GUYANA, South America
Guyana is located in the northern part of South America. Venezuela borders it on the west and Suriname on the east. It is 83,000 square miles with a population of a little more than 750,000 people. Guyana is English-speaking and comprises African-Black, East Indians, Amerindian, Portuguese, and mixed races. Most of the Indo-Guyanese population are Hindu and a great deal of them have yet to be evangelized.
We’ve been working in this county in the most northern part of South America going back to the 1970s.
Our work in Guyana was established through the efforts of the late Dr. Wesley Stepp and the Bible Institute for Christian Missions. BICM began working in Guyana in 1975. At that time Guyana was under a Socialist government. The economy slowed the training, making it difficult to travel to class. Students were leaving the country, which caused BICM to start over, recruiting students several times.
Mission Journeys began sending short-term teams to Guyana in 1993.
One of the great success stories is the Adelphi church (Leslie Hopkinson, minister), the first church in this country to be self-supporting. This church was planted around 1995 by Brother Leslie in a community that consisted mostly of Hindu families. In 2005, the Adelphi church had over 200 members, purchased property, and began a building program.
Today, teams continue traveling to Guyana through Mission Journeys, working with local churches.
2024 Highlights:
* Three trips were made this year for teaching and medical clinics.
* Medical clinics served over 100 people each during two of the trips.
* Teaching included General training on Discipleship, Restoration History, Evangelism, and Spiritual Maturity.
* Local church building is nearing completion with the ceiling completed, exterior painted,
and air conditioning installed.
