Knitting Hearts Together in Brazil
An update from Bert Turner, Pastor in Covenant of Grace Church, Copley, Ohio, and Emerging Nations Representative to Brazil…
It is a joy to bring an update from Brazil. The Lord is knitting our hearts together with five gifted, godly pastors that are pursuing adoption with Sovereign Grace Churches. My monthly Zoom calls with each of them are a joy as we discover the Lord has been leading us to the same theological and cultural values. Please pray for them and their churches. Also, please pray for my wife, Karen, and I as we plan to spend six weeks with them in Brazil this September and October.
FABIANO MEDEIROS & THE CLOSING OF THE SÃO PAULO CHURCH PLANT
After seven years of faithful preaching, pastoring and sacrificial service by Fabiano, Marcia and the family to plant a church with Sovereign Grace Churches in São Paulo, it seemed to be the will of the Lord to close the church plant at the end of last year. It would take volumes to recount how God-glorifying and grace-filled are the lives of Fabiano and Marcia. The humility of Christ in them inspires me every time I’m with them.
Fabiano continues to be a great gift from the Lord as we respond to the Spirit’s leading to serve local churches in Brazil. It is a great joy, indeed, to announce that Fabiano successfully completed all requirements for ordination with Sovereign Grace Churches, including acing the oral exam with a wonderful display of a Spirit-filled pastoral heart. The Lower Great Lakes Regional Assembly confirmed Fabiano as the first Sovereign Grace Churches’ ordained pastor in Brazil.
GUILHERME GUIMARÃES - PASTOR OF PRIMEIRA IGREJA BATISTA NACIONAL NO BUTANTÃ, SÃO PAULO
The church Guilherme is leading was planted about five years ago through a charismatic Baptist convention in Brazil. Guilherme is very excited by the values and relational way we build in Sovereign Grace Churches. Guilherme is gifted to study and teach. He has undergraduate degrees in mathematics and theology and is mostly through a doctorate program at an Evangelical seminary. He currently teaches theology for a seminary and has been accepted into a rigorous Masters program in theology.
RICARDO SILVA RICCO – IGREJA FAROL IN MARÍLIA, SÃO PAULO
Igreja Farol is a recent church plant in the interior of the State of São Paulo. From his experience as a missionary to children and families in the prison system in Bolivia, Ricco has developed a children’s Sunday school curriculum that is remarkably similar in approach to the Gospel Story Curriculum. Ricco has the grace to reach people from all stations in life – including those trapped in poverty and crime. We have a lot to learn from him.
JADER BITENCOURT - PASTOR OF IGREJA BATISTA CASULO. PORTO ALEGRE, RIO GRANDE DO SUL
Jader was saved out of a lifestyle where he played music in bars in a popular neighborhood in Porto Alegre. God led him back to that neighborhood in 2020 to plant a church with the help of Acts 29. The Lord is prospering the church in an area where there are almost no Gospel preaching churches. Jader has the unique gift of relating to those in the neighborhood while establishing a solidly Gospel-centered church community.
EMERSON SOARES – IGREJA GRAÇA SOBERANA IN RIO GRANDE, RIO GRANDE DO SUL
The Lord has done marvelous work preserving and flourishing this church. Since 2018 this church has walked through tragedy, division and the difficulties of COVID, yet, by God’s grace and Spirit empowered faithfulness they not only survived, they are thriving. The Lord has opened the door to a larger, better location for the church to gather and is adding to their number. Emerson has led humbly and wisely. He is also the lead on translation of the Moore Theological College course into Portuguese. Emerson and Tati are prayerfully making plans to attend the Pastors College in 2023.
There is so much to give thanks to God for… Soli Deo Gloria!