Hispanic Adventists in Europe Parade Highlights Fellowship Across Borders

Hundreds of Seventh-day Adventist church members, local church pastors, and leaders marched on September 13 as part of the Parade of Nations during the 2025 AIALE convention in Malle, Antwerp, Belgium. [Photo: Marcos Paseggi, Adventist Review]

Hundreds of Seventh-day Adventist church members, local church pastors, and leaders marched on September 13 as part of the Parade of Nations. The event took place during the 2025 Association of Hispanic Seventh-day Adventist Churches in Europe (AIALE) convention in Malle, Antwerp, Belgium.

During the Saturday evening program those representing Adventist local churches in several countries shared about their congregations and their outreach plans to connect with others like them across their adoptive cities and countries. At the same time, it allowed Hispanic leaders across the region to highlight initiatives that seek to connect Hispanics, especially young members, across the continent.

A Growing Adventist Population

The parade opened with Las Rosas Seventh-day Adventist Church, a multicultural congregation from Madrid, Spain. Their members, which include immigrants from Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and other countries, regularly share videos on topics related to physical and spiritual issues through the church’s YouTube channel, active since 2018.

After them came a new Hispanic congregation in The Hague, Netherlands. A new church plant, the group includes members from Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador. It is one of several Hispanic Adventist congregations in the country. A Spanish-speaking church in the city of Eindhoven in the south of the country includes not only Hispanics but other members from such Caribbean islands as Aruba. In the city of Rotterdam there’s the Pilares de la Fe Adventist Church; and in the capital city of Amsterdam, the Jesús Es la Esperanza Adventist Church is also growing and reaching out to other Spanish-speaking immigrants.

Moving Forward

Several leaders highlighted the progress of Adventist Hispanic congregations, some of which had challenging beginnings but now are thriving. Some of the initial groups who rented a hall are now moving to purchase their own places, they reported. “Across Europe the Spanish-speaking work of the Adventist Church is progressing, and we thank God for that,” they said.

The Bethel Hispanic Adventist Church from Brussels also marched during the parade. It is one of several Adventist congregations in the capital city, and has a choir that includes young members of both it and the Maranatha Adventist Church. Several of the members are children of those who immigrated decades ago, mostly from Colombia.

A Program to Connect

In London, England, three Spanish-speaking congregations with a combined membership of about 300 are part of a revival of the Adventist work in the capital of the United Kingdom. Luis Fajardo, pastor of the Central London Hispanic Adventist Church, shared how through a weekly program titled Código Abierto (Open Code), the church is connecting with other Adventist young people from across Europe. Every Friday evening special guests talk about topics of interest as online participants get connected from London, Brussels, or Milan. “This project was born out of a desire to connect young people across the continent,” Fajardo said. “The idea is that they may know that in other countries they have friends with whom they can connect and develop friendships,” he said.

For 2026, Fajardo reported, there are plans to move to organize joint activities such as camps and gatherings, so Spanish-speaking young people in Europe can “get to know each other, fall in love, get married, and form more Adventist families.”

An Increasing Number of Congregations

The Parade of Nations included members from two Spanish-speaking congregations in Milan, Italy; congregations of Hispanic members in Switzerland; and a multicultural congregation from Barcelona, Spain. A congregation in Zurich includes church members from Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Ecuador. Lately it has also embraced Spanish-speaking members from Romania.

Leaders and members celebrated the fellowship across Hispanic congregations in Europe and highlighted the mission-driven goal of their churches and groups. “We are a very multicultural group, with many nationalities,” one of them, originally from Honduras but now residing in Spain, said. “In heaven, however, they will be only one nation, with one language. Let’s pray so that when the roll is called up yonder, you and I may be there. No matter what happens on this earth, may we be victorious in Jesus.”