Adventist Leader in the Dominican Republic Celebrates Longtime Partnership

Teófilo Silvestre was barely a teenager when in 1992 Adventist Church supporting ministry Maranatha Volunteers International arrived in Santo Domingo, in his native Dominican Republic, with the ambitious goal of building 25 churches concurrently.

“It was something that had never been attempted before,” shared Maranatha president Don Noble, who has led the lay- and donor-based ministry for more than four decades. Up to that moment Maranatha’s work was much more limited and less ambitious in scope. “We were not sure whether or how we would be able to pull it off.” But thanks to hundreds of volunteers, donors, and church leaders, Maranatha was able to build the 25 churches in just 70 days. “It was a watershed moment,” Noble recalled. “From then onward Maranatha moved to build more churches and schools, and later drill water wells, in 90 countries around the world.”

From Volunteers to Leaders

For Silvestre, who is now president of the Dominican Union Conference of the Adventist Church, Maranatha’s arrival marked a significant moment in his life. “I am one of the results of that project because my local church was built in 1992,” Silvestre said. “With these hands,” he emphasized as he raised both hands, “I was able to help in the construction of my church. So Maranatha has a very special place in my heart.”

In September Silvestre traveled with a team of regional Adventist leaders to Maranatha’s annual convention in Sacramento, California, United States, with one main goal—to express gratitude to Maranatha. Among the team members was Gabriel Paulino, president of the Southeast Dominican Conference, who was also touched by the 1992 initiative, Silvestre emphasized. “And today we are leaders of the Adventist Church in the Dominican Republic,” he said.

A Grateful Team

On September 20 Silvestre, Paulino, and the other regional church leaders stood together on the stage. “We have come here as a team to thank you for what you have done in 44 years in the Dominican Republic. You have a very special place in every one of our hearts,” Silvestre told the almost 2,000 people who filled the Trinity Life Center, the event venue. “We can’t write the history of the Adventist Church in the Dominican Republic if we bypass Maranatha. We can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that the arrival of Maranatha was a watershed moment for our country,” he said.

Silvestre also emphasized that they were not the only ones who benefited from Maranatha’s stints in their native country. “Through the years almost 11,000 volunteers have served in the Dominican Republic,” he said. “And every volunteer that goes to the Dominican Republic comes back with their life changed.” The reason is straightforward, according to Silvestre. “Maranatha builds not only churches; Maranatha builds up lives. . . . It builds leaders for God’s church. Its work is of eternal consequence,” he said.

A Multiplying Effect

Silvestre explained how in the Dominican Republic church-building initiatives supported by Maranatha have had a multiplying effect. As an example, he shared that in 2024 regional church leaders inaugurated a local church known as Caleta 4. “The first church, Caleta 1, was built by Maranatha,” Silvestre shared. “After doing our research, we found out that that first church branched out and grew into 26 other congregations. So building churches in the Dominican Republic is worth it!”

Currently Maranatha is building approximately 30 churches just in the Southeast Dominican Conference, which includes the capital city of Santo Domingo and its environs.

Focused on Mission

Perhaps the most iconic example of the impact of Maranatha in the Dominican Republic is the recent inauguration of the educational complex known as Ciudad del Cielo (City of Heaven), Silvestre shared. “It was an area with more than 80 churches but no Adventist school,” he reported. “Maranatha came and built a school and a church. The school opened its doors in August with 233 students.”

Silvestre explained that the school has a clear mission goal and is already bringing people to the adjacent church. He shared how recently a mother was walking by when she saw the sign that read “Ciudad del Cielo Adventist School” and decided she would register her son. The day she went to register him she also saw the church. “I used to be an Adventist, but I drifted away,” she confessed. “Now I feel that God is calling me back!” she said.

At union level two years ago leaders devised a strategy to plant 200 new congregations in five years. “Praise be to God, in just two years we have planted 200 new churches!” Silvestre reported. Now the challenge is to provide church buildings for every new congregation, he shared. “And we need Maranatha’s help for it.”

In that regard, Silvestre said, Maranatha is on the right track. “When we invest in mission, mission returns to us with abundant blessings,” he said. “And I believe Maranatha is doing just that—following the mission and investing in it. I want to motivate you to keep doing it all around the world, and especially in the Dominican Republic.”