Costa Rica An Unfinished Church That Multiplied the Mission

Las Juntas, Costa Rica | 2011–2012 & 2015 & 2020

Sometimes finishing one building creates an impact that reaches far beyond its walls.

Finish the Work began a two-year commitment in Costa Rica in 2011, serving Iglesia Evangelica Methodista in Las Juntas.

The church already had buildings and a ministry. What remained was unfinished work that could make those spaces more functional for the congregation and community.

Finishing an Unfinished Church in Costa Rica

Finish the Work teams completed a variety of construction and finishing tasks.

Work included rewiring the education building, installing carpet, windows and doors in the sanctuary, painting, and adding acoustical ceilings and light fixtures beneath the building's tin roof.

Over the course of the project, teams also worked on spaces including the sanctuary, classrooms, bathrooms and dining area.

The work mattered because these were not simply construction spaces. They were places where ministry could happen.

When One Mission Inspires Another

Something especially meaningful happened in Costa Rica.

The local church did not simply receive help and move on.

Members of the Costa Rican church began participating in the mission themselves. Pastors from the church later served alongside Finish the Work on projects in Honduras, Nicaragua and other areas of Costa Rica.

That is exactly the kind of impact Finish the Work hopes a completed project can create.

A building gets finished. A local ministry becomes better equipped. People who were served become people who serve others. The mission multiplies.

Local Ownership Matters

Finish the Work intentionally works in a way that preserves ownership for the local church.

Materials are sourced in-country whenever possible, local laborers work alongside volunteer teams, and project leaders coordinate closely with the pastor or community organization.

The goal is not to create a Finish the Work building.

The goal is to finish [their] building.

When volunteers leave, the local church remains equipped to care for its space and continue the work God has called it to do.

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Returning to Costa Rica

Finish the Work's history in Costa Rica continued beyond the original Las Juntas project.

Photographs from 2012 and 2015 document additional work and teams serving in the country, including work associated with a children's building.

HERE IS A TIMELINE OF OUR WORK IN COSTA RICA:

• 2011 — Esparza, Costa Rica: Pastor Giovani

• 2012 — Alajuela, Costa Rica: Pastor Victor, Pastor Giovani’s brother-in-law

• 2015 — Atenas, Costa Rica: Pastor Eladio Roman

• 2020 — Santa Cruz, Costa Rica: Pastor Pablo

These return trips reflect something important about construction missions: relationships can continue long after a particular task is completed.

Here are questions we get asked about our Costa Rica Mission Trips:

What did Finish the Work complete in Costa Rica?

At Iglesia Evangelica Methodista in Las Juntas, teams completed work including electrical improvements, carpet, windows, doors, painting, acoustical ceilings and lighting, along with work in ministry spaces such as classrooms, bathrooms and a dining area.

When did Finish the Work serve in Costa Rica?

Finish the Work began a two-year commitment in Las Juntas in 2011. Photographs and project history also document later service in Costa Rica, including work in 2015.

How did the Costa Rica project expand the Finish the Work mission?

Pastors connected with the Costa Rican church later joined Finish the Work teams serving in Honduras, Nicaragua and other Costa Rican communities.

Does Finish the Work start new construction projects?

Finish the Work specifically focuses on construction projects that have already been started and can realistically be brought to completion with focused resources and volunteer teams.

One completed project can create opportunities for countless others. Join Finish the Work as a volunteer, donor, prayer partner or corporate partner.