Sunny Malaga – it’s famous for its beaches and laid-back, holiday lifestyle.

For years, it was also home to the annual Strategic Leadership Consultation (SLC) hosted by Next Wave International.

It is also home to a passionate group of Christians, who are single-minded in their desire to add value to their community and solve real problems. The church is called Words of Faith (Palabra de Poder) and it is led by Pastors Juanito and Ulrikka Jonsson.

Juanito and Ulrikka are long-time friends of Mal and Davina Fletcher and everyone associated with Next Wave International. Mal always speaks of them with deep affection, as he would a true brother and sister.

Recently Mal was invited to revisit the church, to speak for their Sunday services. He found a group who have made the shift from a mission to a church – and found a new home and an enlarged national vision.

The church now has three campuses – a new one in Marbella and another in a city some two hours from the coast, alongside the hub campus in Malaga.

‘It’s great to take the tour through the building the church is now leasing,’ says Mal.

‘It is a former fitness centre that is well known in the area and the church is gradually renovating and turning it into a focus for week-long community activities.’