In the Vila Esperança area of Porto Franco, Maranhão, Brazil, a significant development promises to enhance the spiritual education of local children and teenagers. Presently, these young individuals partake in Bible studies conducted in makeshift spaces during Sabbath School hours on Saturday mornings. This arrangement is a stopgap measure, as the weekly Bible teaching, a staple of Adventist congregations, awaits a more permanent setting due to the incomplete status of their neighborhood church.

Anticipation is building that by the conclusion of 2024, these sessions will transition to a newly constructed church, specifically designed with rooms catering to various age groups. This forthcoming improvement stems from the approval of the "New Church for All" project. This initiative aims to finance the renovation and construction of children's rooms across the eight countries within the South American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The division oversees regions including Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, marking a significant investment in the spiritual education and community infrastructure across these nations.

In these countries, statistics show that 412,179 children and youth are enrolled in Sabbath School classes. This group represents 30.2% of the total number of Sabbath School attendees (1,336,277).

The project's concept is straightforward. The South American Adventist headquarters, as well as the administrative headquarters known as Unions and Associations/Missions, and the local churches or groups, all invest a certain amount in renovations and construction. In other words, all administrative bodies receive financial support. The goal is to fund up to 22 projects for each Union, with two projects to be completed in 2024 and the remaining in 2025.

However, the project has specific rules. Annually, Adventist headquarters must report on the resources invested in the renovations. Additionally, projects must have a completion deadline, and the financial resources will only be disbursed when all the necessary information is provided. It is estimated that the total amount invested in each project will be around US$24,000 ($135,000 Brazilian reais).

Determining Diagnosis

Leonardo Preuss, assistant to the President of the South American Division, explains that a survey was conducted on the structural condition of rooms intended primarily for children, teens, and young people in Adventist congregations throughout South America. The diagnosis raised a red flag. Of the 26,414 congregations from which the data was obtained, only 11.1% had new spaces; 24% were under construction even where the main nave of the church was already finished; 44% were in reasonable condition and 20.4% were considered unhealthy.

School counselor Hiris Bastos, who coordinates the work with children in Vila Esperança, in the city of Porto Franco, is thrilled with the investment project. When the church is ready, it should house up to 100 members. “It is a great opportunity to better serve the little ones. We welcome this blessing with open hearts,” she says. The leader, who is the wife of the district’s Adventist pastor, predicts that the missionary work with the new generations will result in many people interested in studying the Bible in the region.

Powerful Message

Liliane Nascimento is the director of the Children and Youth Ministry at the North Brazil Union Mission, which serves the states of Pará, Maranhão, and Amapá. She says that the project is very important because it reinforces the prominent role of ministries that work with the new generations. “Planting or renovating a church with a space in mind for children and adolescents to worship is a powerful message that they are important and welcome in this place,” she emphasizes.

Teacher Patrícia Araújo, who oversees the same area at the Cidade Jardim Adventist church in Parauapebas, Pará, says a project is under development to meet her congregation's needs. “Investing in the environment of children’s rooms is also investing in the future of the church,” she emphasizes.

Additionally, Claudio Pardo, financial director of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Chile, comments that the initiative has been very well received in the country, as it provides spaces suitable for children and the new generations in general. The enthusiasm is so great that Adventists in Chile are already working on projects to secure resources for the 22 available places, and expect more in the future.

All construction or renovation projects must be submitted through the Conferences/Missions, the regional administrative headquarters of the Church.

The original article was published on the South American Division Portuguese website.