This week, we’ll meet a pastor in Tennessee, named Juan, who was asked to lead his congregation in the construction of a brand new church. The only problem—Juan had no experience in building a church! His congregation, the Ooltewah Hispanic Seventh-day Adventist Church, had been renting worship space at various locations for the past decade, which was costly and cumbersome. They needed their own space to call home. One of Juan’s church members suggested that they ask Maranatha to help, but Juan figured Maranatha only helped congregations in other parts of the world, not in the United States.

Watch as Juan eventually connected with Maranatha and navigated the construction process. With the help of Maranatha’s volunteers, see how Juan turned his congregation’s dream into reality. Your kids will see how God can use people who may not seem qualified, and consider how God asks us to serve beyond our comfort zones in our own lives.

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Pre-video Discussion Questions
- Has someone ever asked you to do something that you had no idea how to do? How did it feel? If you tried to do it, how did it go?

Watch the video
In today’s video, see how God led a pastor with no construction experience to build a brand new church.

Post-video Discussion Questions
- What do you think it was like for Juan’s congregation to have to move from place to place for worship for 10 years?
- In the Bible, God asked Moses to lead the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, to a new Promised Land. But Moses was hesitant—he didn’t think he could do it. In fact, he listed off a number of reasons he couldn’t do it. Five times, he made an excuse or asked God to choose someone. Each time, God showed Moses that he could trust God with this huge task, and eventually, Moses agreed to lead the people out of Egypt. Is there something that you have been asked to do that you don’t think you can do? What is it? How could Moses’ story help you?

Prayer Points
- For the strength to act when God calls us to serve.
- Ask kids what they would add to the prayer list.

Did You Know?
- Maranatha created a blueprint for a simple church building for smaller congregations. Called the North America Church Design, the plan includes a sanctuary that seats around 120 people, a fellowship hall, Sabbath School classrooms, bathrooms, audio-visual room, and a pastor’s office.