The goal is to build new churches in places with no Adventist presence, leaders said.
Published on: 03-04-2024
“Manos a la Obra” (“Let’s Do the Work”) is a ministry in Chile that supports the building of churches in places with no Adventist presence, and it also promotes special mission projects. The goal, ministry leaders said, is helping more people get to know about Jesus.
The ministry was born out of Adventist Entrepreneurs Foundation (FE) Chile, which includes entrepreneurs but also business owners and professionals committed to spreading the gospel. Foundation members assign their own resources and also donations from third parties to support mission projects that seek to strengthen the work of the organized church across that South American nation.
“Our projects are carried out jointly by church members, church administrators, and the ‘Let’s Do the Work’ ministry,” FE Chile leaders explained. “FE [Chile] is focused on the importance of faithfulness and commitment to mission to make every project come true.”
Church Center of Influence
One of the initiatives that FE Chile started, through the “Let’s Do the Work” ministry, was to support the new Espacio Logos building, an Adventist outreach center in Chillán, Ñuble, in central Chile.
“We decided to open an outreach center in the northern part of the city because the area around it is challenging,” Jorge Becerra, an elder at the Espacio Logos Adventist church, said. After realizing that following traditional methods were not working, “we began to offer talks on health, nutrition, and study the Spirit of Prophecy. We soon realized that this was opening the doors for us,” Becerra added. “Now the church has become more mission minded. Doing different recreational activities has allowed us to come together more to reach more people through the healthy lifestyle that we promote.”
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Leaders of Adventist Entrepreneurs Foundation (FE) Chile pose for a group photo with Brazil Adventist Entrepreneurs leaders and a vice president of the South American Division at a recent meeting. [Photo: FE Chile] -
The new outreach center in Chillán, Chile. [Photo: FE Chile] -
Adventist Entrepreneurs Foundation (FE) Chile is behind “Manos a la Obra” (“Let’s Do the Work”), a ministry that supports the building of churches, such as this new meeting hall being constructed in San Fabián. [Photo: FE Chile]
The new Espacio Logos building is now a place where a lifestyle centered on Christ and following His method is promoted through workshops, talks, and community service projects.
New Church Building in San Fabián
The town of San Fabián, in south-central Chile, has had an Adventist congregation for a decade, but church members didn’t have a place of worship. In 2023, FE Chile partnered with the Central South Chile Conference (which oversees the work of the Adventist Church in the area), and the members of the San Fabián congregation to build the walls and roof of a new meeting hall on land they acquired.
The members of the church made a pact with God, through offerings directed to the construction project, which made possible the installation of windows and doors. Currently, work is being done on the construction of the bathrooms so that finally, the Adventist group in San Fabián can congregate and share the gospel with the families and young people of the neighborhood.
“The goal is that more people can come to know the Lord,” Jeremy Soto, a member of the San Fabián group, said.
The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Spanish-language news site.
Rose Ramírez and Francisca Vásquez, for South American Division, and Adventist Review
To bind together the Adventist people as we wait for Jesus to come back, by sharing news and information about the church plus articles on doctrine, spiritual growth and mission.
