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ARENYS DE MAR

Igl Arenys
Arenys de Mar Evangelical Baptist Church
 
Church Website
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Pastors
Carmelo Coca
Daniel Zoppetti Estivales
 
Worship Service
Sunday at 6:00 p.m.
  
Address
Rial de les Doedes, 37
08350 Arenys de Mar (Barcelona)
   
  
HISTORY
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In 1954 a man of Arenys de Mar was invited to the services of the Evangelical Church of Verdi Street in Barcelona. He was so impacted by the Gospel that he shared his experience with his wife and children. Together they began to attend the church every Sunday, and soon they converted to Christ. Although there was already some tolerance, there were still hard times for evangelicals, since the Franco regime subjected us to religious persecution. The children of that man realized this when being discriminated in the school.
     The Verdi Church evangelism group suggested the new believer hold meetings at home to talk about the Gospel. He accepted. Friends and family who had seen the change in the life of this man decided to go out of curiosity, and some of them converted. The meetings were held in the dining room and some Sunday they received the visit of the civil guard that asked the documentation to the assistants.
     As the years went by this little group of believers was growing up with the help of preachers from Verdi Church and missionaries who made periodic visits to them. The time came when they could no longer fit in the house and decided to build a temple. They searched for land and bought it with offerings and donations they collected. As the ground was very steep, the believers themselves had to work to smooth it. The construction of the building was made by a believer who was a bricklayer along with his sons.
     Ten years after the work began, on July 25, 1964, the inaugural service was held. With the blessing of the Lord, the church was set in motion. But because of a bad testimony divisions within the church happened. Some people left the faith, others went to other churches (Mataró, Verdi…) and the few who remained ended up not attending. Finally, the temple was closed.
     In 1980, a brother from Barcelona who appeared as owner of the church property visited a marriage of Arenys de Mar of those who had been members. He proposed that they contact other former members to try to hold services again. Only a marriage with two daughters and a woman with another daughter decided to join them. In total there were 5 adults and 3 girls.
     At the end of 1981, the brother owner of the church property addressed the President of FIEIDE, Dr. Antonio Martínez Conesa, so the Federation would be responsible for the church and those few brothers would be attended regularly. A decision was taken to make a list of preachers with students from CEEB and IBSTE. Finally, at a meeting held in April 1982, the five adults members decided that, of all the students who had passed by, Daniel Zoppetti and his wife Esther would lead the church.
     Since then, the Arenys de Mar Church became a mission point of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Hostafrancs (of which Daniel and Esther were and still are members). With the help of our Lord, the church has been subsisting with ups and downs.
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Source: Summary of “Les nostres esglésies: Arenys de Mar” in Comunicats – FIEIDE Catalunya, num. 7, october 2014