The Universal Church (UCKG) has just recently sent Pastor Peter Alves and his wife to Suriname, the former Dutch colony in South America.
Suriname is known as one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, consisting of a wide variety of traditions and religions out of which Hinduism and Islam are predominant. It is a country rich in natural resources, but in spite of this, poverty and suffering are still evident in the lives of the majority of the population.
On Friday, September 18th, the UCKG was officially founded as a church in Suriname with the mission of reaching out to these people in need. After the first meeting, which consisted of about 20 people, Pastor Peter and his wife started evangelizing on the streets, going door to door offering prayers and taking the names of those who wanted hospital visits for a family member. Only five weeks later, the numbers of those attending the meeting had more than doubled, growing to about 70 people.
In the few weeks that the church has been working in this country, there have already been testimonies of people being healed, delivered from insomnia, nightmares and many other spiritual problems. Even those who hadn’t been able to get a job for years are testifying that they have been finally able to find one. Now, with the numbers of people increasing every Sunday, the UCKG is about to move into a dedicated building (it’s currently hiring a hall every week) from which it will be able to help people every day.
Pastor Peter said, “I have found the Surinamese people worn out of ritualistic religions, but very hungry for the true God, who actually answers their prayers and helps them. I have no doubt the UCKG will succeed here. But we do ask all our members to remember us in their prayers.”
Facts and Figures Estimated population: 472,000 (UN, 2009)
70% of the population is living below the poverty line
25% of the population lives on less than $2 a day.
Major Languages: Dutch (official), Creole, English, Hindi, Javanese
Religion: Hinduism, Islam, Christianity
