Thursday, November 18, 2004
Encontro da Fé Reformada – Encounter of the Reformed Faith – Manaus 2004
For the fourth time we made the trek to Manaus. It is a long way – on the way back, we spent 8 hours and 40 minutes actually inside aeroplanes. Even allowing for two stops en route, this is a lot of time. It is far enough for the climate to be utterly different. At home, in spring, we still have blankets on the bed; in Manaus, at any time of year, long trousers are a form of torture.
But it is worth it. This year’s conference was one of the best – the preaching really coming together in a most coherent way, and a general sense of joy and encouragement in the whole event. Having Conrad Mbewe again was a particular help: as an interpreted preacher he is one of the best. He brings together a profound and biblical theology, a pastor's heart and a tremendous explanatory gift, with short sentences and concrete illustrations. The fact that he is not just another white representative of past or present colonial powers, coming rather from one of the world’s poorest countries, also brings something special in terms of his reception in Brazil.
The conference theme was The Church. Having been teaching Ecclesiology through the semester, I have been very conscious of the interaction between confusion regarding the gospel and confusion regarding the church. Even at the level of form and structure, and of practice in its gatherings, the church reflects what it believes about God, Sin, Christ and Salvation in him. The Church is a gospel issue! For this reason, the sheer coherence and sanity of the conference was such a blessing.
If I were to highlight two moments (and I do not want to downplay others!) Conrad’s expositions on The Unity of the Church and Jôer Batista’s expositions on The Church and Missions were particularly helpful. It is so good to hear something realistic, biblical and positive within the reformed scene on both these subjects. Similarly, Davi Gomes’ talk on church growth (he stood in for Solano Portela) did not simply criticize the “Church Growth Movement” (as we were perhaps expecting) but challenged us to a Biblical positiveness and readiness to self-critique where numerical growth is not happening. We were so grateful for the personal encouragement and challenge through these brothers.
Jaime Marcelino was indefatigable in organization and passion for the event. In a city where most of the Presbyterians are not particularly committed to the maintenance or recovery of their own theological heritage, the pastor of the Cidade Nova Presbyterian Church is swimming against the tide. Please pray for him, as he lives in a situation of considerable tension.
For us another blessing of the conference was to stay with Givan and Pamela Alves. Pamela was a colleague in UFM, who gave us much helpful advice re Bec and Tom’s schooling, involved as she was in the education of missionary children up the Amazon. She came for holiday with us in October 2000, visiting Florianópolis, and travelling with us to the FIEL conference. At that event she met Givan, a Presbyterian pastor from Manaus, and they married about 6 months later. They are now three, Jonathan being two years old already. A week with a lively bi-lingual two-year-old is pretty interesting! They are currently in the process of launching an international school in their neighbourhood on the edge of the city, and starting a church in their home. Fellowship was a great joy and encouragement.
And so home. We are still recovering from the two hours difference (it is always harder going east, isn’t it?!) But classes on Tuesday and Wednesday nights have gone well. Today Cora has her Greek exam, and I am lunching with a guy who left Vida Nova a little before us, and has not really been in a church since. So life goes on.
Thank you for your prayers regarding the Manaus trip. It was certainly a blessed time.
For the fourth time we made the trek to Manaus. It is a long way – on the way back, we spent 8 hours and 40 minutes actually inside aeroplanes. Even allowing for two stops en route, this is a lot of time. It is far enough for the climate to be utterly different. At home, in spring, we still have blankets on the bed; in Manaus, at any time of year, long trousers are a form of torture.
But it is worth it. This year’s conference was one of the best – the preaching really coming together in a most coherent way, and a general sense of joy and encouragement in the whole event. Having Conrad Mbewe again was a particular help: as an interpreted preacher he is one of the best. He brings together a profound and biblical theology, a pastor's heart and a tremendous explanatory gift, with short sentences and concrete illustrations. The fact that he is not just another white representative of past or present colonial powers, coming rather from one of the world’s poorest countries, also brings something special in terms of his reception in Brazil.
The conference theme was The Church. Having been teaching Ecclesiology through the semester, I have been very conscious of the interaction between confusion regarding the gospel and confusion regarding the church. Even at the level of form and structure, and of practice in its gatherings, the church reflects what it believes about God, Sin, Christ and Salvation in him. The Church is a gospel issue! For this reason, the sheer coherence and sanity of the conference was such a blessing.
