Adventist Church unveils Nebuchadnezzar statue to emphasize Bible study in the Dominican Republic

President of the Church in the Dominican Republic Pastor Cesario Acevedo speaks to the hundreds who gathered to view the statue and the program in San Juan de la Maguana, on Apr. 16, 2016. Image by Dominican Union.

May 9, 2016 | San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic | Bernardo Medina/IAD Staff

A large crowd witnessed the event in San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic. Image by Dominican Union

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Dominican Republic pointed to the Scriptures by displaying a statue of King Nebuchadnezzar as referenced in Daniel 2, during a recent ceremony in the city of San Juan de la Maguana.

Hundreds of church members attended the special program with the unveiling of the 10.4-foot statue created by the nationally recognized artist Freddy Alcantara, on April 16, 2016, at the central park in the city.

Freddy Alcantara is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Dominican Mission and was contracted by the church to make the statue.

“We want to call the attention of people to the Word of God,” said Pastor Cesario Acevedo, president of the church in the Dominican Republic during the ceremony.

“We want to awaken curiosity and share with them the great truths illustrated through Nebuchadnezzar’s prophetic dream.”

Onlookers witnessed drama performances where young Adventist illustrated the great world empires represented in the statue, the fall of the empires and the Second Coming of Jesus.

The event represents a new strategy by the church leadership in the nation.

“We have to create new methods, new ways that allow us to reach the people with the message,” said Acevedo.

Young people performed in the park during the program. Image by Dominican Union.

The statue was originally designed in concrete, but the fiberglass version was displayed during the event and will be easier to transport to cities in the country, church leaders said.

“This is a wonderful way to integrate our young people in the missionary work,” said Pastor Carlos Rilio, youth ministries director for the church in the Dominican Republic. “They have the talents and the capabilities to connect other young people to the truth.”

Church leaders plan to tour different cities across the island with the statue to point to the prophetic message in the Bible. Other statues representing the four beasts in the book of Daniel are being planned for later this year.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Dominican Republic has nearly 312,000 members worshiping in 1,277 churches and congregations.

For more information about the church in the Dominican Republic, visit adventistasrd.org.do