How a Georgetown megachurch plans to serve booming Latin Sussex population

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A stream of congregants steadily spilled into Georgetown’s Iglesia de Dios de la Profecia as the walls trembled with sound. A fleet of hustling ushers, donning lilac button-downs, scrambled to unfold extra metal chairs that were occupied as soon as they were set down — the rest were taken.

Another usher patrolled the church aisles on a recent Sunday morning, dispensing tissues to attendees in need. Only babies in their parents' arms looked back at Pastor Anastacio Matamoros as he watched the scene from the back wall.

Matamoros, donning a full gray suit and a crop of jet-black hair, prepared to deliver his sermon.

The church would soon be filled with 300 majority Latino attendees. A subsequent service a few hours later would see the same.

The 600-person Sunday service grew from a quaint rented hall and a handful of young poultry plant workers in 1997. The church, known in English as the Church of God of Prophecy, is now expanding with an immense new gathering hall that can house at least 1,100 attendees every week.

The projected $8.5 million building will make the space one of the largest churches in Sussex County. The expansion of the Spanish-speaking church is an illustration of the growing Latino and immigrant communities that have boomed in the county over the past 30 years.

The number of people of Hispanic origin in Sussex County grew by over 1,715% from 1990 to 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau . In 2020, there were nearly 27,000 people who identified as Hispanic or Latino in Sussex County.

In 2022, efforts to expand Sussex Central High School broke ground in order to accommodate the growing and diverse student population.

“(The Latino community) has grown in an impressive way,” Matamoros said.

Employment opportunities and familial networks have attracted immigrants from Latin America and Haiti to Sussex County for years. Many of the churchgoers now hail from Venezuela, Guatemala, Ecuador and Brazil.

Matamoros moved to New York City from Nicaragua in 1985 and began assisting at the local prophecy church. After 12 years in New York City, Matamoros and his wife, Carmen, established a church in Milford, eventually relocating to Georgetown.

The Georgetown church is part of the Church of God of Prophecy , a global network of over 10,000 churches in 135 countries that boasts over 1.5 million members. The church is buttressed by the Georgetown Division of Motor Vehicles and across the street from Delmarva Christian High School on Zoar Road in Georgetown.

The new building is about 70% done with an estimated completion date of next summer, Matamoros said. The space will allow for the two Sunday services to be consolidated into one, leaving room for new church members.

The church has been offering two services for roughly five years, and the idea to build a larger building was first floated in 2019.

The building is funded through a combination of fundraising events, donations and a bank loan, according to Matamoros. There will also be offices and a daycare area in the new building.

Matamoros’ animated sermon often received bouts of applause from the congregation. Some attendees held their hands in the air, as others prayed on their knees with their elbows on the chair.

Matamoros finished his sermon and began relaying upcoming announcements. Attendees shifted in their seats as some crept out the back door.

Soon, the trickle of departing folks became a stream. Matamoros chatted with the handful of remaining people before they, too, left.

Matamoros found himself in an empty church for only a few minutes before the back door cracked back open and families found their seats. The overflow foldable chairs would soon need to be busted out.

The second service was set to start anytime.

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: How a Georgetown megachurch plans to serve booming Latin Sussex population