Forty years ago, Juan Amigo was sent to Andorra to work as a colporteur and to plant the first Adventist congregation in the nation. Today, this congregation places a special focus on the kids!
Kids First
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“I have 8 sons who would soon have to enlist in the army and face serious Sabbath challenges. To protect my sons, I moved here as a literature evangelist.”
Forty years ago, Juan Amigo was sent to Andorra to work as a colporteur and to plant the first Adventist congregation in the nation. Andorra is a speck on the map, sandwiched between France and Spain. It lies in the valleys of a mountainous region where millions of tourists come for exciting sports activities every year.
This country was one of the last unentered territories of the Inter-European Division. At that time, Juan and his family were the only Adventists in the country. Today, five of his sons remain in Andorra and have leadership roles in the only Adventist congregation there.
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“Our church is a bit different than other countries. Actually, in Andorra there is no church registration. We cannot exist as a church … So we created ourselves as an association. ... This is the way we can operate in this country.”
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“We are a small group. We have 25 members, of whom 14 are children.”
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“For several years, we did many evangelistic campaigns without many results. We decided to stop to pray until God showed us where we should focus our efforts. Now, we are focusing our efforts on our children and our children’s friends and our friends too.”
Putting kids first has reshaped the style and flow of this church’s worship. On Friday evenings, adult members meet at the church for vespers and study the Sabbath School quarterly lesson ahead of schedule. This allows extra time for the kids during regular Sabbath morning activities. The study is a great way to enter the Sabbath day.
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“In church we are not so used to put kids first. We don’t give them a place in front on stage, only once a trimester. We started focusing on activities like Pathfinders … but we also created the space Saturday morning for them where they have a sermon for kids, they have some activities for kids and also for the grownups so we can interact with them … We can learn from the kids, they can learn from us.”
This week’s teacher presents a message from the Bible. She brings visual illustrations and a kid-friendly sermon that is also enjoyable for adults.
Afterward, the children break into classes to study their quarterly lesson. Then, the adults enjoy a special message in the main hall.
Once a month, a delicious potluck is served with a lot of international dishes and flavors. This is a great opportunity to grow relationships and nourish the body.
The children of this church are catered to in a special way. They are put first because this group wants them to take leadership and ownership of church life. They are the future of this congregation and through them, friends and parents are invited to many fun activities.
Please pray for Adventist children around the world who will lead God’s church in the coming days. And thank you for your support of the mission offering, which helped start this church.