If I were to highlight two moments (and I do not want to downplay others!) Conrad’s expositions on The Unity of the Church and Jôer Batista’s expositions on The Church and Missions were particularly helpful. It is so good to hear something realistic, biblical and positive within the reformed scene on both these subjects. Similarly, Davi Gomes’ talk on church growth (he stood in for Solano Portela) did not simply criticize the “Church Growth Movement” (as we were perhaps expecting) but challenged us to a Biblical positiveness and readiness to self-critique where numerical growth is not happening. We were so grateful for the personal encouragement and challenge through these brothers.
Jaime Marcelino was indefatigable in organization and passion for the event. In a city where most of the Presbyterians are not particularly committed to the maintenance or recovery of their own theological heritage, the pastor of the Cidade Nova Presbyterian Church is swimming against the tide. Please pray for him, as he lives in a situation of considerable tension.
For us another blessing of the conference was to stay with Givan and Pamela Alves. Pamela was a colleague in UFM, who gave us much helpful advice re Bec and Tom’s schooling, involved as she was in the education of missionary children up the Amazon. She came for holiday with us in October 2000, visiting Florianópolis, and travelling with us to the FIEL conference. At that event she met Givan, a Presbyterian pastor from Manaus, and they married about 6 months later. They are now three, Jonathan being two years old already. A week with a lively bi-lingual two-year-old is pretty interesting! They are currently in the process of launching an international school in their neighbourhood on the edge of the city, and starting a church in their home. Fellowship was a great joy and encouragement.
And so home. We are still recovering from the two hours difference (it is always harder going east, isn’t it?!) But classes on Tuesday and Wednesday nights have gone well. Today Cora has her Greek exam, and I am lunching with a guy who left Vida Nova a little before us, and has not really been in a church since. So life goes on.
Thank you for your prayers regarding the Manaus trip. It was certainly a blessed time.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Cidade Nova (Newtown) Presbyterian Church building, Manaus 
Speakers at the year's Encontro da Fé Reformada. From left: Andrew King, Jaime Marcelino (Manaus - pastor of the organizing church, Cidade Nova Presbyterian), Jôer Batista (Goiânia), Conrad Mbewe (Zambia), Jonas (Much-loved pastor of the central Presbyterian Church, Boa Vista, 12 hours north of Manaus - he just snuck into this picture!), Davi Charles Gomes (Andrew Jumper Institute and International Presbyterian Church, São Paulo) and Mauro Meister (currently Goiânia but soon to move to the Andrew Jumper Institute as OT professor.)
Fellowship in the evening interval - the circular "cage" in the background was used again this year as the book room. When he came to the conference Iain Murray said that, when the bookroom was closed, the throng of frustrated buyers outside was like seeing a group of lions trying to get into a cage.
Conrad and Felistas Mbewe - extremely welcome visitors to Brazil
Mauro Meister (1st Presbyterian, Goiânia) interpreting for Conrad Mbewe (Kabwata Baptist Church, Lusaka, Zambia) - an excellent team, with a real rapport and freedom in the preaching
Jôer, pastor of 1st Presbyterian, Goiânia, in his second talk on the Church and Missions
Fish (tambaqui ou tucanaré - someone remind me, please - we had both!) grilled for a sumptuous, end of conference lunch. Lunch at Erivelto and Mircilone's home has become a tradition, and a very good one!
Photo of speaking team and other friends after lunch at Erivelto and Mircilone's home.
Palafitas - the typical favela homes in Manaus, built to withstand the annual rise and fall of the Amazon. The alternative to stilts is to float.
Jaca - I don't know whether the jaca is the world's largest fruit, but at 18 inches to 2 feet long it must be getting there. Delicious too - according to personal taste
The Manaus B and B where we stayed - the plaque at Givan and Pamela Alves' House proclaims exactly what they are!
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Shirley and Rângela, who help run the household for Pamela and Givan, demonstrate how us Brits underuse the passenger-carrying capacity of the smaller car.
The North of Brazil has its own distinct foods - and not just fish and fruit, but processed products. We thought this orange fizzy drink was clearly made for the Carnal Christian!
As well as the dobermann, Givan and Pamela's house is guarded by this little beauty. Opening the gate padlock directly beneath her may be the bravest thing I have ever done!
Pamela teaching the children during the Sunday morning meeting
Monday, November 08, 2004
Manaus – November 2004
Thank you for your prayers for us over the last weeks.
We have had a good week back, though we seemed to be always in recovery mode, catching up on sleep. My class on Wednesday night was not one of the best, for just this reason. However, the church meeting on the Friday night, and preaching in the Sunday, including the first of my series at First Baptist, went very well.
