From churches built with fabric to others constructed from wooden twigs, grass, and plastics, Maranatha Volunteers International has hundreds of stories about unusual places of worship. Each is unique in the individual struggles the congregations had to overcome, and all are inspiring because they reveal resilience and devotion to faith.
One of the most unusual stories Maranatha has come across in recent years is the story of the Laraquere Seventh-day Adventist congregation in Peru.
The Laraquere group did not intend to meet in a cave, but without a church building, the group was nomadic, shifting worship space from place to place. At first, they huddled in someone's house. When that place became too small, they met outside, suffering the variants of extreme heat or torrential rain.
Then they found a cave. This was in a large rock formation, full of interesting holes and hollows, jutting out of the hills in the city of Puno. The opening had been used as a halfway house, a place where weary travelers could rest. During the night, those who used it would build fires for warmth and cooking, as evidenced by the blackened walls.
Now the cave would serve as a sanctuary, and it was not perfect, but it was spacious and dry. The congregation cleaned the walls, built a wall of stacked rocks, and established a church. About 30 people gathered there every Sabbath, coming on foot from all over the area to worship. And if the place was strange, no one seemed to mind.
"It was not uncommon. Everyone was eager to hear the Word of God," says Papias Chipanamamani, who remembers worshiping in the cave. He was among the original members when the church began in 1975. Several years later, a church member donated property in the nearby town of Poquellani. The location was more central to the growing membership and a place where they could build an actual structure.
"We moved out of the cave because the Gospel was not only preached within a family. Members also spread it to their relatives and friends," Chipanamamani says. Most of the growth came from a nearby town, located eight kilometers away. People had to travel a long distance to attend church. "The distance makes one tired if one has to walk."
At the new location, members worked tirelessly to build a structure. It was a community hall, designed for a variety of purposes, including worship. Funds were scarce, but the congregation pitched in to build a simple building that could serve their immediate needs, at least temporarily. The dream, of course, was to build a more robust church in the future, but the dream was always out of reach, and as the years passed, the poor quality of building materials caught up with them.
"Because the church we had was made of rustic materials, it deteriorated over time. It wasn't just the walls that were in bad condition. The roof was no longer the original roof. Once, the wind blew the roof off, and they had to reroof the building," Chipanamamani recounts. "It was no longer in good condition. It was deteriorated. When it rained, water came in. It also came in through the floor. Everything got wet, so it was no longer a suitable place."
With no other option, the congregation demolished the building. Chipanamamani opened a humble worship space on his property. Meanwhile, he and other church members strategized about how they could afford a new structure. They knew they were in for the long haul.
However, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Peru invited Maranatha to work in the country. And after two years of delay due to the pandemic, the plan is for Maranatha to build them a new church. "It's a blessing from God because we didn't expect it. It's a great blessing from God," Chipanamamani says.
Laraquere is just one of approximately 100 projects Maranatha is committed to building in Peru by the end of 2023. As membership grows and spreads throughout the region and other parts of Peru, the need for appropriate places to worship grows as well. It is a testament to the persistence of the Adventist Church in Peru and the dedication of its people.
The original version of this story was posted on the South America Division Spanish-language news site.