Starting in 2009, Maranatha Volunteers International built 700 One-Day Churches (ODCs) in the Southeast African country of Mozambique. It has now been nearly two decades since Maranatha worked there, but those simple steel shelters are busier than ever. A recent visit to 71 ODC sites found congregations of 300-600 members to be the norm. The largest had more than 700 people, including 400 children. “One-Day Churches were designed to be a starting point,” said Maranatha Vice President of Projects Kyle Fiess. “And this was definitely the case in Mozambique. We built strong structures, starting points, and passionate church members have used them to create more finished buildings and spread the gospel in their communities.”
These churches are expanding their own attendance and promoting the spread of Adventism across the country. One congregation boasted the establishment of eight daughter churches, all born from one original ODC. Prior to Maranatha’s involvement, there were approximately 40 permanent churches in Mozambique and no schools. Today, Mozambique has more than 382,000 members, 1,179 churches, and nine denominational schools, of which Maranatha built five.
Maranatha’s ODC is a structure consisting of a galvanized steel frame and roof. These simple kits are erected in remote areas, where traditional construction is difficult due to access. By building a steel roof and frame–elements that are cost prohibitive for most congregations–Maranatha provides a strong skeleton for church members to build from with local materials. Many of the congregations in Mozambique have demonstrated this model by building walls around their ODC frames, and some have even added improvements like expansions, stucco, windows, and doors.
The ODC program, created in partnership with Maranatha and Adventist businessman Garwin McNeilus, launched in 2009 with the very first ODC being constructed in Ecuador. Today, Maranatha has built more than 6,245 ODCs in 29 countries around the world. The program is still ongoing with donors currently helping to fund ODCs in Kenya and Zambia.