We would now value your prayers for the trip to Manaus for the Encounter of the Reformed Faith conference. The main speaker is our dear friend Conrad Mbewe, from Lusaka, Zambia. Andrew is due to open the conference on Wednesday night, and to speak also on Saturday. There will also be preaching duties on Sunday. A programme is available at the following site: http://www.fereformada.com.br/
Thank you for your prayers for us over the last weeks.
We have had a good week back, though we seemed to be always in recovery mode, catching up on sleep. My class on Wednesday night was not one of the best, for just this reason. However, the church meeting on the Friday night, and preaching in the Sunday, including the first of my series at First Baptist, went very well.
We would now value your prayers for the trip to Manaus for the Encounter of the Reformed Faith conference. The main speaker is our dear friend Conrad Mbewe, from Lusaka, Zambia. Andrew is due to open the conference on Wednesday night, and to speak also on Saturday. There will also be preaching duties on Sunday. A programme is available at the following site: http://www.fereformada.com.br/
Aracaju – October 2004
Well, what a week! We came back from Aracaju a week ago, and have been recovering and digesting ever since. Now with the journey to Manaus lined up tomorrow morning, it is about time to get our report on Aracaju finished.
We arrived at around lunch time on Tuesday, to be met by the two pastors who organized the week, Naziaseno, assistant pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Aracaju (The central church) and Ronildo, Pastor of the Zion Presbyterian Church. Naziaseno was involved in the week, despite the fact that he was due to be married on the Friday evening. Ronildo drove us to the flat where we have stayed twice before; the home of Kleber and Talita and their son Paulo. They have a great home where we are really comfortable.
The basic purpose of the trip was for Andrew to speak in a sequence of public meetings to mark Reformation week. (In Brazil, as in continental Europe, reformation day is 31 October, the anniversary of the posting of Luther’s 95 theses.) The meetings were scheduled to take place in various churches in the city, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday nights. (The wedding ruled out Friday, as we were invited.) The themes came from the great Solas of the Reformation: five of them, but squeezed into four nights. We didn't let Naziaseno forget the fact that his wedding was in danger of eroding a crucial doctrine!
Actually Andrew dealt with Grace and Faith together on the Tuesday, then Sola Scriptura on the Wednesday, Solus Cristus on Thursday, and Soli Deo Gloria on Saturday. The approach was the same each night: a brief historical introduction to the confusion on each point as it was in the church prior to the reformation, a summary of the reformers response to the confusion, a biblical exposition to show where the reformers got their thinking from (this took up the lion's share of the time) and finally an application, asking the question, do we need a reformation on this point in Brazil today. All of the evenings went well, with the last night being a special joy. The twelfth of August Presbyterian Church is the largest in the city, and was packed. We think there must have been upwards of 600 present. Andrew spoke on Exodus 14; the sovereignty of God in salvation, the fact that God deliberately underlines his sovereignty, and the fact that this is all for his own glory. Attention was rapt throughout a more than 70 minute talk. At the end, a combined choir sang the Hallelujah chorus, with many in the congregation joining in. After the service there was a tremendous barrage of questions from teenagers in the church, really serious questions regarding the doctrine preached in the sermon.
The churches involved in the week are by no means identical in their positions: despite being from only two denominations, both Presbyterian. A moving away from the classic Westminster position has taken place, to a great or lesser degree. This event was the first coming together of these churches in a long time, and a first with a focus on reformed docrine in even longer. It was generally judged to have been a success, with everyone hoping to repeat the experience next year.
On the Friday, the wedding day, Andrew taught a full day (8.30 – 5.00) workshop on expository ministry. Although this had been programmed as a day on “Preaching Christ from the Old Testament”; and was supposed to be a follow-on from the conference he led in May 2002, few people had received the information on the day, and even fewer had been at the other event. So it was better to lead a general day on exposition, and this is what took place, albeit without any notes. About 25 were present, including Edson, Jorge and Santana, who drove the 6 hours from Caruaru, Pernambuco, staying two nights in Aracaju in order to be with us.
It was a privilege to be at Naziaseno and Erika’s wedding, an event which combined sumptuousness with simplicity. One of the hardest things to get used to in Brazil is the way moments that would be highly formal in Britain can be so informal here, and vice versa. That is culture! But it was a great chance to relax a bit, and celebrate with friends, mainly from the central church.
On the Sunday, we were at the central church in the morning and at Zion in the evening. The morning sermon (Mark 2:1 – 3:6) refused to print, so Andrew was without notes again, the first time ever for a whole sermon in Portuguese. It went well, as did the evening.
