JOSÉ CARLOS PEZINI – September 2023 UPDATE

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.

José Carlos Pezini – October 2022 Update

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.

José Carlos Pezini - July 2022 Update

May the blessing of God the Almighty Father be upon each one of you. I praise God for the wonderful ways He has used each of you as instruments in His hands for the expansion of His Kingdom.

This year, despite the effects of the pandemic, God has been faithful to us, and everything seems to be returning to normal. Of course, we also realize that a great number of pastors still fear being exposed to the virus.

SARA ministry retreats are once more taking place. From April to June, we had 12 mentoring retreats with an average of 13 pastors per retreat for a total of 156 pastors.

José Carlos Pezini - May 2022 Update

May the grace and blessing of the good and mighty God be upon each one of you. I am thankful always for your faithfulness, generosity, and love towards us and our ministry.

Our lives have almost returned to normal from the pandemic. April was one of our busiest months. Mentoring retreats, church revitalization talks, and lay leadership training have resumed. This brings us great joy because we can be with the pastors again and help them in their ministerial journeys.

José Carlos Pezini - December 2021 Update

Dear 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.

José Carlos Pezini - September 2021 Update

Dera 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.

José Carlos Pezini - August 2021 Update

Please join us in praying for Pezini and Odete as Pezini undergoes shoulder surgery August 9

Dear 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.

José Carlos Pezini - March 2021 Update

Dear 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.

José Carlos Pezini - January 2021 Update

Dear brothers and sisters,

Grace and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope that this year, we will find more peace and freedom to carry out the work for which we were called to do. We mourn with those who lost their loved ones to COVID-19. We pray that with the arrival of the vaccine, life will get better.

Many pastors in Brazil were infected with the virus. Some recovered and others succumbed to COVID-19. Many churches are suffering financially and cannot pay their pastors. But, we must continue doing our ministry. That is why we need you, faithful ministry partners, to continue to pray for us.

Even during the pandemic, our ministry continues, training leaders and pastors for revitalizing and planting new churches. We had to adapt and readjust our courses, which are now offered virtually, but we obtained good results. Here is testimony from Rev. Marcio Tenponi about a church that I helped to revitalize:

José Carlos Pezini - July 2020 Update

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Since March we have been receiving reports about the number of people infected by COVID-19 and the number of deaths keeps rising. Here in Brazil, more than fifty thousand people have died and the number of people who are infected is countless. As if this were not enough to take away our peace and cause fear, it has also brought uncertainty because it demands that we reinvent ourselves and seek new means to fulfill the mission that the Lord has entrusted to us. These challenges have helped make clear how our work makes a difference in the lives of pastors and churches. God has been faithful and tremendously blessed us and those we serve in this new way of accomplishing the ministry.

I am happy to inform you that even with social distancing and being forbidden by the government to travel from one place to another, I have continued to minister through the internet and social media. The SARA Ministries mentoring group, composed of 15 groups of pastors spread across the country, usually holds two retreats annually. Now, we meet remotely by Zoom once a month for two hours. We now realize that this new approach to mentoring is more effective. We have reached and cared for more than 500 pastors virtually, helping them overcome their problems and stress and finding new ways to carry out their pastoral ministry. Click HERE to view a recent video about my ministry.

José Carlos Pezini - April 2020 Update

Portuguese-language Ministries Coordinator Rev. José Carlos Pezini sent the following update on Brazilian ministries’ COVID-19 response:

Greetings to you all with the sweet peace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

I think this is a good time to share with you what is happening in our ministry in the midst of the pandemic. I know that we are living in an unprecedented time in history. I don't remember experiencing anything like this in my lifetime. But we know that it is in times like this that we learn new things and new ways of living. This crisis has forced us to learn new ways to develop the ministry that the Lord has entrusted to us.

José Carlos Pezini - November 2019 Update

Dear 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.

José Carlos Pezini - Update

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.

José Carlos Pezini - March 2019 Update

I 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.

José Carlos Pezini - December 2018 Update

Dear 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.

José Carlos Pezini - June 2018 Update

Dear 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.

José Carlos Pezini - April 2018 Update

Dear 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.

José Carlos Pezini - December 2017 Update

Dear 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.

Partner Updates

Please join us in praying for Pezini and Odete as Pezini undergoes shoulder surgery August 9

Portuguese-language Ministries Coordinator Rev. José Carlos Pezini sent the following update on Brazilian ministries’ COVID-19 response: