Courtney Herod
Courtney Herod
It was a day that Mount Olive Spanish Church in Mount Olive, N.C., had been working toward since they first planted their group in 1996. It was the day they burned their mortgage, July 24, 2021.
The beginnings of this congregation came from several men in the area who met for Bible study. In 2000, they began meeting in a converted trailer, but as their numbers continued to grow, they started looking for a more permanent meeting place. Now a company, they purchased a lot of land and began construction on a new building. The church facility, which was completed in January 2010, has a capacity for more than 420 people and includes a new sanctuary, gymnasium, and kitchen, as well as Sabbath School classrooms.
After the worship service on this special Sabbath, the members migrated from the sanctuary to gather in a large circle on the front lawn to burn their mortgage. They did not let this time pass without lifting their voices in a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord for helping them complete this goal. The ceremony was led by their pastor, Jonathan Mairena; Chad Grundy, Carolina Conference undertreasurer; and Ricardo Palacios, Carolina Conference Hispanic ministries director.
This will be a day that lives on in the memories of Mount Olive members. They are already planning future projects, including planting more churches in their surrounding area.
Carolina | October 2021
