Recently, 25 congregations in western Kenya completed their Maranatha Volunteers International-built One-Day Church structures by adding walls made of local materials. These dedicated congregations scraped together savings to purchase the materials necessary to upgrade their places of worship. Most used materials like bricks and mortar or metal sheets. But some had the means to add improvements like stucco, glass windows, front porches, and additions.
Whether simple tin walls or smooth stucco, these upgrades improve congregations’ ability to connect with their communities. Just like a metal frame and roof is a huge improvement from worshiping in a mud hut or under a tree, it’s much easier to invite friends and neighbors to church in a completed building. It gains more respect in the community and demonstrates the investment of its members.
Maranatha has built nearly 1,000 One-Day Church frames in Kenya. As its name implies, the One-Day Church program involves the installment of structures that only take one day to assemble. These galvanized steel roofs and frames are not only durable, they are engineered to withstand extreme weather. They provide a strong, reliable framework and then members can finish them however they want with materials that are more accessible in their regions.
From 2010 to 2011, Maranatha responded to numerous requests from the Adventist Church in Kenya for improved infrastructure. In 2016, Maranatha returned and has been working in the country since, building One-Day Churches, schools, and drilling water wells. Crews and volunteers have completed more than 1,500 structures so far.