Potomac Hispanic Camp Meeting Results in Church Plants

Potomac Hispanic Camp Meeting Results in Church Plants

Story By Tiffany Doss

This year two Virginia church plants resulted from Potomac Conference’s Hispanic camp meeting, held in Woodbridge, Va.: one in Merrifield, the other in Landmark. Local churches held more than 35 evangelistic series before the event, reports Jacqueline Sanchez-Ventouris, administrative assistant to the director for Hispanic Ministries. “The hope was that all the visitors attending these series would attend camp meeting and those who were prepared for baptism would do so,” she says. More than 2,200 people attended and at least 12 charter members for each plant were present.

The concept of planting a church at camp meeting is not new. “Camp meeting was actually designed for this purpose,” explains Karen Cress, Postomac’s vice president for strategic initiatives. "In her books Evangelism and Pastoral Ministries, Ellen White said the after work is more valuable than the preparatory work. White was also pleased with another aspect of camp meeting, which Potomac does well, and that is using the event as a way to gain knowledge of practical methods of personal missionary work. In this event, our brothers and sisters are leading us back to basics—establishing mission churches after camp meeting is over. ”

The church plant charter members have already distributed books and taken surveys to find out the needs of their communities says Sanchez-Ventouris.

Eighty-three students also graduated from the School of Theology for Discipleship during camp meeting, which will further the mission even more. Graduates will use their skills to plant more small groups and home churches. “Our work on Earth is to further the mission of the gospel,” says Sanchez-Ventouris. “We all can play a part in leading people to become disciples of Jesus.”