21 days of prayer for buenos aires · day 4: comuna 4 barrios - la boca, barracas, parque patricios...

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21 Days of prayer for Buenos Aires

www.MissionBuenosAires.com

The Purpose of the Prayer Guide

The purpose of this prayer guide is to provide churches and followers of Christ with a tool to mobilize prayer for Buenos Aires, Argentina. Each church and believer can use the guide as they feel led. Our prayer is that God would save many people, these people become true disciples of Christ, the existing churches would be healthy and growing, new works would be opened in the city, and God be glorified.

If you have any questions, you can contact us via facebook by “liking” Mission Buenos Aires, “follow” us on twitter @MissionBA, or email us [email protected].

The International Mission Board Megacity Team for Buenos Aires has completed the research found in this document. The prayer requests are provided by local leaders ministering in each particular comuna (a specific geographical area of the city).

Brief Overview of Baptist work in Capital Federal

• There are approximately 42 Baptist works in Capital Federal for nearly 3 million people.

• One Evangelical church exists for every 15,000 people in Capital Federal. But, several barrios have as few as one evangelical church for every 40,000 people.

• There are 5 barrios without an Evangelical church.

• There are 18 barrios without a Baptist church.

General Observations from our Street Surveys

• The majority of churches in Capital are not located in the most populated areas of the city.

• The least evangelized people group segments of the city are the upper-class, higher educated, and those on the fringes of the culture.

• The most important concern for people living in Capital Federal is insecurity.

• The majority of the population is Catholic, but Catholics represent only 59% of the Capital’s population. “None” (12%) or “Atheist” and “Other” (7%) are the most common religious beliefs following Catholicism.

• The top five religious beliefs differed in where they would prefer to learn about the Bible. Catholics prefer to learn about the Bible in a church building. None and Other would prefer a neutral site to learn about the Bible. Most non-Catholics do not want anything to do with the Christian church.

• The majority of people in Capital Federal do not have a negative opinion about evangelicals. Rather, the majority of people do not have any opinion of evangelicals. Most likely, evangelicals do not exist in their daily lives at all.

• There are more evangelical women than men.

• People 70 years old and older are 3.6% evangelical. Ages 60 -29 were 6.5% evangelical, and people between 30 and 39 are 6.8 percent evangelical.

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Day 1: Comuna 1 Barrios - Puerto Madero, San Nicolás, Retiro, Monserrat, San Telmo and Constitución

Baptist work: Iglesia Bautista Del Centro

Population: 205,886 Barrios without a Baptist Church: (5) Puerto Madero, San Nicolás, Retiro, Monserrat and San Telmo Barrios without an Evangelical Church: (2) Puerto Madero and Retiro

One Baptist church for every 102,943 people One Evangelical church for every 17,157 people

• Evangelicals compose 9.62% of the population. • Only 10% of the population have a negative opinion of evangelicals, while 54%

have no opinion at all. • 32% do not know an evangelical. 28% of the people who know an evangelical

say he has never shared with them how to follow Jesus. • Most people would prefer to learn about the Bible in a neutral place. • The average monthly salary for each home is about $519 USD per month. • Only 35.8% of the population older than 25 years old have completed more than

14 years of school. • Comuna 1 has grown more than any other comuna in the last 10 years. • Puerto Madero is an exclusive and upper-class barrio that has been created in Comuna 1. • The majority of people live alone in apartments.

Prayer Requests 1. Pray for those living in extreme poverty. Pray that God will provide for these people physically and spiritually.

2. Pray for the very wealthy that live in the exclusive areas of this comuna. Pray that God will open doors for the Gospel to the professionals and the highly educated.

3. Pray for more workers and opportunities to open new works in Puerto Madero and Retiro.

Day 2: Comuna 2

Barrio - Recoleta

Baptist work: Iglesia Bautista Barrio Norte and Centro Cristiano Recoleta

Population: 157,932 One Evangelical (Baptist) church for every 157,932 people

• 3.9% of the population claims to be evangelical. • The two largest groups of the population are 20-29 year olds and those over 60. People over 60 are about 2% evangelical. • Males in this comuna are also only 2.6% evangelical. • Only 7% of the population has a negative opinion of evangelicals. • 52% of the people do not have any opinion of evangelicals. • 66% of the population of Recoleta do not know an evangelical. • 43% of the population that know an evangelical say the person has never shared with them how to follow Jesus. • Most people would prefer to learn about the Bible in a church or neutral place.

