January 26, 2023 | San Salvador, El Salvador | Fabricio Rivera and Inter-American Division News

Seventh-day Adventist leaders in El Salvador inaugurated a new campground center in the city of Santa Ana, in the western part of the country during a special ceremony on Jan. 21, 2023.

The newly purchased 48,000-square-meter campground is the fourth such property purchased by the church in El Salvador. The campground will be used to train department and ministry leaders and hold family retreats, camporees, summits and congresses.

Pastor Elie Henry, president of the church in the Inter-American Division cuts the ribbon to inaugurate the new campground facility purchased by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the West El Salvador Conference, while local church leaders and members look on, Jan. 21, 2023. The campground will be used to train department and ministry leaders and hold family retreats, camporees, summits and congresses in the region. [Photo: Courtesy of El Salvador Union]
Pastor Elie Henry, president of the church in the Inter-American Division (IAD), joined top and regional leaders in cutting the ribbon amid more than 1,300 church elders and small group leaders who witnessed the inauguration before commencing a whole day of training meetings.

“It’s very impressive to see your commitment to continue growing and training in such a beautiful campground like this one,” said Pastor Henry. “Thank you for your dedication to discipling others as you continue to fulfill the mission of the church.”

Named “Campamento de Dios” or “God’s Campground,” the property includes a large  multi-purpose auditorium that seats some 2,300 people.

More than 1,300 church elders and small group leaders gathered to inaugurate the new auditorium to worship and receive training to strengthen their ministries in their local congregations. [Photo: Courtesy of EL Salvador Union]
“Our church leaders and members expressed how proud they feel to not have to be searching  for other places to hold their training certifications during the year,” said Pastor Abel Pacheco, president of the church in El Salvador.

Pacheco challenged leaders to continue motivating others in their local churches and small groups to get involved in the “I Will Go” mission initiatives to reach others in their communities with the gospel.

Training leaders and members is an essential part of advancing the mission of the church in El Salvador, said Pacheco. Because a district pastor in the West El Salvador Conference can have 10 to 18 churches under his care, having campgrounds for leadership and lay training, among other events, will only continue to strengthen the mission of the church, he said.

IAD President Pastor Elie Henry reads the commemorative plaque in the new campground auditorium in the West El Salvador Conference, while church leaders and members look on, Jan. 21, 2023. [Photo: Courtesy of El Salvador Union]
To learn more about the Seventh-day Adventist Church in El Salvador, go to unionelsalvador.org