Maranatha Commits to Return to Dominican Republic

In 2022, Maranatha Volunteers International will begin working in the Dominican Republic (DR) to provide urgently needed Seventh-day Adventist church buildings in that Caribbean country. The commitment is in response to a request from the Seventh-day Adventist Church in southeastern Dominican Republic, leaders reported.

This will be the fifth time Maranatha has worked in DR. In 1980, after the destruction of Hurricane David, Maranatha constructed 160 houses there. In 1992, DR was the site of a watershed moment of growth for Maranatha, when the organization coordinated the construction of 25 church buildings over a three-month period. Dubbed “Santo Domingo ’92,” it was the first time Maranatha concentrated on one place for multiple volunteer projects. Later efforts occurred in 2003 and 2013, and now Maranatha has decided to return once more.

Each time Maranatha adds infrastructure to the Adventist Church in DR, officials report tremendous growth, which spurs future requests. According to the Adventist Church statistics for the region, four decades ago the membership of this part of the country was at 27,000 people. Today, that number has increased to 380,000. Maranatha is in the process of establishing its in-country team for 2022, and volunteer projects are already on the calendar, with more to follow in the coming months, leaders reported.

“Because of the relatively close access of the Dominican Republic to the United States, it is an easy and relatively inexpensive place to have a great mission experience,” Maranatha president Don Noble explained. “The [Adventist] Church in the Dominican Republic appears to be at another point where many new churches will cause them to experience greater growth, and even more people will hear about salvation through Jesus. Our hope and desire is that many volunteers and donors will get involved in the upcoming Maranatha mission opportunities in this wonderful country.”

Maranatha Volunteers International, a nonprofit Christian organization, mobilizes volunteers to build churches, schools, water wells, and other urgently needed structures around the world. Since 1969, Maranatha has constructed more than 11,000 structures and 1,500 water wells in nearly 90 countries around the world.

The original version of this story was posted by Maranatha Volunteers International.