Prayer Requests 1. Pray that new works can be planted in this area.

2. Pray for professionals and business people that live in this comuna. Pray for God to lead the churches to new strategies to reach these people.

3. Pray for evangelism in this area, especially for the least reached groups.

Day 3: Comuna 3 Barrios - Balvanera and San Cristóbal

Baptist work: Iglesia Bautista del Once, Primera Iglesia Bautista

Eslava, and Centro Mesiánico Comunitario

Population: 187,537 One Baptist church for every 93,769 people

One Evangelical church for every 18,754 people

• 5% of the population is evangelical, but only 3.6% of men claim to be evangelical. • Only 7% of the population have a negative opinion about evangelicals. • 32% of the population do not know an evangelical. 26% of the people who know an evangelical say the person has never shared with them how to follow Jesus. • If they had to go somewhere to learn about the Bible, the people in this comuna would prefer to go to a church. • A large population of Jews reside and work in this comuna.

Prayer Requests 1. Pray for the families of the area that suffer from domestic violence, and for the children that live in a negative family environment.

2. Pray for the large number of immigrants who live in this area, especially for the Peruvian immigrants, that they can be reached and can become part of a church home.

3. Pray that the Messianic Community Center can make a big difference and be effective in its ministries (see page 20 for more information about the Messianic Center).

Day 4: Comuna 4

Barrios - La Boca, Barracas, Parque Patricios and Nueva Pompeya

Baptist work: Iglesia Bautista Constitución, Iglesia Bautista “Sinai”, and Iglesia Bautista Nueva Almagro

Population: 218,245

Barrios without a Baptist Church: (1) La Boca


• There are 82,973 homes in Comuna 4. • The average monthly salary is $284 USD. • 8% of the population is evangelical. • Only 10% of the population have a negative opinion of evangelicals, while 54% do not have any opinion. • 32% of the population does not know an evangelical. • 29% of the people who know an evangelical say he has not shared how to follow Jesus. • Most people would prefer to learn about the Bible in a neutral place. • Only 19.6% of the population older than 25 years old have completed 14 years of schooling. • This comuna is home to the famous Caminito and La Boca soccer team, which draw many tourists and soccer fans to the area. • A large population of new immigrants from Bolivia, Paraguay and Peru reside here.

Prayer Requests 1. Pray that the believers that live in this area can be a light to the darkness and share the Good news of Jesus Christ to non-believers.

2. Pray for immigrants from Bolivia, Peru, and Paraguay who were following Christ in their home country, but now are separated from God and are not involved in a local church.

3. Pray for the mentally ill in the Moyano and Borda Hospitals. Pray for ways to take the Gospel to these people.

Day 5: Comuna 5 Barrios - Almagro and Boedo

Baptist work: Iglesia Bautista Siloam and Iglesia Bautista “Distrito Sud”

Population: 179,005 One Baptist church for every 89,503 people One Evangelical church for every 13,770 people

• 4% of the population is evangelical, but only 3% of people between 20 and 59 years old are evangelical. • 0% of the population surveyed between 20-29 are evangelical. • 3% of the people who have lived 4 years or less in the comuna are evangelical. • Only 8% of the population has a negative opinion of evangelicals, while 61% have no opinion. • Crime and insecurity are a major problem in this comuna. • 37% of the population do not know an evangelical. • 35% of the people that know an evangelical say the person has never shared with them how to follow Christ.

Prayer Requests 1. Pray that the churches of this area will put new strategies into practice to reach their neighbors and coworkers with the gospel.

2. Pray that God brings peace and reconciliation to dysfunctional families of this area.

3. Pray for more security in the comuna (especially Boedo) because street crime and robberies are increasing.

Day 6: Comuna 6 Barrios - Caballito

Baptist work: Iglesia Bautista de Caballito and Iglesia Bautista Ministerio Presencia de Dios


• 5% of the population is evangelical. • 1.67% of people between 30-39 years old are evangelicals. • Most people would prefer to learn about the Bible in a neutral place or a church. • 38% of the population do not know an evangelical and 38% of the people who know an evangelical say the person has never shared with them how to follow Jesus. • Only 9% of the population has a negative opinion about evangelicals. 63% of the population have no opinion.

