The Executive Committee of the North Caribbean Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (SDA) voted a tangible investment of $30,000.00 for the New Bethany Seventh-day Adventist Church on St. Maarten as the church seeks to give birth to a new group of believers recognized as the Maranatha SDA Group.
Since the launch of the Lord Transform Me (LTM) evangelistic initiative in 2015, at the year-end meeting of the Inter-American Division (IAD), Pastor Marcos Salas and the New Bethany SDA Church have kept the LTM’s objectives at the forefront of all activities and programs. Between 2016 and 2017, membership increased by more than 90 and with this evangelistic thrust poised to continue, the existing facility will soon become inadequate to house the members.
“The commitment of the North Caribbean Conference to the development of the minority groups in the NCC is evident in its support for establishing the group of believers. Hispanic Ministries is the strongest in the NCC with an established presence in six of the ten islands of the Conference. We thank the pastor and members for their hard work and we want to support them in moving forward,” said President Desmond James.
Pastor Marcos Salas responded to the contribution from the Conference: “We thank our God for giving us the opportunity to work together on the development of the Seventh Day Adventist Church on this side of the world. We hope the Almighty could keep blessing you in all matters. Thank you very much for considering our simple-hearted financial plan. We are praying and working to cover much more than our responsibilities. It won’t be easy, it has never been and it never will be. There is the glory when in a few years we can look back and see once more the Eternal’s miracles.”
The Maranatha SDA Group has already received approval from the government to construct a multi-purpose building that will include the church sanctuary and a community service centre. The Secretary of the Conference, Pastor Wilmoth James, travelled to St. Maarten and presented the check on Sabbath, December 16, 2017. Pastor Marcos Salas joined the NCC workforce in 2015 and previously worked in the Venezuelan Union of Seventh-day Adventists.