History

The Managua Christian brotherhood was founded in 2009 by the Waslala Christian Brotherhood Churches at the request of Christian Aid Ministries. The goal was to provide a local church for the benefit of the CAM Managua staff, as well as a local church to direct local seekers to. Managua was chosen as the location for this new outreach church in part to avoid being too close to the Masaya Mission. Also because there was a vision to do inner city outreach.

Timo Miller, who was a minister at the Jicaral congregation, was sent as the first pastor. After the Miller family left Nicaragua in 2016, the Jinotega church, under the direction of Bishop David Friesen, took over responsibility for the church. Since then, David Friesen has been giving Bishop oversight, with local leadership consisting of commissioned brothers. This has typically consisted of a Latino brother as well as an assisting brother from CAM.

Overview

The church is located in the Santa Clara barrio of Managua. GPS coordinates ( 12°09’24.7”N  86°13’51.4”W ) The congregation consists of the CAM staff families, as well as several Nicaraguan members. We also regularly have numerous visiting people in our services. Sunday attendance is typically between 50-70 people.

We have services weekly on Sunday morning. We also have a Wednesday evening service 4 times a month. On the second Sunday of each month, we have a fellowship meal. On the months where there are five Sundays, there is a song service instead of Sunday school. All services are in Spanish. The spirited Spanish singing is a highlight!

There are four Sunday school classes. Preschool, Junior, Youth, and Adult. Spanish Lamp and Light Sunday School curriculum is used.

Following is an overview of Sunday morning services:

Singing……………………………………….…..9:30

Devotional……………………………..…..….9:45

Sunday School…….……………….…..…….9:55

Song and memory verse………..………10:25

Message.…………………………………….…10:30

Dismissal…………………………………….…11:15

Wednesday evening services are from 6-7pm.

The Managua Brotherhood and Christian Aid Ministries’ leadership developed the following policy to better meet the needs of the church and CAM staff. Taking into consideration the continual turnover of CAM staff, the following membership options are offered to CAM staff.

CAM Staff relationship with the Managua Christian Brotherhood

Associate Membership

All staff are expected to seek associate membership with the Managua Christian Brotherhood within six months of arriving in Nicaragua.

Associate membership brings the privilege for staff members to participate in communion. They would also be expected to participate in activities such as teaching Sunday School, leading out in devotions or worship, and sharing the message as called upon. This will help to bring a level of accountability to CAM Staff members. It is also a blessing to the local brotherhood and national members to have this level of involvement.

Associate membership does not require compliance with the Managua Christian Brotherhood Standards. However, each staff member is expected to comply with their home church standards.

The Managua ministry will seek to reach out to all incoming staff soon after arrival, and staff will be invited into associate membership. CAM administration is requesting that Nica staff would receive this associate membership within six months of arrival. When the new staff is ready, they would then be formally welcomed into associate membership in the Managua church by means of a simple announcement in a church service. If this goal is not achieved, then the Managua Christian Brotherhood leadership would communicate this back to the CAM Nicaragua Country Supervisor and to the ministry of the involved staff members, who will then be responsible to make disposition of the issue.

This six-month interval will give both new staff, and the Managua Brotherhood time to learn to know each other. Communion will be optional on a visitor basis before the six-month timeframe.

Shared Membership

After the first six months, an invitation is extended by the Managua Christian Brotherhood to receive shared membership in the church. Shared membership is considered optional by both the church and CAM, but we believe it can bring additional blessings to those who seek it. In addition to the privileges granted with associate membership, shared membership would also give voice and vote privilege in the church. It would also require compliance with the standards of the Managua Christian Brotherhood. Attendance at Wednesday Evening services would also be encouraged. The church would expect greater accountability at this level.

Full Membership

Full membership is also be a possibility for long-term staff. This would be full, sole membership in the Managua Christian Brotherhood.