Three baptisms in Spain highlighted the ongoing power of the gospel to transform lives, regional church leaders said during the Spanish Union of Churches Conference (SUC) national congress in Fuenlabrada, Madrid, Spain, June 14-16.
The event drew more than 4,000 Seventh-day Adventist church members for a weekend of worship, reflection, and fellowship. On June 15, church leaders dedicated time to remembering a very special date for the church in Spain and welcome new members to the church.
A Time to Remember
In June 2023, Adventists in Spain commemorated 120 years since the first three missionaries arrived from California, United States. The original missionaries were 26-year-old Frank Bond, his 24-year-old brother Walter, and Walter’s wife, Leola Gerow. They arrived in Barcelona on June 22, 1903.
A year later, on June 29, 1904, the first three people were baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Spain, including José Abella (who later became a pastor), Lola Casals (later a Bible instructor), and Maria Serra (Lola’s mother).
“Sometimes when we visit a church and see everything working properly, we might think that it has been always like that,” Gabriel Diaz, SUC evangelism director, said. “But when we read our history, it is impressive to see all that our pioneers did. Those were not easy times, but after a year of hard word, dedication, and prayer, they celebrated the first three baptized members.”
Diaz displayed a map of Spain detailing all the places where there’s an established Adventist congregation. The map also included those places where Adventist missionaries are working right now to plant a church. Finally, the map detailed three provincial capitals where there is still no established Adventist presence. “Our goal is that by 2027, no provincial capital lacks an established Adventist congregation,” Diaz said.
As of June 2024, there are 123 established churches and 38 companies in Spain, with more than 19,000 baptized members, Diaz reported.
A Meaningful Baptism
After Diaz’s presentation, a baptismal ceremony for three people marked, 120 years later, that meaningful moment for the Adventist Church in Spain, according to Diaz. For logistical reasons, the baptismal pool was set up in a far upper corner of the Fuenlabrada Sports Center stands, in a place with limited access and limited view. Church members followed the proceedings on large screens on the floor of the venue.
The three people baptized had different stories that highlight the different ways God can use to reach and bring His own home, Diaz said.
The first person to be baptized was Carolina, a former flight attendant who is serving time in a nearby prison in Madrid. Carolina was granted a 48-hour permit to leave her cell and attend the Adventist meetings, which included her baptism.
“I was always searching for God,” Carolina shared. “But it was in jail where I heard God calling me.”
Diaz encouraged her. “As a flight attendant, today you are boarding the best flight in your life, the one that will take you to your heavenly home,” Diaz told her. “But before you arrive, you have a very important mission to accomplish there in prison. Keep doing your job to reach out and win others for Jesus.”
Carolina’s experience highlights the importance of Adventist Prison Ministries, which was launched in Madrid in 2020. “We launched it by going to visit just one person,” Diaz said. “Today, we hold meetings for 150 people, sometimes more.” From one prison, Prison Ministries has grown to include seven centers in the Madrid region, he reported. It now includes more than 60 church members who devote time every Saturday and Sunday to reach out to those serving time.
The second person baptized gives hope to those parents whose children have gone away from church, Diaz said. He then introduced Nicolas, who learned about and accepted Jesus as His Savior when he was a child. Growing up, Nicolas chose another path, which took him further and further away from God.
Nicolas eventually grew so desperate, he said, that “I had terrible thoughts in my head.” But when he was in his darkest moment, he remembered the gospel message from his childhood. Nicolas fell on his knees and told God that he would surrender his life and heart to Him. Nicolas then decided to look for an Adventist church in the area where he lived. At the Adventist congregation, he was embraced, received Bible studies, and got ready for baptism.
The third baptized person, Omar, grew up in Colombia, where he decided to serve his church when he was a child. Omar became an altar boy, then a catechist, and eventually was trained to become a priest. “As he was growing, Omar would keep asking himself questions for which he thought he had no answer,” Diaz shared. “And he would often feel something was missing in his life.”
As Omar was looking for answers, a copy of Ellen G. White’s book Steps to Christ reached his hands, and he began to study it with some Adventist acquaintances. Omar eventually became a Greek Orthodox priest, first in Colombia and later in Spain. But one day, remembering what he had read in Steps to Christ, Omar decided to look for an Adventist congregation.
“There, the veil that covered Omar’s eyes was unveiled,” Diaz said. “He began to find the answers he had looked for, for so many years.”
“I thank God for bringing me to this church,” Omar said. “Now I just ask Him to keep leading and guiding my life.… Here I am, Lord, to do Your will.”
After the ceremony, church leaders welcomed the three new members to the Adventist family. “Tomorrow you’re going back to prison,” Diaz told Carolina. “You’re going back, but now you’re free!”
“What a beautiful experience!” General Conference president Ted N. C. Wilson told the new members. “All of heaven is rejoicing. You have now added your names to the worldwide Adventist family. On behalf of your brothers and sisters in 210 countries, we welcome you into the fellowship of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. May God bless you richly.”
Inter-European Division president Mario Brito also addressed the new members. “Seeing you at the baptismal pool reminded me of the day I was baptized,” Brito told them. “I didn’t have the privilege of being born into an Adventist home. I was a young person in the world. When I decided to follow the Lord, almost all my friends deserted me. I felt that I would be alone in the world. But according to God’s promise, I got much more.… May God bless you abundantly. Welcome!”
“We are your family; we will support you,” SUC president Oscar Lopez promised the new members. “If you stumble, we will stand up together and keep walking till Jesus comes.”
