From the April-July 2009 Issue
Church planting in Southern Spain
Manuel and Krisztina Franco
AlmunecarAlmuñecar today
Almuñecar is a small town of around 27,000 people. There is a considerable number of foreign residents who stay for some months in the year and have their second house here, or come often for holidays. So the town is cosmopolitan and you can easily find people from a variety of countries.
The town is located in the heart of what is called ‘the Tropical Coast’, between Nerja Town (Málaga province) and the province of Almería. There is good communication with the two bigger and closest cities, Málaga and its international airport and Granada, 45 minutes away. The moderate climate makes possible the growing of many tropical fruits like mangoes, papayas, avocados, bananas, etc.
Almuñecar and its history
It was named by the Moors ‘Hins-Al-Monacar’, which means ‘city surrounded by mountains’. This settlement has an ancient history. It was a Phoenician colony, later conquered by the Romans, who gave the city a special Roman status, and towards the end of the seventh century BC it was conquered again, this time by the Moors. From Phoenician times the town has preserved part of a salt factory. This was a very important and prosperous industry, which exported a kind of salty fish pâté to Rome and the rest of the Empire. The Romans didn’t just improve the factory, they built it up and also built a great aqueduct, among other civil and military constructions. The Catholic Kings reconquered Almuñecar and built a big Roman Catholic Church in the highest place in town, to show everybody the power and supremacy of the new church and kingdom. Religious uniformity was imposed through fear and fire. First the Jews were expelled in 1492, after two decades the Muslims faced the same fate, and finally the Spanish Protestants were persecuted in many Spanish cities and towns, burned at the stake and some fled to Protestant countries.
Spain is different
In the past 30 years of democracy, many things have changed in Spain. We are living now, as the majority of European countries, in a secular and post-modern society. Sadly we have in common the increasing lack of interest in biblical Christian spirituality. Yet Spain is different, and surprisingly all kinds of popular religious events, like processions at Easter, festivals, religious dates of any kind, are increasingly attended with enthusiasm by a vast majority of the population. They are also supported financially and by the presence of the civil authorities, especially in southern Spain. The power of the Roman Catholic Church and its influence in politics and society through their mass media is overwhelming. It seems to me that this scenario in Spain is similar to the influence of the Orthodox Church in the regions of the Russian Federation and in countries like Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, where the National Church is omnipresent as in Spain. It is obvious that our nation is going through an economic crisis, but from a spiritual point of view this nation has been in a spiritual crisis for a long time.
The congregation in Almuñecar
Our history in Almuñecar is seven years old. In 2002 we opened our actual premises and started the public meetings. In 2003 I was ordained as pastor of the incipient group. In the years since then we have been working in the church, preaching, teaching and organizing different kinds of evangelistic activities. From the beginning we have been at the flea market with a book stall, distributing leaflets every Friday morning. As a result of this, some people started to attend the church. Also from time to time we organize conferences at the Arts Centre and three years ago we started a new project broadcasting radio adverts at a commercial radio station and also having interviews on the local television, dealing with many issues all related to the Bible.
The Lord has been good to us. He provided for our needs as a family and as a church. The Lord has given us a heart for Spain and we are convinced he is building his church, so there is no reason to be dismayed. We remind ourselves all the time that our part in the work is persevering in sowing, waiting in faith, praying for the lost, and the Lord will do the rest in his time. For all these reasons, and in spite of the hardships and difficulties, we are aware of the benefits that the light of the Scripture could bring to Almuñecar and Spain through the preaching of His Word and through His Holy Spirit.