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Above: CMI board member Mark
Searing presents gift on behalf of CMI to República
Church Senior Pastor Porfirio Ludeña and his wife
Maritza in recognition of the completion of their
church facilities.
Momentum builds in
Quito, Ecuador as CMI celebrates the dedication of
the República Church’s completed facilities and the
groundbreaking of the Cumbayá Church’s first phase.
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C&MA Ecuador National
Church President Jose Plaza and El Batán
Church Senior Pastor Luis Estevez lower the
ceremonial “first stone” at the Cumbayá
Church groundbreaking. |
February 26, 2008 was a momentous
day. In the space of just 3 hours CMI marked two
major milestones in its work toward advancing a
multiplying network of churches in Quito, Ecuador.
The first was the dedication of the República
Church’s completed Christian Education building –
the final step in a journey to provide completed
facilities for Quito’s most strategically visible
evangelical church.
The second milestone was the
groundbreaking ceremony for Phase One of the Cumbayá
Church’s permanent facilities.
Training Leaders, Multiplying Churches
On the surface, it would seem that
these events marked the end of one project and the
beginning of another, but in reality both represent
new beginnings. For the República Church, the
completed CE building is the opportunity for
expanded training of its growing congregation.
República pastors report that the new facility is
already in use every day of the week to train some
500 people for ministry service in the church and
beyond.
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Exterior of the completed
Christian Education building at the
República Church. |
With their own facilities now
complete, República is setting aside 20% of their
income for the purpose of planting their first
daughter church in 2009.
Preparing for Growth and Impact
For Cumbayá, the start of
construction is a crucial first step toward
providing opportunities for continued growth and
greater impact throughout the Cumbayá Valley.
“Their vision is to reach the entire
Cumbayá Valley area of Quito for Jesus Christ,” says
John Turnidge, CMI’s Director of International
Ministries. “With a population of more than 300,000
people, this is not a small vision.”
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Children’s class in
República’s newly completed Christian
Education building. |
Currently, the Cumbayá congregation
meets in double, standing-room-only services in a
small parking garage beneath a rented office
complex. With more than 500 attending each week, the
church is beyond full capacity and in desperate need
of permanent, larger facilities if it is to continue
growing to a size that will allow it to plant future
daughter congregations most effectively.
Phase One of the Cumbayá Project
will include the development of a Christian
Education building and a multi-purpose auditorium
with seating for 300 people. This auditorium will
serve as the temporary sanctuary until a 1,000-seat
facility is built at a later date.
At the groundbreaking ceremony,
church leaders placed a customary “first stone” – a
large rock figurative of the first piece of the
foundation. On the rock were the names of all the
families from the church that contributed to the
purchase of the land. Church members making
commitments to provide for the construction phase
signed their names on smaller, individual stones and
dropped them alongside the ceremonial first stone.
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CMI Executive Director
Jim Murray and his wife Ginny among the
overflow crowd at the Cumbayá Church
groundbreaking. |
Many Thanks
For Cumbayá’s Senior Pastor Jorge
Giacometti, the day was an opportunity to give
thanks. “This was a very special day for us as we
placed the first stone,” remarked Giacometti. “Thank
you to everyone that prayed and helped us. And
thanks especially to CMI, Jim Murray and the CMI
team.”
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Artist’s rendering of the
first phase of the Cumbayá Church
facilities. |
Beyond such words of appreciation,
CMI was honored to receive special recognition at
both the República and Cumbayá events for its help
in cultivating vision, assisting in planning and
providing major funding for the construction
projects. But for CMI, the real honor belongs to the
Lord and to the CMI friends that prayed and gave
generously to help achieve these milestones at both
churches.
“We are grateful to all the CMI
donors that helped us in accomplishing such gains
for God’s Kingdom, God’s Work and God’s Church in
places like República and Cumbayá,” said CMI
Executive Director Jim Murray. “This is a great day
in Quito!”
EQ Summer 2008
Issue Main Page
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