Adventists recently laid the first foundation stone marking the beginning of the development on a new church and the 10th Adventist school in Ceilândia, Brasília, Brazil.
Known as the birthplace of northeasterners, Ceilândia was founded in 1971. Currently, with more than 350 thousand inhabitants, the place has a wide and varied commerce, which in addition to generating jobs and a large turnover of people in the city, also provides economic growth in the region.
Now, on the site's 53rd anniversary, Adventists have one more reason to celebrate: the conquest of a new space. Thus, the building will feature a modern, accessible and safe architecture, both for members and visitors, and as well as for future students.
A Dream Come True
Pastor Jean Abreu, the president of the Adventist Church for Brasília and the surrounding area, highlighted that witnessing the beginning of the development is an exciting and indescribable feeling. "We are very happy. We had only dreamed of a church and suddenly, God gave us a church and a school. This is priceless,” he highlighted.
Abreu comments that it was an old dream to have a school unit in Ceilândia and now he sees it becoming a reality. He said, “Church and school will be a light to this place.”
Union Office
Brasília has three offices that manage the region and its surrounding areas. Every year, employees from these administrative offices take to the streets to deliver books. This time, they came together to distribute and spread the message of the Bible in the Guariroba region, which does not yet have a church. Pastor Stanley Arco, president of the South American Adventist branch states, “It is work done together with the church and the offices, to leave our foot here, in a new church and an additional dream."
Matheus Tavares, pastor and leader of Adventist churches in west-central Brazil, said he was very happy and motivated. “We saw people's involvement in this entire project, but especially because we are in such a privileged place in the Ceilândia region,” he explained. The land is on a busy road with easy access to public transport, as there is a metro station just a few meters away.
“We can see the church starting. And it's not a project involving just one church, which would already be a blessing, but it's the church with the school. So the ability to bless this community and present the gospel to many more people is something that fills our hearts”, highlighted Tavares.
A Story of Conquests
The current church in the region was an achievement filled with a lot of effort. However, depending on schedules, meetings are held on the sidewalk. Local Adventurers and Pathfinders Clubs hold their meetings in a city square. Now, a plot of land large enough to accommodate all the community's needs, including social services, has been acquired.
The original article was published on the South American Division Portuguese website.