DAWN Fridayfax 2001 #18

Latin America

Almost 500,000 new churches on the way

It was wonderful to see representatives of almost all Latin American nations set an evangelistic target during a continental strategy conference in 1998: 500,000 new churches by the year 2010. According to Berna Salcedo, Dawn Coordinator for Latin America, five nations have already reached their short-term aims and set new targets.

Together is easier - the fruits of strategic cooperation

Guatemala was the first Latin American nation in which Christian leaders decided upon a national Dawn-type strategy, in 1984. Their aim was to plant 7,000 new churches, which they achieved in only 5 years. They then aimed to plant another 5,000 churches, and have now also reached that goal.

Venezuela

For many years, Venezuela had the lowest rate of Evangelical growth in the region, and also the lowest percentage of evangelical Christians in its population. At an Amanacer (Dawn) conference in 1992, national leaders set the target of growing from 4,900 churches to 12,000 in 10 years through systematic church planting. They set to work, and reached their goals four years earlier than planned, in 1998! They now have a new short-term goal: 25,000 new churches by 2005.

Uruguay

In 1996, 30% of Uruguayans declared themselves Atheists. In the past few years, this number has shrunk to 10%. In the same period, 1,000 new Christian churches were planted. The national church-planting target, originally planned for a 6-year period, was reached 3 years earlier than expected.

El Salvador

Christian leaders agreed on a target of 2,000 new churches by 1990, which meant that 30% of the population should follow Jesus. In 1993, research showed that 37% of the population were evangelical Christians, and that 4,000 new churches had been planted.

Cuba

After 30 years of Communism, Cuba had almost 800 churches - the same number as at the start of Castro's revolution. Cuban Christian leaders aimed to plant 5,000 new churches, most of which were house churches, and reached their aim in 1998, two years earlier than planned.

The following table shows the current church planting aims in 14 Latin American nations, together with the results of empirical research into the number of new churches since 1992:

Nation New Churches Target Brazil 20,000 180,000 Argentina 4,000 28,000 Uruguay 1,000 2,000 Chile 2,000 20,000 Peru 11,000 40,000 Colombia 3,000 30,000 Venezuela 9,000 25,000 Panama 2,000 7,000 Mexico 8,000 50,000 Dominican Republic 4,000 12,000 Costa Rica 500 2,000 El Salvador 5,000 7,000 Guatemala 12,000 7,000 Cuba 6,000 6,000 Total 87,500 416,000


Source: Berna Salcedo, Dawn Ministries, www.dawnministries.org

Slovenia

Church growth since independence

Daniel Brkic, Superintendent of the Pentecostal Churches in Slovenia, reports of new growth in the nation's evangelical churches. His mother Adela travelled to Slovenia as a missionary in 1940: "At that time, believers had to meet secretly in the woods and fields at night. They were ridiculed and persecuted," he remembers. Today, Slovenia has religious freedom. Brkic is pastor of the largest Slovenian Evangelical-Pentecostal Church in Novo Mesto, with 220 members. Part of the church activities are directed to prison ministry; in one nearby prison, 6 inmates regularly meet for Bible studies. Slovenia became independent in 1991, and according to the report, 16 of the nation's 19 evangelical churches are Pentecostal.
Source: AOG News

USA

"God can do anything" says actress Dyan Cannon

"I just know that God can do anything," says Oscar-nominated actress Dyan Cannon. Film star Cannon, who appears in the US sitcom "Three Sisters" preaches twice a month in the CBS production center in Studio City, Hollywood, where she also prays for the sick. "I never used to believe that God can heal the sick," she told chat-show host Larry King, "but my views changed. If someone limps up to you, unable to walk properly, and then dances out, then God, in his love, has clearly done something wonderful. I never used to believe it could happen, but I have seen an experienced it!" She had asked CBS for permission to hold "God's Parties" in the middle of Hollywood twice a month, as the Christian meetings became too large for her house. All sorts of people attend: celebrities, studio managers, gang members. Cannon was once married to Cary Grant, and has divorced twice. "Then I started looking for true love, and found it. God's love is real!" she says. She now prays and fasts the day before each 'God's Party'. "I do that so that I'm not in God's way, and just watch how he touches people in his love. I didn't plan a thing - God did it all."
Source: Charisma News

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