Tens of thousands of people attended March for Jesus in Buenos Aires on Sunday, Aug. 16, marking the event's return to the city after nine years. Organizers said the gathering brought together families, Christian leaders and delegations from various provinces and countries. The event began at 1 p.m. and continued until after 7 p.m.
The march began at Avenida de Mayo and Perú and proceeded toward the National Congress. Families, children, young people and older adults walked the route carrying Argentine flags. Upon reaching Congress Square, participants joined in worship and prayer for families, young people, government leaders, the economy and the future of the country.
Organizers also highlighted the work evangelical churches are doing in rehabilitation centers, shelters, community kitchens, meal programs and prisons, supporting people and families facing difficult circumstances.
Personal testimonies
Racing Club soccer player Adrián “Maravilla” Martínez attended with his wife, Anabella, and shared his testimony of faith. Martínez invited those who had not yet prayed to receive Christ to do so and led those gathered in prayer.
Singer Rodrigo Tapari shared how, according to his testimony, Jesus Christ transformed his life after a period marked by alcoholism, infidelity and two suicide attempts.
“Jesus gave me life. I was dead,” he said, recalling that he had achieved success in music while, in his words, making “bad decisions.”
“I achieved everything I wanted, and I was a liar, an alcoholic, unfaithful ... God rescued me from that. I don't want any of what I achieved if God is not part of my life,” he said.
Tapari concluded his testimony by praying for those in attendance.
“This moment should be a before and after in your life. This is not a show. This is Christ; this is God,” he said.
Ale Gómez then invited a group of cumbia musicians who regularly appear on the television program Pasión de Sábado onto the stage. The musicians were prayed for before joining together to declare, “Passion for Jesus.”
Prayer for families, pastors and government leaders
Alberto Rey prayed for families, while the Rev. Omar Cabrera, accompanied by his daughter, Jaqueline, invited those present to hold hands and pray for families and households. Among the leaders who joined them onstage were pastor and musician Fabián Liendo and his wife, Silvana.
Pastors Jorge Sennewald and Osvaldo Carnival prayed for pastors and pastoral couples across the country, while other leaders, including Graciela Giménez, raised their hands toward heaven.
“Raise up healthy pastors so that there may be healthy churches,” Carnival prayed.
Alejandro Rodríguez led a prayer for the nation's government leaders, joined by figures including Cynthia Hotton, Ana Valoy, Pablo Repetto, Marcelo Díaz, Martha Rogín and José Luis Urso.
“We believe that when your people pray and ask you to bring transformation to our nation, that transformation comes,” Rodríguez said. He prayed for “an Argentina that is blessed and guided by the principles of God's Word.”
Among those in attendance was Buenos Aires Mayor Jorge Macri, along with his wife, María Belén Ludueña. Before Macri spoke, Gabriel Mraida, the city's minister of Human Development and Habitat and also a pastor, spoke about the unity of the church around biblical values.
Macri thanked those who had prayed for him and his wife, saying they had asked God to allow the couple to become parents. He pledged to “govern according to the values of Jesus,” calling for “every woman who decides to become a mother to be supported” and for “pregnancy to be a celebration and not an illness.”
Pastor Carlos Mraida then prayed for the mayor and his wife.
Praying for the economy
Pastors and business leaders Felipe De Stefani and Rafael Pedace, along with figures including Julio Duduc and Matías Franco, prayed for Argentina's economy.
Pedace cited Jeremiah 29:7 and its call to “seek the welfare of the city,” saying that “Argentina has an opportunity it cannot let pass” at a time when, he said, “it is time to leave behind the divisions that weaken us.”
De Stefani prayed for business owners, entrepreneurs and workers, asking that “every salary may multiply” and that God would “heal this nation from corruption” and bring “righteousness in government and in every corner of Argentina.”
A message for young people
Ale Gómez invited young leaders, including Sebastián Liendo, Lo de Davi and Pablo Espínola, onto the stage and gave them a torch while musicians, influencers and other youth leaders stood behind them.
Pastor Mariano Sennewald prayed for the next generation. Pastor Sebastián Crudo asked God to guide young people in their choices of careers and marriage, leading them to declare, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Influencer Mati Chavo also prayed for the young people in attendance.
“Church, this is the moment for the courageous,” Gómez said.
A prayer for women
Pastor Marijo Hooft addressed the women, joined by pastors Jael Ojuel, Judith Sensini, Susana Ibarbalz, Valeria Siniscalchi, Haydée Pedace and other leaders.
She highlighted progress in efforts to defend life and initiatives related to women, families and society, saying, “Christian women want to continue learning from the Supreme Teacher.”
Pastor Lali Gómez then prayed for the women in attendance and for healing in their lives.
Obstetrician Jael Ojuel led a time of prayer for children and unborn children.
“We cry out for every unborn child; help them be born. We pray for every mother in a vulnerable situation. Only you can give them hope,” she prayed.
She also called for “every abortion law to be repealed” and for “laws to be enacted that protect every unborn child,” adding, “Holy Spirit, protect innocence. May every child be able to grow in peace.”
International delegations
The gathering welcomed leaders from March for Jesus movements in Mexico, Venezuela and Brazil, including Esteban Hernández, his wife, Hugo Díaz and Apostle Carlos Quiroa.
“All the works of Satan fall when the church unites,” Hernández said. He expressed “certainty that Argentina will be shaken by the power of the Holy Spirit” and predicted that future marches would bring “a greater revival,” not only in Argentina but “throughout South America.”
Quiroa, who recalled evangelists Luis Palau and Rubén Proietti as important influences in his development as an evangelist, said, “Mexico loves Argentina.”
Díaz said that “the young people of Argentina will evangelize the whole earth” and that “the land known for Messi and Maradona will become the platform for worldwide revival.”
Prayer for the church
Christian Hooft, president of ACIERA (Christian Alliance of Evangelical Churches of the Argentine Republic), led the final prayer for church unity, joined by pastors from across the country.
“We are one church. We cry out together because we represent Jesus. [...] We pray that today there would be a new impartation, a revival, that the fire of your power would ignite us to fulfill the mission you have given us,” he prayed.
Toward the end of the event, Coty Annacondia and Jonatan Proietti took the stage on behalf of their fathers, Carlos Annacondia and Rubén Proietti, alongside evangelists from various ministries.
Jonatan prayed for those who preach the Gospel, saying, “We are faithful and vessels in your hands.” Coty interceded for those who resist the Christian message and for attendees who arrived “with anguish, need and anxiety,” before declaring, “Freedom in the mighty name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.”
The event lasted more than six hours and included prayer, music and testimonies, bringing March for Jesus back to the streets of Buenos Aires and drawing Christian leaders from denominations and provinces across the country.
Original reporting by Diario Cristiano, Christian Daily International's Spanish edition.