Prayer Requests 1. Pray that God would open doors for believers to share the Gospel with people who live in high rises and apartment buildings. These people are hard to access with the Gospel.

2. Pray for the adolescents and youth of the area, that they can be won for Christ.

3. Pray for the problems of drugs and addictions and the effect they have on people of the barrio, especially the youth.

Day 7: Comuna 7 Barrios - Flores and Parque Chacabuco

Baptist work: Iglesia Bautista de Flores, Iglesia Bautista de Flores Sud and Iglesia Bautista Coreana

Population: 220,591


• 7.7% of the population is evangelical. • 30% of the population say they do not know an evangelical. • 32% of the people who know an evangelical say the person has never shared with them how to follow Jesus. • Only 9% of the population have a negative opinion of evangelicals and 62% do not have any opinion. • Most people would prefer to learn about the Bible in a neutral location. • There are 89,637 homes in Comuna 7. • The average monthly salary per person in Comuna 7 is $326 USD. • Only 35.9% of the population over 25 years old has completed 14 years of school. • Only Comuna 1 and 8 have grown more than this comuna in the last 10 years. • The majority of people live alone in an apartment.

Prayer Requests 1. Pray that the churches will be effective in reaching the people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 2. Pray for the large number of people who are in the area daily (working, going to school, etc.) but don’t live there, that this group of people will be ministered to and impacted in a positive way. 3. Pray that the people who live in apartments or high rises can be reached with the Gospel, even though access to them is difficult.

Day 8: Comuna 8 Barrios - Villa Soldati, Villa Lugano and Villa Riachuelo

Baptist Work: Iglesia Bautista de Villa Soldati, Iglesia Bautista de Villa Lugano, Iglesia Bautista Parque Indoamericano and Piletones

Population: 187,237 Barrios without a Baptist Church: (1) Villa Riachuelo


• There are 55,400 homes in Comuna 8. • Has the highest percentage of evangelicals in Capital (21%) • Only 7.9% of the people have a negative opinion of evangelicals. 43% do not have any opinion of evangelicals. • 27% of the population say they do not know an evangelical. • Most people would prefer to learn about the Bible in a church. • The average monthly salary for people over the age of 10 is $212 USD. This is the lowest in Capital Federal. • Only 15.7% of the population over 25 years old has completed 14 years of school. This is the lowest in Capital Federal. • Comuna 8 is second only to Comuna 1 in population growth over the last 10 years. • Most people live in houses. • There are many villas (squatter camps/slums) in Comuna 8.

Prayer Requests 1. Pray for the opportunity to open new works in each of the barrios of this comuna.

2. Pray for the families that live here, especially the youth and children, who are negatively effected by addictions.

3. Pray for safety in the area.

Day 9: Comuna 9 Barrios - Parque Avellaneda, Mataderos and Liniers

Baptist work: Iglesia Bautista Liniers, Iglesia Bautista Nueva Chicago and Iglesia Bautista Latinoamericana

Population 161,797 One Baptist church for every 40,449 people One Evangelical church for every 10,112 people

• There are 63,393 homes in Comuna 9. • The average monthly salary for each home is $632 USD. • 8% of the population is evangelical. • Only 7% of the population have a negative opinion of evangelicals, while 60% does not have any opinion. • 31% of the population does not know an evangelical, and 25% of the people who know an evangelical say the evangelical has never told them how to follow Jesus. • Only 27.8% of the population over 25 years old has completed 14 years of school. • The majority of people live in houses. • The comuna is home to the famous barrio of Mataderos. • Liniers has a significant community of new immigrants especially Bolivians and Peruvians. • The majority of people would prefer to learn about the Bible in a church.

Prayer Requests 1. Pray for the immigrants who live in this area, that they can be reached with the good news, and that a work can be opened to reach them. 2. Pray that the churches can be effective and fruitful in reaching the people of their barrio. 3. Pray for the impoverished areas. Pray that God would satisfy their material needs (such as education and work opportunities) as well as their spiritual needs.

