Colombia
A rescue mission
From across Latin America, a team of Christians has come…
Churches of Christ in Colombia respond after devastating earthquake
‘Places I used to visit and know well no longer exist,’ one minister says.
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Churches of Christ in Colombia expressed gratitude Wednesday for the support they received after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the South American nation, killing more than 300 people and destroying some 29,000 homes.
“Brothers and sisters, you don’t know how grateful we are for everything God has done this week,” said members of the Iglesia de Cristo Armenia Norte in a video message posted to the congregation’s Facebook page.
Earthquake victims in Armenia, Colombia, describe the damage to their home.
“We are so grateful for all the people who, even going through such a difficult moment, are still having the resilience to try to maintain a good attitude in the midst of this tragedy,” a church member said in a voiceover for the video, which includes footage of church members speaking with victims and distributing aid.
The church meets in Armenia, a city in Colombia’s mountainous, coffee-producing western region. After the Aug. 10 quake, Healing Hands International partnered with the church to provide food and basic necessities to those who could not reenter their damaged homes.
“We will continue to assess and partner with local Christians on the ground to provide immediate assistance and eventually help with recovery efforts,” said workers with Healing Hands, a Nashville, Tenn.-based ministry associated with Churches of Christ.
A member of the Iglesia de Cristo Armenia Norte in Colombia organizes earthquake relief supplies.
About 112 miles southwest of Armenia, the quake caused severe damage in Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city. Cali residents, some using their bare hands, dug through the rubble of collapsed buildings in search of survivors, the United Nations reported.
A Church of Christ of about 100 members meets in Cali’s Santa Elena neighborhood. Jairo Badillo ministers for the church.
“Several buildings collapsed, including clinics and hospitals, and many homes surrounding the church building were damaged,” said Badillo’s son, Andres, a minister for the Singing Oaks Church of Christ in Denton, Texas. No church members were seriously injured in the quake.
“I grew up in Cali,” Andres Badillo said, “and it is heartbreaking to see … that places I used to visit and know well no longer exist. Hearing the news about those who lost their lives and the many who were injured is truly devastating.”
Members of the Iglesia de Cristo Armenia Norte deliver earthquake relief supplies in Colombia.
As church members in the U.S. contribute aid to Colombia, “we are here praying for our brothers and sisters in faith and for the community in that area, where so many people have lost everything,” Andres Badillo said. “We are praying that, amidst the tribulation and uncertainty, they may feel God’s presence and love.”
Great Cities Missions, a church-planting nonprofit that serves the Latin world, asked for prayers for its teams across Colombia. A team in Bucaramanga arrived in 2022 and is planting its second Church of Christ in the eastern Colombian city. A team in Cucuta, a city on Colombia’s border with Venezuela, serves immigrants and refugees from its troubled South American neighbor.
Related: A rescue mission
A third Great Cities Mission team — in Medellín, a city near the quake zone — works with youths and their families through a soccer academy.
Back in Armenia, “it is just the beginning of a long recovery process,” church members said, “so let’s continue praying that God continues to work and glorify himself in Armenia.”
Christians worship during a fourth anniversary celebration in Medellín, Colombia, in late 2025.
