The Brethren ministry in Guatemala began in 1983 in Guatemala City with the planting of the Hesed Church, thanks to the initiative of brother Felipe Guareña. Felipe was visiting Guatemala City where he met Rodrigo Argueta, a student of the Central American Theological Seminary. Felipe invited him to begin a new church plant in the outskirts of the city and to open up this new area to the Gospel.
Rodrigo Argueta finished his seminary studies and began working in this area along with two other recent graduates. A small group began to meet in a home and these three men also initiated several outreach activities in this community. The group began to grow and met in several different locations for many years (homes, backyards, garages, and even in the community park).
In the early 1990s, Arturo Carey (a retired Grace Brethren pastor from California), visited the Grace Brethren Church in Guatemala City. He saw that the church did not have a fixed meeting place and was moved to help them. Back in California, he began collecting soda cans for recycling as a way to raise money to buy land for a church building.
After many years he was able to raise enough money for the church to purchase the land where their building now stands. In the years that followed, the church painstakingly gave offerings to fund the construction of the building where they now meet. It is located in Mixco, a populous suburb of Guatemala City.
At this time, the church of about 75 people is reaching out to their community through evangelism and discipleship.
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