Day 10: Comuna 10

Barrios - Villa Luro, Vélez Sarsfield, Floresta, Monte Castro, Villa Real and Versalles

Baptist work: Iglesia Bautista de Monte Castro, Iglesia Bautista “De Los Hechos Hoy”, Iglesia Bautista “Cristo Vive” , Iglesia Bautista Betel, Iglesia Bautista Martinez Castro, Iglesia Bautista Vida y Esperanza and Cristianos Extremos

Population 166,022 Barrios without a Baptist Church: (2) Villa Real and Versalles One Baptist church for every 27,670 people One Evangelical church for every 6,641 people

• There are 71,657 homes in Comuna 10. • 7% of the population claim to be evangelical. • The average monthly income of a person older than 10 years old is $318 USD. • 37.6% of the population over 25 years old has completed 14 years of school. • More people live in apartments than houses. • The majority of the population live alone or with one other person. • There is a high amount of prostitution and insecurity in the streets of Comuna 10. • 10% of the population has a negative opinion of evangelicals, while 58% have no opinion. • 31% of the population does not know an evangelical, and 25% of the people who know an evangelical say the person has never told them how to follow Jesus. • Most people would prefer to meet in a friend’s house or a neutral place.

Prayer Requests 1. Pray for evangelism in the barrio, that the churches will be unified in preaching the good news, and that people will be receptive to it.

2. Pray that the people of the area will open their homes in order to study the Bible with family and neighbors.

3. Pray for all the different ethnic and social groups that live in the barrio, that each group can be reached with the good news.

Day 11: Comuna 11

Barrios - Villa Devoto, Villa del Parque, Villa Santa Rita, and Villa General Mitre

Baptist work: Iglesia Bautista Villa del Parque and Iglesia Bautista Villa Mitre

Population 189,832 Barrios without a Baptist Church: (2) Villa Devoto and Villa Santa Rita


• 4.9% of the people are evangelical. • People between 30-39 years old are only 2.56% evangelical. • Only 9% of the population have a negative opinion toward evangelicals. • 37% of the people in the comuna do not know an evangelical. • 34% of the people who know an evangelical say the person has never shared with them how to follow Jesus. • The majority of the people would prefer to study the Bible in a church or a neutral site.

Prayer Requests 1. Pray that the church and ministry leaders of this area are well equipped and prepared to evangelize and disciple the people of their barrio.

2. Pray for ministries like AVEL (a prison ministry) and “programa vida” (ministry to the drug addicts), that these ministries can help with physical and spiritual needs.

3. Pray for the families in the comuna, especially the youth and children, who suffer from domestic violence and difficult economic situations.

Day 12: Comuna 12 Barrios -‐ Villa Pueyrredon, Villa Urquiza, Coghlan and Saavedra

Baptist work: Iglesia Bautista Villa Pueyrredón, El Aposento, Rey de Paz and Iglesia Bautista Villa Urquiza

Population: 200,116 Barrios without a Baptist Church: (2) Coghlan and Saavedra Barrios without Evangelical Church: (1) Coghlan One Baptist church for every 50,029 people One Evangelical church for every 13,341 people

• 7% of the population is evangelical. • Only 10% of the population has a negative opinion of evangelicals. • 57% of the people have no opinion of evangelicals. • 36% of the population of the comuna does not know a single evangelical person. • 40% of the population says the evangelical that they know has never told them how to follow Jesus. • The people would prefer to learn about the Bible in a neutral place or a church.

Prayer Requests

1. Pray for the people of the comuna, that their eyes would be opened to their spiritual needs and that they would be open to receive the word of God into their lives. 2. Pray for the ministry to the sick in Hospital Tornu, that this ministry will reveal spiritual needs and the need for God in their lives. 3. Pray that the word can reach the apartment buildings and high rises, even though access into them is difficult.

Day 13: Comuna 13

Barrios -‐ Nuñez, Belgrano and Colegiales

Baptist work: Iglesia Bautista de Nuñez and Iglesia Bautista “Cielos Abiertos”

Population: 231,331

Barrios without a Baptist Church: (1) Colegiales One Baptist church for every 115,666 people One Evangelical church for every 23,133 people

• 4.7% of the population is evangelical. • 57% of the population does not have an opinion about evangelicals. • 37% of the population does not know an evangelical. • 35% of the population that knows an evangelical says the person has never shared with them how to follow Jesus. • Most people would prefer to learn about the Bible in a church or neutral place.

