Build a Church through the Tabernacle Project

April 22, 2019

Recently, I had the opportunity to see firsthand what a difference a tabernacle can make in a community. Every Sunday we are blessed to attend church. Many of us walk into church and give little thought to the function that the building plays. It keeps us warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It’s allows us to stay dry while we worship when it’s raining outside. Our building tells the community that a “church is here.” Missionaries and ministers around the world share the good news of Jesus, and as they gather believers together, they attempt to hold church where ever they can find some cover. Currently, in Africa alone there are requests to build thousands of tabernacles because of the difference a permanent building can make.

In November 2018, we had completed work on the Royal Rangers training center just outside Nairobi and were driving through the southern part of Kenya when we came upon a cluster of buildings in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. In the midst of these buildings was the Mara Revival Center Assemblies of God church. Visiting with the pastor, we learned that 20 years earlier nothing was out there; however, at the request of a missionary, a team of Pathfinders came and built a tabernacle. There wasn’t another church within 130 km let alone any other buildings. Today, there are 127 churches in that district, and they are believing to grow to 150 in the next four years. The pastor of that church shared how as a boy he would come by in the evening after the men had stopped working and play soccer with them. Today, he pastors that church and is the assistant general superintendent of the Assemblies of God in Kenya. We further found out that three of our current team members had been part of the original construction team. What a blessing to discover that an act of giving 20 years earlier resulted not only in the building of a church but also launched many other churches and impacted a boy who now is the pastor.

Every tabernacle we build will house 300 people. Within two months of completion, that church is full and impacting an entire village. It takes $7500 to put a tabernacle on the ground in a key area. Another $7500 will assist a Pathfinder team of 15 men to go build it. Would you pray, believe, and dare ask God what He would have your outpost, your church, or even you do? Will He ask you to provide the materials for a tabernacle or a team or maybe even go and help build one yourself? As Haggai asks, “Is it right for us to live in beautiful houses while God’s house lies in ruins?” (Haggai 1:4)

To learn more about the Pathfinder Tabernacle Project on our BGMC Master's Toolbox page.