STORY
Toledo Hispanic Church Opens New Sanctuary, Hosts Ohio Conference Executive Committee
Last Sabbath, the Toledo Hispanic Church inaugurated its new sanctuary with a worship service attended by more than 110 people. The service featured praise and worship music, testimonies, baptisms, and a sermon.
Pastor Edwin Monterrosa, Director of Multilingual Ministries, represented the Ohio Conference administration and shared a special message with the congregation.
On Tuesday, September 1, 2026, the Ohio Conference held its Executive Committee meeting in the church’s fellowship hall. Conference President Bob Cundiff explained that the administration had intended to hold a fall meeting at a different location to reinforce that the committee represents and serves the entire state of Ohio, beyond the communities where its members live or normally meet. Cundiff emphasized that periodically meeting in different parts of the conference territory serves as an internal reminder of that responsibility. He connected the visit to the committee’s work, noting that although its business often takes the form of agendas, minutes, budgets, papers, and motions, those decisions have tangible consequences for local congregations.
Anthony Infante, pastor of the church, welcomed the committee and expressed the congregation’s happiness at being able to host and serve its members in their new church home. Infante thanked the Ohio Conference administration, the Executive Committee, and the treasury team for helping make the building purchase possible. He compared the congregation’s experience to the account in Nehemiah 1:2–4, in which Nehemiah received the troubling news that Jerusalem’s walls were broken down and responded with sorrow and prayer. Infante explained that the congregation’s lack of a church home had similarly prompted members to turn to God in prayer. As with Nehemiah, prayer became an important part of their journey.
The congregation used to meet in the fellowship hall at Toledo First. Over time, both the Hispanic and English-speaking congregations grew, creating a space shortage. Infante described this as “a good problem.”
Eventually, the building could no longer comfortably accommodate both growing congregations. Infante humorously compared the situation to Abraham and Lot going in different directions, emphasizing that both congregations needed room to continue growing.
The Hispanic congregation purchased its new building approximately three months before the committee’s visit. The facility required substantial work. Infante shared photographs showing its condition at the time of purchase and later led committee members on a tour. During those three months, the congregation undertook significant improvements. The exterior paint was deteriorating and needed attention, and members constructed a new platform to replace the deteriorating one. They also added a baptistry, provided needed chairs and pews, and installed new lighting. Other renovation and preparation work has continued throughout the facility.
Church members have accomplished much of the work through direct involvement and volunteer labor. Returning to the example of Nehemiah, Infante described members as working with “the Bible in one hand and construction in the other.” Members have come to church in work clothes and devoted considerable time and energy to preparing their new home. Infante said it was wonderful to see them serving their church in such a practical way. Even after worship services, members have gone upstairs to continue working on the renovations.
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