Prayer Requests 1. Pray that the churches and believers develop a passion to share the Gospel and that the people have an interest in listening. 2. Pray for a spiritual awakening and new interest in the comuna for the things of God. 3. Pray for a safe, crime free community.

Day 14: Comuna 14 Barrio -‐ Palermo

Baptist work: Iglesia Bautista “Encuentro con Jesús” and Iglesia Bautista “Rey Jesús”


• 3% is evangelical. • 1.9% of the women in the comuna are evangelical. • 1.8% of the population between 20-‐29 years old are evangelicals. • 49% of the population have not read any or have read very little of the Bible. • 44% of the population do not know an evangelical. • 39% of the population that know an evangelical says the person has never shared with them how to follow Jesus. • The majority of the population would prefer to learn about the Bible in a neutral place. • This comuna is home to the largest mosque in Latin America and various other mosques. A concentration of people with an Arab background reside and work in this comuna.

Prayer Requests 1. Pray for God to open hearts to hear and be more receptive to the Gospel. 2. Pray that the believers in the area will have passion and follow through to share the Gospel with those who live around them. 3. Pray that God would open doors for evangelism and making disciples among young professionals and their families.

Day 15: Comuna 15

Barrios -‐ Villa Ortuzar, Chacarita, Villa Crespo, La Paternal, Agronomía and Parque Chas

Baptist work: Iglesia Bautista La Paternal and Villa Crespo

Population: 182,574 Barrios without a Baptist Church: (4) Villa Ortuzar, Chacarita, Agronomía, and Parque Chas Barrios without Evangelical Church: (2) Chacarita and Agronomía One Baptist church for every 91,287 people One Evangelical church for every 18,257 people

• 6.3% of the population is evangelical. • Only 1.8% of the population between 50-‐59 years old are evangelical. • Only 3% of the population with a bachelor degree or higher are evangelicals. • 33% of the people do not know an evangelical. • 34% of the people who know an evangelical say the person has never shared the gospel with them. • Only 8% of the people have a negative opinion about evangelicals while 63% do not have opinion.

Prayer Requests 1. Pray for the displaced families of Villa de Fraga who recently had to move from their makeshift homes, causing some of them to be homeless. 2. Pray that the church would be concerned about the least reached in the comuna, such as the people 50-‐59 years old and those with higher education levels. 3. Pray for the recently started ministry in the area of Chacarita, that it can grow and reach many people with the Gospel.

Day 16: North Zone

Partidos – Vicente López, San Isidro, San Fernando, Tigre, General San Martin, San Miguel, José C. Paz and Malvinas Argentinas

Population: 2,380,661 Number of churches in this zone: 26 One Baptist church for every 91,564 people

• The Greater Buenos Aires area is the second largest urban area in South America. • There are 639,992 homes in the north zone. • General San Martin is the partido with the largest population of the north zone with

414,196 people. • Tigre is the partido of this zone with the fastest population growth.

Prayer Requests 1. Pray for the planting of more churches in this area. 2. Pray that all of the churches can be united in evangelism and planting of new works. 3. Pray that the people will have a spiritual thirst and hunger for the things of God.

Day 17: West Zone

Partidos – La Matanza, Merlo, Moreno, Morón, Hurlingham, Ituzaingo and Tres de Febrero

Population: 3,767,060 Number of Baptist churches in this zone: 38 One Baptist church for every 99,133 people

• The west zone is an important urban area in which a large portion of recent immigrants (national and international) reside.

• La Matanza is the largest partido of the west zone with a population of 1,775,816 people.

• La Matanza is also the quickest growing partido. • Ituzaingo is the partido with the least number of Baptist churches (2 Baptist

churches). • There are 1,195,839 homes in the west zone.

Prayer Requests 1. Pray that at least one or two new churches can be planted in La Matanza in 2014. La Matanza is very large geographically and numerically, and needs more Christian influence to penetrate the darkness there. 2. Pray for unity among the different churches in the zone, that they will work together for the Kingdom of God. 3. Pray that the Christians of this area will recognize the spiritual needs of people around them and that the people will respond to the gospel message.

