to go to church on Sabbath. Luis wanted to go to church. But the nearest Adventist church was located far away in another town. The district pastor had an idea. “You should open a church,” he said.
Father liked the idea. Mother liked the idea. Luis liked the idea. But where could people meet to worship? Their house was too small for many visitors.
“Why don’t we use our garage?” Father said.
It was a good idea. The garage was bigger than the house. Besides, it was empty because the family didn’t own a car. Father told Luis to invite his new friends from school to come to the garage on Tuesday for a one-hour meeting.
“Come to my garage to hear something interesting and get some good food,” Luis told his friends.
“Sure, we’ll come!” they replied.
Thirty-seven children between the ages of 5 and 14 showed up the first Tuesday. Luis spoke to the children about the importance of keeping promises. He read from a church-created program about good values. Afterward, Mother gave the children arroz con leche, a dessert made with rice and milk.
Luis invited the children to return the next week. Sixty-five children came. The garage was not big enough, so after three months Father asked town authorities for a new place to meet. The mayor liked that Luis was teaching good values to the many children. “You can meet in the old town hall,” he said.
With so many children, Father decided to create Pathfinder and Adventurers clubs. The two clubs met in addition to Luis’ weekly meetings on good values.
Father saw an abandoned building that looked like an even better place to meet and received permission from the mayor to move. The mayor also gave 1 million pesos to renovate the place.
On a July morning, just four months after the group first met in the garage, 70 children and adults gathered in the renovated center for the first Sabbath worship service. Luis was happy. Most attendees were children he had invited.
Today, nine months after the garage first opened, 80 children and 20 adults worship in the center every Sabbath. Thirty-eight people have been baptized. Luis’ town now has an Adventist church.
“I’m very happy because I’ve learned many new things,” Luis said. “Most of all, I have learned that I can invite children to Jesus’ feet.”
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org
What a testimony to faith and dedication to a God that promised…”I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. May each one of us, especially in the times we live today, find the strength to boldly stand for Jesus, since He alone stood and died for each one of us.
What a testimony. There are so many ways and opportunities to do soul winning and spreading the love of Jesus. Luis may to love of Jesus cont to be with you and strengthen you.
This reminds me of what took place in Argentina seven decades ago. My father was building a house for my sister and her family. My sister asked my dad to make the family room the largest room in the house.
My dad asked the reason for such a strange request. “Because, I want to invite the children of our neighbors to come for Sabbath afternoon Bible stories and songs. My sister was the neighborhood nurse and well known.
The house was built, the children came for the meetings, their parents joined, and to make the story short, when the family room became small a plot of land was secured with the help of other Adventists and a church was built.
Amen, keep it up Luis!
This is a beautiful testimony. It further shows how we need to trust in God. We don’t know the blessings He has in store for us. We don’t know how He will use us to be a blessing to others, but if we open our hearts, He is faithful. Only He can turn a small garage into a massive, fully renovated building to welcome hundreds. What a wonderful story and reminder that God is our refuge and our strength.