We went to San Juan Friday for a family field trip and passed this Catholic Church. They were holding a service honoring John the Baptist and the doors were opened for all to visit, so I took a peek inside. Twelve years ago 85% of Puerto Ricans were Catholic and the other 15% "Evangelical" (a term they use meaning "all other Christian groups."). We have seen a great shift here during our last three terms of missionary service. Now, in just that short of a time the Evangelical church grew and the Catholic Church declined so much that Puerto Ricans are now only 50% Catholic and have risen to be 50% Evangelical. This is a tremendous difference in such a short time span.
I know our church and Bible College are part of this change, but we cannot account for such a large shift in the culture here. A lot of work has been done by a great many people each doing their small part in their own private and personal sphere of influence. Every effort in one-on-one evangelism helps. People practicing personal evangelism have changed the demographic of our island by reaching one person at a time. All these small efforts have certainly added up to produce some great changes here in Puerto Rico.
1 comment:
I'm thrilled to hear of the impact that personal evangelism is having. Those are impressive numbers. We're praying for you, Steve and Tina, to find your endurance and encouragement in the Scriptures. Thanks for all you have done to welcome Leann to your home and ministry.
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