The Seventh-day Adventist Church dedicated the Cuba Seventh-day Adventist Seminary's first church building in Havana last week in a ceremony that capped a long process of obtaining building permits and fundraising.

Maranatha Volunteers International, a non-profit organization, and supporting ministry of the Adventist Church, built the seminary there 10 years ago. Maranatha broke ground on the new church three years ago, only halting progress when donations later ran out.

The remaining dollars to fund the building came in just before the dedication service, Maranatha officials said.

The Havana Seminary, which has graduated most of the pastors currently serving Cuba's 294 Adventist churches, is active in the surrounding community, seminary officials said. Students there have visited every home in their neighborhoods, giving Bible studies and inviting people to worship at the new church.

"A Seventh-day Adventist Church in a climate like Cuba can make a tremendous impact," Maranatha President Don Noble said at the March 26 dedication. "Life is often challenging for the people, and knowing that the world church cares and has provided them a place to worship gives them hope and inspires them to witness to their neighbors and friends."

Caridad Diego, minister of religion for Cuba, told dedication attendees that the new church is a "palpable example" of the country's expanding religious liberties.

"The Seventh-day Adventist Church's presence here has been a blessing to our communities," Diego said. "This building and the seminary will contribute to society."

The church, which seats 336 people, is expected to serve the needs of seminary students and community members during the week, providing space for study, practice preaching and small group meetings.

Students will use their new church during the week to study and practice preaching, and community members will meet there for small group sessions. The Adventist Church in Cuba will also use the building for meetings and training sessions, leaders said.

The new church features theater-style seating for 336 people.

"People from all over Inter-America studied theology in Cuba," said Israel Leito, president of the Adventist Church in Inter-America. "Many of our former leaders were educated here. Since we have this church here now, we are saying, 'This will again become a center of theological studies.'"

In 1994, church membership in Cuba was just over 13,000. As of last month, there were more than 31,000 Adventists in the country.

"The vitality of the people, the excitement, the happiness, is certainly something that is just contagious," said Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the Adventist world church and keynote speaker for the dedication. Wilson said Maranatha had been "instrumental" in providing church infrastructure not only on the seminary campus, but also across Cuba and worldwide.