Greetings, Riverbank Church! Thank you for your gift to plant Bethania Christian Family Church in Guatemala. Your support is actively changing lives and bringing the hope of Jesus to children and their families. Now that construction is complete, the church will serve hundreds of children for years to come. In the photo above, the mother of a beneficiary named Franklin participates in an interview about the impact of this intervention on the life of her son.
This report includes final updates on the implementation of this intervention and interviews with a caregiver and the church pastor.
Implementation Progress
Church construction is now complete, and the pastor thanks God for bringing them all this way. There are now 200 beneficiaries being served, with 35 adults and 15 children regularly attending church activities at Bethania Christian Family Church.
The church, in partnership with construction workers, has accomplished the following over the past year:
- Experts administered a topographic study that enabled workers to lay a firm foundation on land with a significant incline.
- People in the community helped to compact the soil in preparation for the foundation to be laid.
- Workers built clay stairs and paths for safe and efficient access to the construction site.
- Construction of the church classrooms, kitchen, bathrooms and office was completed.
- The church raised the necessary local funds and followed their budget.
- Church leaders and staff planned evangelism events in the community that they are now facilitating.
Impact of Your Support
This intervention has provided a community in Guatemala with a church facility that includes a sanctuary, six classrooms, two restrooms, a kitchen and an administrative office. There is now substantial infrastructure to support a new child development center where nearly 200 children will receive holistic care in partnership with Compassion International.
Church construction also led to strengthened relationships between community members and construction workers. Pastor Jose shares that friendships were formed and character was refined through these relationships.
An Interview With the Mother of a Child Benefiting From Your Support
What was your life like before and after the intervention was implemented?
In the past, we had very little help teaching our children the Word of God. Now, I thank God that we have hope for a better tomorrow! Center staff are always looking out for our children, and the church has been a huge support to our family.
What will this change mean for your future or the future of your family?
The church’s support gives me hope for better opportunities.
What lessons have you learned from this intervention?
I have learned what it means to love my neighbor, and I have learned a lot about the Word of God.
What would you like to say to those who provided the financial support for this intervention?
On behalf of my family and community, I want to thank you for thinking of us and for giving us the opportunity to have a church building close to our home. This is a place where our children will grow up hearing the message of salvation and a place where they will become good citizens. May God bless you and multiply the fruit of your labor.
An Interview With Jose, the Pastor of Bethania Christian Family Church
How have the lives of the affected beneficiaries been changed since the intervention’s completion?
From the beginning of the project, our efforts have been focused on sharing the gospel, because we believe it to be the best way to eradicate poverty. Each family has benefited from various child development center activities. During the pandemic, we have also worked to ensure that our families are kept as safe as possible and have food to eat.
How has this intervention benefitted the church?
Having a dedicated building for our mission will allow us to actively make disciples and send them into the community to fulfill the great commission. The community has benefited from the economic investment and employment opportunities that have resulted from church construction. Caregivers now have a safe place where their children can go to receive holistic care.
How has this intervention affected your ability to minister to the beneficiaries?
Previously, we gathered in environments with dirt floors and metal walls and roofs. These places were not welcoming to children. I thank God that today, we can better serve the congregation, children and the community as a whole.
What would you like to say to those who provided the financial support for this intervention?
Your act of generosity has made us overflow with gratitude. We feel a renewed commitment to the work of God and seek to manage every resource placed in our hands well. On this earth, we may never shake hands; surely, in eternity, we will.
Thank You for Your Support
Thank you, Riverbank Church, for your generous gift. May God bless you with a full heart as children in Guatemala experience the very real impact of your support.