UCC Welcomes Newly-Dedicated Mabton Spanish Church

By Makena Horton

Communications Coordinator

The former Mabton Spanish Company was originally conceptualized in the fall of 2015 by Erik Van Doren, a member of the Grandview Spanish Church (GS). Doren shared with the leaders of the Grandview Spanish Adventist Church that the Mabton Church could be acquired through an arrangement with the City of Mabton.

Doren and the GS leaders were soon in agreement. The GS leaders allowed the Mabton Spanish Company to occupy the church rent-free for four years with the understanding that they would bring the building up to code.

In February 2016, Tito Espinoza, the lead on the Mabton church plant project, worked with Walter Pintos, director of multicultural ministries at Upper Columbia Conference, to move forward with the plant with the blessing of UCC, and a plan was developed.

On October 12, 2016, Espinoza held a meeting to recruit members from each of the district’s Spanish churches to form the team that would initially work at the Mabton church plant. Seventeen baptized church members stepped forward and accepted the mission to spread the gospel to the Mabton community.

By December 2016, the Mabton church plant became an official Mission Group, and on October 27, 2017, it was officially recognized as Mabton Spanish Company. Members of the company went throughout the community handing out printed materials, praying with residents and held Bible studies to grow it into what it is today, a church of 41 members.

Florencio Bueno, pastor of the Mabton Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church, has been with this church since 2019. Bueno shares that the church has a strong focus on community outreach, with programs specifically for children and families, feeding homeless individuals, and providing support groups.

“Mabton is an impoverished territory with migrant farm-worker families, a high level of crime, and a lack of sociocultural activities,” said Bueno. “This is a great opportunity to impact the community through our Christian love, using events such as weekly breakfast for the homeless on Sundays, monthly event for children in the community, and our women’s and men’s ministry programs."