Day 18: South Zone

Partidos – Quilmes, Berazategui, Florencio Varela, Lanús, Lomas de Zamora, Almirante Brown, Esteban Echeverría, Ezeiza and Avellaneda

Population: 3,768,994 Number of Baptist churches in this zone: 64 One Baptist church for every 58,890 people

• Greater Buenos Aires (north zone, south zone and west zone combined) has an area of 1,488 square miles.

• Lomas de Zamora is the largest partido of the south zone with a population of 616,279 people.

• Quilmes has one Baptist church for every 291,472 people. • Ezeiza has only one Baptist church. • Ezeiza is the fastest growing partido in the south zone. • There are 1,009,204 homes in the south zone.

Prayer requests

1. Pray that the churches will develop and put into practice a campaign for 100 days of prayer that the churches of this area are organizing. 2. Pray that the churches of this area can work together and encourage the churches of the Capital to plant new works. 3. Pray that the churches of all the different zones in the Greater Buenos Aires area can work together and be fruitful.

Day 19: La Plata

Population: 799,523

Number of Baptist churches in this area: 30 One Baptist church for every 26,651 people

• La Plata is a city about 30 miles south of Buenos Aires.

• Because of its close proximity to Buenos Aires, La Plata is often considered to be part of Greater Buenos Aires.

• La Plata is the capital of the province of Buenos Aires. • The largest population segment is people between the ages of 20-‐29 years old. • La Plata is known as the “city of the diagonals” because of the layout of the streets. • The La Plata area has 266,205 homes. • La Plata is the 5th largest urban area in the country of Argentina.

Prayer requests

1. Pray for each of the barrios without a church, that there will be a church in every barrio in La Plata.

2. Pray that all the churches of La Plata will work together to further the Kingdom of God.

3. Pray that God will provide opportunities to evangelize and start new works in the universities of La Plata.

Day 20: Jewish people group

Jewish Population in the city of Buenos Aires: 220,000

Jewish Population in the country of Argentina: 250,000

The Jewish community is divided into two extremes. One extreme is the Orthodox Jews, who dress in the traditional Jewish style and are very religious and active in their synagogues. The other extreme are those of Jewish descent who do not practice any religion. There is also a Jewish remnant that believes Jesus is their Savior and Lord, the promised Messiah. These believers congregate in Evangelical churches and Messianic Congregations.

Prayer requests

1. That the eyes of the Jewish community will be open to the real Yeshua as Son of God and Messiah. Romans 9:27 2. That the Jews will be saved like Paul prayed in Romans 10:1. 3. That the Messianic Community Center will be used by God as a light to the Jewish community, proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah.

Day 21: International Missions

Global population: 7,200,000,000 Argentina not only receives missionaries, but sends missionaries as well. Argentine missionaries are serving in many different nations of the world. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus said “Go and make disciples of all Nations…” The word Jesus used for Nation was “ethne,” which means ethnic group, or a people group. So the command is to go to all people groups and share the Gospel with them.

There are 16,590 people groups in the world, and 7,163 of them are unreached with the Gospel. There are 6,000 languages in the world and 1,967 of these languages don’t have any portion of the Bible translated into their language. Our continued challenge as a church is to reach these people. How? Through prayer, financial sacrifices, and sending more missionaries.

Prayer requests 1. Pray for the more than 700 Argentine missionaries in the world, especially those working among the least reached people groups. (Ephesians 6:19)

2. Pray that we recapture the importance of missions, and that we see the urgent spiritual need of salvation in our neighbors, our communities, our country and the world (Acts 1:8)

3. Pray for the 4-‐14 window. Studies show that most believers decide to follow Christ between the ages of 4 and 14. We as Christians should focus on presenting this group with the gospel all over the world. (Proverbs 22:6 and II Timothy 3:15)

4. 13% of the Argentine population claims to be an “evangelical Christian” (according to the 2010 census). Pray that the Argentine Church can have a global vision to redeem the lost and present the message of Christ to all peoples. (Romans 10:14-‐15)

21 days of prayer for buenos aires · day 4: comuna 4 barrios - la boca, barracas, parque patricios...

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