Brothers and sisters, may the grace and power of God be upon each one of you. I praise God for your faithfulness and generosity and pray that God in His grace will bless you abundantly. Despite the effects of the pandemic, our ministry continues to grow because people like you continue to believe that God rules over everything and everyone.
Read MoreDear sisters and brothers, partners in the work of expanding the Kingdom of God in this world!
May grace and peace from God our Father be poured out in abundance upon your lives. I am very happy, and I pray constantly for you, thanking God for your generosity and love for us. In this difficult time, His love is expressed through the efforts you make, sharing with us so that through you we can live with dignity and develop our mission.
The pandemic is still present in Brazil. But my perception, in general, is that we have learned to live with it and life here in Brazil is slowly returning to normal.
Read MoreDera brothers and sisters,
Greetings to all of you in the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus. Once again, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to you for participating in our ministry here in Brazil. We really appreciate your financial support and your prayers. Just like the apostle Paul's experience with the Philippians, Odete and I have also felt the bonding experience with you as our partners in the Kingdom of God: " And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19.
Despite living in a time of pandemic, our ministry must go on. In order to continue, we have been following the required sanitary protocols. Most of our meetings have been done through online services but whenever we find the opportunity to be among others, we gladly do it. In the city where we currently live, we have been going to a Presbyterian church and fellowshipping in person.
Read MoreDear brothers and sisters,
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:3-6
Brothers and sisters, may the blessings of God the Father be with you all for the expressions of affection and generosity that you have shown to us. As the Apostle Paul prayed for the Philippian brothers and sisters, Odete and I pray for you.
Read MoreHere in Brazil, we are now totally isolated. Cities are closed, no one can enter or leave if they don’t live there. The government decreed a curfew. If someone is caught walking around the city at night, they will be arrested. Almost 3,000 deaths were recorded yesterday (March 18) from Covid 19. Hospitals are in precarious states. There are no more empty beds, there are not enough doctors to serve all those who need care, and there are no medications to treat those who are there. As if this were not enough, politicians do not understand each other and try to take political advantage of the situation. Many pastors are hospitalized and a few are intubated. Please pray for the Brazilian people,
Read MoreDear brothers and sisters,
The Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil, like any Christian denomination of historical tradition, has faced difficulties in its healthy growth in the fulfillment of the Great Commission. There are hundreds of stagnant local churches whose pastors and leaders are calling for a path of awakening and new life for these churches.
The coronavirus pandemic that has persisted for more than a year has only made the struggles and difficulties of the survival of these local churches even more evident.
Since 2013 the SARA Institute has supported pastors and churches of various denominations both in church planting and church revitalization. SARA has now partnered with IPI do Brazil's theological seminary and they are offering a master's degree in Church Revitalization. The program aims to be a promoter of ideas and also offer strategies and tools to students to cooperate with their local churches in strategic actions of revitalization.
Read MoreWe recently received the following letter from Outreach partner the Independent Church of Brazil (IPIB):
Dear Outreach Foundation friends,
The mission ministry is pleased to inform you of some of the actions carried out by the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil during the pandemic period.
With the support of the Central Office (represented by its President Rev. João Luiz Furtado), the local church councils, partnership with The Outreach Foundation, and members of the IPIB, the denomination was able to provide significant help to people who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The IPIB developed a project entitled "All Together in Mission" which has helped pastors, missionaries, and seminarians in communities impacted financially by the pandemic.
Read MoreDear brothers and sisters,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is hard to believe that 2019 is almost over. It was an intense year in our ministry here in Brazil. The Lord guided us and opened many doors. Through SARA Ministries, Odete and I spent time caring for pastors and helping them in numerous ways. We saw the lives of many pastors from different denominations being transformed through mentoring and as a result of this transformation, we saw their churches grow in enthusiasm and membership.
The mentoring program includes monthly video conferences and participation in two annual retreats. Through these we work on three fundamental areas in the pastor’s lives:
The pastor and his life with God
The mentee sets aside at least one hour a day, five days a week to be with God, to hear from him, to know him, to develop intimacy with him, and to understand his purpose for their life and ministry. This is not a time for exegesis or sermon study, but a time to feed on God's word and nourish the soul.
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since Odete and I returned from the U.S.A. at the end of April, we have been traveling to fulfill an intense agenda with commitments in various denominations all over Brazil. The Brazilian church faces many dilemmas these days. God has given me the privilege of being able to help pastors, lay leaders, and congregations in different areas including mentoring pastors, lay leadership training, church revitalization, and discipleship.
In all these places, I feel encouraged by God to motivate Christians to engage in discipleship by sharing their faith with non-believers as well as helping new converts grow in their intimacy with God through prayer and meditation in the Scriptures. I have also led the church to rethink its missionary action in the context where it is located and to rethink the reason for its existence.
Read MoreI believe that it is a good time to look back, consider, and evaluate our ministry. Let us see what God has done, using our lives as instruments in his hands, and reflect on what has been accomplished since we returned to Brazil seven years ago. We glorify God for his faithfulness and providence.
From the time that Odete and I arrived back in Brazil in May 2012, we sought to understand God's will and to discern the reason he was bringing us back to our country. We hoped that he would use us for the expansion of the Kingdom of God. God has done this, but in a different way from what we had expected.
