ABOUT DÉNIA
“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!”
– Psalm 67:1-3
SPAIN:
Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39).
A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, and rapid economic modernization, gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy that made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has focused on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
With a population of 48,500,000+, Christians make up 87% of all people groups, with Roman Catholics leading the way with nearly 40,000,000 people. However, many of the Christians in Spain are non-practicing. By 2025, the Christian population is only supposed to grow by 0.25%, and will decline by 0.34% in 2050.
TRINITY BAPTIST CHURCH:
Through many years of intolerance and persecution and the outreach of some Swedish missionaries, The Trinity Baptist Church was founded in 1914 in Denia’, Spain. Because Franco used the church as an extension of his control, his death included the abandonment of religion. Today the church in Denia’ is the largest and only Baptist Church in a 3-hour radius and serves as a “mother” church to other churches in Spain. Some Spaniards still attend Catholic mass out of tradition only; most avoid religion altogether. Mission work is done throughout the country, in Cuba and Equatorial Guinea.
In the fall of 2015, Columbus Avenue signed a covenant of partnership with TBC. Our goal is to work together in expanding the Kingdom of God by helping to plant 5 churches over the course of a 5-year partnership. TBC has established a church in the nearby town of Bellreguard. Additionally, there are 4 Casas de Esperanzas (Houses of Hope) in the neighboring communities of Benissa, Javea, Ondara, and Pedreguer. These Houses of Hope meet regularly for worship, while also working toward being able to offer social services to their communities.
On the campus of Trinity is Alfa y Omega School, which is for students aged pre-school through 10th grade. The school is an excellent way to connect to the community. Alfa Omega is the first school to have a graduation program that brings in the whole community and is used as an outreach program.
SIGN UP for the next SPAIN MISSION TRIP: