On February 24, 2022, we were able to celebrate CEPAD’s 50th anniversary with CEPAD staff, CEPAD founders, past employees, partners, and other special invitees.

Pastor Marlon Lopez, President of CEPAD’s Board of Directors, shared a short message on Psalm 95:1-7.

“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.”

Emily Reyes, CEPAD’s Executive Director, and Evenor Jerez, Director of Evaluations, shared some important historical markers of CEPAD’s 50 years of service. Some of which included:

• CEPAD was the only evangelical institution helping the general population during the 1979 insurrection. CEPAD served through providing food, roofs, and work tools to more than 250,000 people.
• The testimony of CEPAD’s work throughout the 50 years is seen in all departments of the country. That’s around 5,500 communities both rural and urban which have been able to organize Community Development Committees, Cooperatives, and Community Banks, among other organizations. 
• In the rural sector, CEPAD has trained 3,000 farmers who have trained 6,440 disciples to better their farmlands while protecting the environment and fighting climate change. 
• In 1984, working with the Moravian Church in Nicaragua, CEPAD finished the translation of the New Testament into the Mayagna language (an indigenous language), putting the Word of God into the peoples’ hands in the Caribbean region. 
• Over these 50 years, CEPAD has invested around $120 million for development projects, emergency relief, conflict dialogue, and more with the help of organizations and churches in Europe, the U.S., Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, England, New Zealand, Switzerland, France, Norway, Denmark, and Finland, who not only supported CEPAD through prayers and financial resources but also with volunteers and delegations.

We are so thankful for how YOU have been part of these 50 years, and we look forward to many more years ahead of us.