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METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH (1917, UNITED METHODIST CHURCH)

The Methodist Episcopal Board of Foreign Missions began work in Costa Rica in 1917, with the arrival of George Amos Miller from Panama and Eduardo Zapata from Mexico. Although Miller returned to Panama, Zapata remained in Costa Rica and began missionary work. That year, the first Methodist congregation was founded in the home of Modesto Le Roy in San Jos�, which later became the "Church of the Redeemer" in 1919. Zapata labored in Costa Rica until mid-1918, when he has replaced by the Rev. Sidney Edwards of Puerto Rico. During his second visit to Costa Rica, in 1919, Miller (with funds from the Mission Board) purchased a piece of property on Avenida Central in San Jos� that formerly housed the Club Catal�n, which was converted into the first Methodist church building in the Central Valley. Later, it was on this property that the new Church of the Redeemer was built and dedicated in 1925, under the pastorate of the Rev. Carlos Alp�zar.

Under the bishopric of W. P. Thirkfield from 1920-1924, new missionaries arrived and new centers were opened. During the 1920s, new churches were founded in the San Jos� metropolitan area (Barrio M�xico and Guadalupe) and in other communities of the Central Valley (such as Cartago and Alajuela). During the 1930s, work was begun in the southwestern coastal plain (Puntarenas Province) where the United Fruit Company was developing new banana plantations (Golfito, Sierpe and Puerto Cort�s). However, by 1937, only 262 "members in good standing" were reported in Costa Rica by Church officials. According to Costa Rica Church historian Wilton Nelson:

The weakness of the Methodists seems to have been the opposite of that of the Central American Mission. The latter did widespread evangelism without proper church organization. The former had highly developed organization but lacked evangelistic zeal. About 1934 a change took place and an interest in evangelism began to manifest itself among the Methodists and resulted in expansion into new areas. (Nelson, 1963:165)

In 1937, the Methodists appointed the first two Costa Ricans as pastors. Nelson states that "the development of national workers and leaders was much slower than in the Central American Mission" (1963:167). In 1944, for the first time, a national was named as superintendent of the Costa Rican District of the "Central American Mission Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church," which included the districts of Costa Rica and Panama. The Methodists were also slow in developing self-supporting churches, since it was not until 1954 that the first church in the district achieved this goal.

During the 1950s, new churches were established in Concepci�n de Alajuelita and Hatillo by Juan Sosa and Marion Woods, and in San Juan de Tib�s, San Sebasti�n and San Pedro, all of which are in the San Jos� metropolitan area. In addition, Methodist work continued to grow in the "southern banana zone" of Puntarenas Province, where new churches were planted in Palmar Sur, Villa Brice�o, Pueblo Nuevo de Coto, Pueblo Civil de Golfito, Buenos Aires, Piedras Blancas, Maiz, Cam�bar, Kil�metro 31, Ollacero, Villa Neilly, Coto 47 and R�o Claro. In 1962, a Methodist church was also established in San Isidro de El General (San Jos� Province), in the southern region.

Although most of the members of these new churches were employees of banana and African Palm oil plantations, many of the workers were migratory and did not remain for long in the hot, coastal plains. There was a seasonal migration of farm workers between the banana-growing areas in the lowlands and the coffee-growing areas in the highlands. Many of those who were converted in Methodist congregations in the southern banana zone eventually migrated to other parts of the country, where there were no Methodist churches, and became members of other denominations.

Methodists have always stressed the social implications of the Gospel, and Methodism in Costa Rica is no exception to the rule. In the first Annual Conference, social service and temperance committees were established. Boy Scout troops and Camp Fire Girl groups were developed in 1923. Since 1921, the Methodist School (bilingual in English-Spanish) in San Pedro has provided quality primary and secondary education for middle and upper class students, who have later become part of the new generation of leaders within Costa Rican society. Many parents who would not darken the door of an Evangelical church sent their children to this school, thereby removing prejudice and creating a good public image for the growing evangelical community. In 1953, an agricultural project was initiated in San Carlos, known as the Methodist Rural Center.

The Central America Conference of the Methodist Church established, in Alajuela, a "School for the Preparation of Methodist Workers," beginning in 1957 with twelve students from Costa Rica and Panama. This school was operated until the late 1960s, and the facilities are still used as a retreat and training center for the Methodists and other groups. More recently, the denomination has reestablished a school for training pastors and lay workers: the Evangelical Methodist Seminary (Bible institute level) was founded at the Alajuela facility in 1990.

Although church growth among the Methodists has been rather slow, the work has been notably well organized. From the first Conference report in 1920, when 49 communicant members were reported, the Methodists grew to 262 in 1937, 633 in 1955, and by 1960 numbered 865. Only 88 members were added by 1967 (953), and only 1,135 members were reported in 1978. In 1967, 19 churches were reported to exit. Between 1967 and 1978, the Methodists had an annual growth rate of only 1.8%, which is less than the natural population increase of 3.5%.

There is evidence of more substantial growth during the 1980s-1990s. By 1983 there were 1,266 members, and by 1986 the membership had increased to 1,378 among 20 churches and seven missions (23 congregations). However, by 1989, the Methodist Church reported 25 churches and 23 missions (48 congregations), with about 1,568 members. In March 2000, there were 50 congregations and missions with about 5,000 adherents (no official membership data was reported).

A number of tensions within the Methodists in Costa Rica have led to conflicts between those who have favored Liberation Theology and those who have opposed it, between those caught up in the Charismatic Movement and those who oppose the Pentecostalization of Methodist churches, between traditional Liberals and Conservatives, etc. During the 1980s, several pastors who supported Liberation Theology left the Methodist Church, or were "forced" to leave. About 1990, a small group of pastors and their respective churches (4 or 5) left the Methodist Conference of Costa Rica (affiliated with the United Methodist Church in the USA) and became affiliated with the Free Methodist Church of North America.

During the 1990s, the Methodists actively participated in the Evangelical Alliance of Costa Rica (EACR), which includes about 100 members (denominations, independent churches and service agencies). For many years, Methodist Bishop Fernando Palomo has served as President of the EACR Board of Directors and has had an active role in promoting cooperation and unity among Evangelicals. The EACR is involved in a variety of activities, such as responding to emergency situations (specifically, natural disasters), coordinating inter-denominational events and programs (20 EACR commissions exist at the national level), and representing the Evangelical Community before government authorities.