JOSÉ CARLOS PEZINI – September 2023 UPDATE

BRAZIL

Dear brothers and sisters,

Greetings to all of you in the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for participating in ministry in Brazil. We appreciate your financial support and your prayers. Just like the apostle Paul's experience with the Philippians, the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil (IPIB), SARA, 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.

The church planting partnership is going well. The pastors are doing a great job and we're seeing a lot of growth. They are dedicated and passionate about sharing the Gospel with unchurched people.

IPI Iparana of Caucaia, pastored by Rev. Osterne Mendonça, has started public worship and has an average attendance of 50 people including adults and children. Although they don’t have a concrete place to meet and gather in an open field, they have programs to share the Gospel with new people on most days.

Pastored by Rev. Raphael Trindade, IPI of Liberdade has not yet started public worship. This group meets every two weeks to construct ministerial philosophy. They plan to launch public worship later this year.

IPI of Santa Felicidade, pastored by Rev. Luis Pinto, has been meeting in his garage since May with about 45 people attending. In July, they began meeting on Sundays for public worship and during the week in small groups. This month, they will start karate and jiu-jitsu classes to attract unchurched people.

IPI Campeche Florianópolis is pastored by Rev. Odair Ap. Pinto (Drogo). They worship every Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. with an average attendance of 35 people. During the week, the church meets in small groups and offers Bible studies for new converts.

The SARA ministry has blessed the lives of many pastors and consequently, their churches. Today we have 16 mentoring groups spread throughout Brazil. We had 12 retreats between February and July and hope to have 16 more mentoring retreats between September and December.

Here is a testimony from a pastor who is under my mentorship: I need to express something  — many people have been a good influence in my life. But in the last decade, only one person has provided influence that goes beyond just information. That person is you. Your mentorship and willingness to walk with me have transformed and affected my life in indescribable ways. I understand that there is still a long way to go. But the journey shared with you has divided my life into before and after.

The pastoral mentoring ministry remains steady and growing. It has been a great joy to see how our mentoring retreat coordinators, who are volunteers, have strived to reach and care for new pastors who ask for help. Unfortunately, burnout is still high here in Brazil and it is the young pastors who have suffered the most.

I have been mentoring five different groups of pastors, including leaders from their local churches, using 2-hour monthly Zoom meetings for each group. I also hold private meetings upon request with pastors from those groups and others looking for personal help, support, and ministerial guidance.

Several educational institutions have reached out to SARA Institute to establish partnerships, for which I have dedicated part of my time to teaching. For instance, with the Lutheran Seminary, we have a post-graduate course in Spiritual Formation, and a post-graduate course in Pastoral Ministry is being developed. We have also been working with the Independent Presbyterian Church Seminary starting classes for graduate studies in Church Revitalization. I have also spent time teaching Revitalization of Churches classes.

Thank you for your generosity and for your involvement in expanding the Kingdom of God. May the Lord continue to bless you all abundantly.

Pezini and Odete

THE OPPORTUNITY
The Outreach Foundation is seeking gifts to support the mission and ministry of Pezini. All gifts of any size are welcomed to help with scholarships for church leaders and support for pastors and their families. You may make a gift HERE or by sending a check to our office.