Read MoreDear brothers and sisters,
Greetings in Christ Jesus, the Lord of the Church. Another year is ending and as we look back, we can see how God was gracious to us and blessed us greatly. I know this happened because of the faithfulness of the beloved brothers and sisters who have been praying for us. We want to thank you all for your loyalty. Odete and I are so grateful for you and the care that you have demonstrated towards us.
Read MoreDear brothers and sisters,
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Let me begin by thanking you for your prayers. God has been great to us. After spending some time in the U.S., I returned to Brazil at the end of May to find that the SARA Retreat Ministry for Pastors continues to grow. In this update I want to share with you the testimony of a fellow pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil, the Rev. Marcio Tenponi, whom God gave me the privilege of helping in his ministry. This is the Rev. Marcio’s testimony:
At the age of 17 I began to follow Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. I served the church as a lay leader until I received God’s call to the pastoral ministry. I surrendered to God and went to the Presbyterian seminary.
Read MoreDear friends,
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Let me begin by thanking you for your prayers. God has been great to us. In January I had prostate surgery. Thanks to God’s grace, I recovered well. Within two weeks of the surgery, I was ready to return to my regular ministry activities including my international travels. Odete and I are so thankful for your lives and the care that you have demonstrated towards us.
The SARA ministry has grown exponentially in these last couple of years. Today there are 13 mentoring core groups spread out all over Brazil. Each one of them has two retreats per year. This year alone, we have scheduled 26 different retreats. It is through God’s mercy that we have already reached around 500 pastors in 13 different denominations. We have helped them through their daily struggles. Many of them have testified that through our personal mentoring and spiritual formation retreats, they have been able to conquer depression and other signs of burnout. As they recover from their personal burnout, they feel motivated to perform their ministry with enthusiasm and great joy again.
Read MoreReaching Younger Generations Through New Churches
“Each church has its own style but each one of them needs to have two main characteristics: It needs to be centered in the Gospel, committed to it, because that is what gives it integrity. It also needs to engage people that are not part of any church by identifying deeply with what they are going through.” With those words, Ricardo Agreste challenges Brazilian Christians to become actively involved in planting churches that welcome new generations who are not part of any congregation. Ricardo serves a Presbyterian church that was started fourteen years ago and which has now planted twenty additional churches. He is also one of the directors for the Center for Training of Church Planters (CTPI is its Portuguese acronym) which effectively equips pastors among several denominational traditions.
Read MoreDear friends and supporters,
This year has been very busy for Odete and me. We have been traveling all over Brazil, teaching, training, consulting, leading pastors’ retreats, coaching, and mentoring pastors. We have witnessed the action of God in the lives of many pastors. They have shared with us their struggles and difficulties. Many of them have thought more than once about leaving the ministry. Others are discouraged and still others are suffering from depression. During these three years we have helped more than fifty pastors get out of depression.
Our retreats have served as a place where they are encouraged and challenged to seek God first in their lives. A great number of pastors seem to be doing ministry on “autopilot.” They are tempted to read the Bible only to prepare sermons and not as a means to a devotional relationship with God. They see themselves as working for God rather than working with God.
The good news is that pastors who have mentors through the SARA ministry and who participate in our retreats are being transformed. Their devotional life has been rescued, and their passion for ministry has returned. They have shared with us their joy and say that they cannot live without attending retreats and being accompanied by a mentor in ministry. As a result of their participation in retreats and mentoring, their churches have grown and because of this, they have regained their confidence as servants of God.
Read MoreDear friends and supporters,
It is a joy to share some great news with you. Three years ago, Steve and Kay Wright came to Brazil to visit the church planting projects that their church, Zionsville Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, has supported. I had the privilege of accompanying them and during the days we were together, they shared with me about the Great Banquet, a retreat ministry which had greatly impacted their congregation. They invited me to attend a “Great Banquet,” and I did so the following year. Seeing what God was doing through this three-day weekend largely led by lay people, I heard the Lord whispering in my heart that the Great Banquet would be a wonderful gift to the Church in Brazil.
Steve Wright agreed with me, and we began planning for a Brazilian version. Zionsville Presbyterian Church started inviting Brazilians who spoke English to its semi-annual banquets to become the seed group of a Brazilian leadership team. In two years twenty people, ten men and ten women, traveled from Brazil to attend a Great Banquet. Steve and Kay returned to Brazil two years ago to guide this leadership group in preparing for the banquet. Then, with the blessing of God, we set the date for the Great Banquet in Brazil.
Read MoreThe ministries in Brazil are going well. In fact, they are growing more quickly than I can handle. When I started working with pastors here, I had no idea that so many of them were experiencing burnout. About a third of the pastors who participate in the three-day SARA retreats suffer from this, and many of them are taking anti-depression medication. So, there is a real sense of urgency for a time of healing and wholeness for God’s servants within the SARA retreat ministry.
SARA is working in three different areas. Our main focus, of which the retreats are part, is mentoring more than two hundred pastors. In order to be able to care for each of these 200 pastors, I have trained 40 other mentors but even this number is not enough to meet the great demand. The mentors offer to their mentees one hour of conversation per month, while the mentees commit to participate in two SARA retreats each year.
Read MoreDear brothers and sisters,
Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was a very busy and stressful year of my ministry here in Brazil. SARA Ministries is growing so fast that it is almost impossible to respond to all the demands. The number of pastors who are being mentored is growing day by day. This year I have trained more pastors to be mentors, bringing the total to thirty-eight. Each one of these new pastor-mentors serves an average of five pastors.
Read More
