Brown Corners and Nicaragua

In 2005, Brown Corners Church in Clare, Mich., entered Nicaragua for the first time. They never imagined the bond that would grow between them and the people of this Central American country. Their church had been involved with missions over the years, but wanted to become more strategic.

After the first trip, teams from Brown Corners continued to travel to Nicaragua, and soon the seeds of a greater partnership were being sown. They listened to people’s stories and began to think about ways they could make a difference.

Brown Corners has shown the impact a single church can make in Nicaragua. But what if your church joined them around a shared passion for Nicaragua?

Brown Corners wants to form an alliance with other churches which have little or no strategic involvement in missions. As partners, they can direct concerted efforts and resources toward Nicaragua, making a much greater difference in the lives of the people of Nicaragua. For further information, contact Associate Pastor Jeff Dice at at 989-240-3288 or by email.

The Brown Corners Story in Nicaragua

In the fall of 2004 while attending a graduate school class, Associate Pastor Jeff Dice walked into the office of Global Ministries Director Gary Dilley seeking direction for a newly formed missions team at Brown Corners. Our church had sent multiple teams to an orphanage in Mexico, and in the summer of 2004 sent a team to Macau. Without hesitation, Gary suggested that Brown Corners send a team to Nicaragua to help a local congregation build a church.

In February of 2005, with no previous experience in Nicaragua and without a translator, we sent a team of 12 men to Leon, Nicaragua, to partner with Nicaragua Conference to build this new facility. What we did not anticipate, however, was how God and Nicaragua would impact Pastor Dice and the others who went. Immediately, plans were made for another trip to help another congregation with their facility. In January of 2006, a second team was sent to build a church in the village of San Jose, Masatepe. It was on this trip that the seeds of a greater partnership were sown.

The poverty of Nicaragua can be overwhelming. A little research showed that Nicaragua was the second poorest country in our hemisphere (behind Haiti). We began thinking of how we could partner with Nicaragua Conference to not only provide church facilities, but to get involved with community development (things like jobs, health services, etc.).

Another trip was planned for June of 2006. This trip was a little different than the others, since we had no church facility to build. Our main goal was to help some churches improve their existing facilities. We provided and helped install windows and doors in the churches we helped erect on our previous trips, we added front porches to two churches, and we added a kitchen to another church. Most importantly, we spent time talking to people. We began hearing their stories. We knew God was positioning us to get ready for something greater.

In January of 2007, a fourth trip built another facility in Cuidad Sandino, this one including a home for the pastor. Though this type of project is needed and beneficial (and we are committed to seeing the remaining few congregations without a facility have one), we are looking to be part of something greater. The book Walking With The Poor became the starting point for understanding transformational development.

We are now in the process of creating a picture of what comes next in Nicaragua. Pastoral development, job skills training, small business development, taking care of widows and orphans, and facilitating adoptions have been part of the discussion. It has been a wonderful experience partnering with one place and seeing how God is using our church to His glory there. The friendships we have developed with conference leaders and with local people will be cherished forever. We have helped launch some small businesses and have provided for some basic health needs, but the potential for greater impact is upon us.

Our desire is to form an alliance with other churches which have little or no strategic involvement in missions. We invite you to be a significant piece of this partnership! We believe that God is ready to use Brown Corners and your church to His glory to impact the lives of people in Nicaragua.

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