This week, we’ll meet members of the very first Hispanic Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America: the Tucson Central Church in Arizona. For many years, this faith group bounced from rented space to rented space, and every time they moved, they lost some of their members. They just had to find their own space! See how this group kept hope alive, despite a number of setbacks, and kept working toward a proper church of their own. Your kids will see how God turned something bad into a blessing for the Tucson Central Church, and how Maranatha helped.

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Pre-video Discussion Questions
- Have you ever had something bad happen to you, but in the end it turned out to be OK, or maybe even great?

VIDEO
In today’s video, see how one church group kept their hope alive until God’s timing came through.

Post-video Discussion Questions
- Is there one thing that keeps disappointing you? What is it, and how does it feel?
- The members of the Tucson Central Church must have been disappointed when things weren’t going their way—how do you think they continued to press on toward their goal of a new church?
- One of the biggest missionaries for Jesus shortly after he returned to heaven was Paul. He traveled all over the places telling everyone he could about Jesus’ love. It wasn’t always easy. Paul had lots of challenges, and even some setbacks like the Tucson Central Church. But he still encouraged everyone to keep going toward the goal of knowing God closely. He wrote about this to a group of Christians in the city of Philippi. “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of the goal. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14). What is one disappointment you need to “forget about” and let God’s love for you push you forward?

Prayer Points
- Bless the congregations without their own church homes.
- Ask kids what they would add to the prayer list.

Did You Know?
- Even though Maranatha builds a lot of churches in many countries around the world, we also help to build churches for congregations in North America too. We have a simple church plan that includes a sanctuary that can fit 120-200 people, a fellowship hall, Sabbath School classrooms, bathrooms, audio-visual room, and a pastor’s office.