We love Aracaju. The people are warm, there is a health and vitality in the churches, and we have made some really good friendships there. Some of these people have been praying for us since before we ever moved to Brazil. Thank God with us for them, and for a blessed week!
Well, what a week! We came back from Aracaju a week ago, and have been recovering and digesting ever since. Now with the journey to Manaus lined up tomorrow morning, it is about time to get our report on Aracaju finished.
We arrived at around lunch time on Tuesday, to be met by the two pastors who organized the week, Naziaseno, assistant pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Aracaju (The central church) and Ronildo, Pastor of the Zion Presbyterian Church. Naziaseno was involved in the week, despite the fact that he was due to be married on the Friday evening. Ronildo drove us to the flat where we have stayed twice before; the home of Kleber and Talita and their son Paulo. They have a great home where we are really comfortable.
The basic purpose of the trip was for Andrew to speak in a sequence of public meetings to mark Reformation week. (In Brazil, as in continental Europe, reformation day is 31 October, the anniversary of the posting of Luther’s 95 theses.) The meetings were scheduled to take place in various churches in the city, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday nights. (The wedding ruled out Friday, as we were invited.) The themes came from the great Solas of the Reformation: five of them, but squeezed into four nights. We didn't let Naziaseno forget the fact that his wedding was in danger of eroding a crucial doctrine!
Actually Andrew dealt with Grace and Faith together on the Tuesday, then Sola Scriptura on the Wednesday, Solus Cristus on Thursday, and Soli Deo Gloria on Saturday. The approach was the same each night: a brief historical introduction to the confusion on each point as it was in the church prior to the reformation, a summary of the reformers response to the confusion, a biblical exposition to show where the reformers got their thinking from (this took up the lion's share of the time) and finally an application, asking the question, do we need a reformation on this point in Brazil today. All of the evenings went well, with the last night being a special joy. The twelfth of August Presbyterian Church is the largest in the city, and was packed. We think there must have been upwards of 600 present. Andrew spoke on Exodus 14; the sovereignty of God in salvation, the fact that God deliberately underlines his sovereignty, and the fact that this is all for his own glory. Attention was rapt throughout a more than 70 minute talk. At the end, a combined choir sang the Hallelujah chorus, with many in the congregation joining in. After the service there was a tremendous barrage of questions from teenagers in the church, really serious questions regarding the doctrine preached in the sermon.
The churches involved in the week are by no means identical in their positions: despite being from only two denominations, both Presbyterian. A moving away from the classic Westminster position has taken place, to a great or lesser degree. This event was the first coming together of these churches in a long time, and a first with a focus on reformed docrine in even longer. It was generally judged to have been a success, with everyone hoping to repeat the experience next year.
On the Friday, the wedding day, Andrew taught a full day (8.30 – 5.00) workshop on expository ministry. Although this had been programmed as a day on “Preaching Christ from the Old Testament”; and was supposed to be a follow-on from the conference he led in May 2002, few people had received the information on the day, and even fewer had been at the other event. So it was better to lead a general day on exposition, and this is what took place, albeit without any notes. About 25 were present, including Edson, Jorge and Santana, who drove the 6 hours from Caruaru, Pernambuco, staying two nights in Aracaju in order to be with us.
It was a privilege to be at Naziaseno and Erika’s wedding, an event which combined sumptuousness with simplicity. One of the hardest things to get used to in Brazil is the way moments that would be highly formal in Britain can be so informal here, and vice versa. That is culture! But it was a great chance to relax a bit, and celebrate with friends, mainly from the central church.
On the Sunday, we were at the central church in the morning and at Zion in the evening. The morning sermon (Mark 2:1 – 3:6) refused to print, so Andrew was without notes again, the first time ever for a whole sermon in Portuguese. It went well, as did the evening.
We love Aracaju. The people are warm, there is a health and vitality in the churches, and we have made some really good friendships there. Some of these people have been praying for us since before we ever moved to Brazil. Thank God with us for them, and for a blessed week!
Aracaju from the air - the Lighthouse and start of the long beach, with the city centre in the background. Kleber and Talita live in an apartment block at the top of the picture, over the river.
The main market, Aracaju, one of our favourite, most photogenic places.
Preserved fruits - with the inevitable text - Phillipians 4:13
Girls at a wedding that had just finished as we visited Saint Anthony's church, the oldest in Aracaju..
Ronildo and Cida. Ronildo, pastor of Zion Presbyterian Church, organised the whole visit and is proving to be not only a great contact and catalyzer of opportunities in the North-East, but has become, with his wife Aparecida, a very dear friend.
