COSTA RICA is a very unique country in Central America; bordered by Nicaragua to the north Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Gulf of Mexico to the east. Its name means “rich coast”. Costa Rica consistently has been among the top Latin American countries in the western hemisphere, ranked 62nd in the world in 2012.
In 2007, the Costa Rican government announced plans for Costa Rica to become the first Latin American country by 2021. In 2012 Costa Rica became the first country on the American Continent to ban recreational hunting after the country’s legislature approved the popular measure by a wide margin.
Catholicism is the official state religion, as mandated by the Constitution in 1949. The most recent countrywide survey of religion, conducted in 2009 by the University of Costa Rica, found that 42.8 percent of the population identify themselves as practicing Roman Catholics, 26.9 percent non-practicing Roman Catholics, 17 percent evangelical Protestants, 9.1 percent report no religious affiliation, and 4.1 percent declare “another religion.”
THE FEDERATION OF BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONS OF COSTA RICA (FABCR for its name in Spanish) is a Christian, non-profit organization consisting of churches and other Baptist entities dedicated to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the increase of the number of believers that make up its member churches. One of their favorite scriptures is: “... be steadfast , immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” I Cor. 15:58b
SUSAN HEGARTY is an American Baptist missionary who has served the Lord in several countries – twelve of those years in Cuba and five in Nicaragua! – and lately has joined the mission force in Costa Rica as a professor in the Baptist Seminary and with the ministry of the group Pastoral Care for Women, as well as serving as liaison with American Baptist mission teams. Her love for God and her passion for people help her live out her special calling from God to mission and ministry. I encourage you to visit the International Ministries webpage to read Sue’s reports and journals…
~Rev. Carlos Peralta
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