Iglesia Arca de Salvación (Fort Myers, Florida, USA)
The Iglesia Evangelica Menonita Arca de Salvación began as a Spanish-speaking Bible study in Fort Myers, Florida, in 1985. Hector and Maria Muñoz, who earlier led Hispanic Mennonite churches in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Los Angeles, California, led the group. In 1986, the congregation, with the help of the Southeast Mennonite Conference, purchased and slowly remodeled a property that it dedicated on 5 December 1987.
In 2011, the congregation began construction of a new church facility, though it was not completed until Easter 2013.
In 2018, the Southeast Mennonite Conference withdrew from Mennonite Church USA and became a district of LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches. Thus, Iglesia Arca de Salvación's denominational affiliation changed.
In 2024, about 300 people attended the church, which was a multicultural congregation where people from nine countries met.
Iglesia Evangelica Menonita Arca de Salvación is the church's registered name in Florida, though it is more commonly referred to without one or both of "Evangelica Menonita."
Bibliography
Alvarez, Sara. "Giving in to the call." TheMennonite 15, no. 8 (August 2012): 12-14.
Lehman, Martin W. Roots & Branches: a Narrative History of the Amish and Mennonites in Southeast United States, 1892-1992, 2 vols. Telford, Pa.: Cascadia Publishing Company, 2010-2011: v. 2: 122, 182-183, 197-199.
Melendez, Danice. "Arca de Salvación." LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches. 29 October 2024. Web. 13 May 2025. https://lmcchurches.org/2024/10/congregational-profile-arca-de-salvacion/.
Miller, Jim. "Ark of Salvation finishes construction." TheMennonite 16, no. 7 (July 2013): 37.
Richard, Phil. "Los Angeles: three new churches." Gospel Herald 78, no. 24 (11 June 1985): 411.
Additional Information
Address: 3629 Michigan Avenue, Fort Myers, Florida 33916
Telephone: 239-332-7556
Website: https://www.facebook.com/arca3629/?locale=es_LA
Denominational Affiliations:
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches
Pastoral Leaders at Iglesia Arca de Salvación
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Hector R. Muñoz (1931-2019) | 1985-1992? |
| David Santiago | 1989-1994 |
| David Maldonado | 1994-2017? |
| Madeline Maldonado (Associate) | 2000-2017? |
| Domingo Marcial | 2018?- |
| Armando Pacheco (Associate) | 2018? |
Iglesia Arca de Salvación Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 40 |
| 2000 | 40 |
| 2009 | 100 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | May 2025 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Iglesia Arca de Salvación (Fort Myers, Florida, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. May 2025. Web. 2 Feb 2026. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Iglesia_Arca_de_Salvaci%C3%B3n_(Fort_Myers,_Florida,_USA)&oldid=180704.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (May 2025). Iglesia Arca de Salvación (Fort Myers, Florida, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 2 February 2026, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Iglesia_Arca_de_Salvaci%C3%B3n_(Fort_Myers,_Florida,_USA)&oldid=180704.
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