Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Belo Horizonte - First Presbyterian Church - Family Easter Retreat
We don't generally accept invitations to preach without any additional, strategic, training element, but when Rodrigo Pena from Belo Horizonte phoned with this invitation in February Andrew couldn't say, "No". Not just because he is no good at saying, "No", but because this church is strategic in itself. Belo Horizonte is the third city in Brazil after São Paulo and Rio, and is a Presbyterian stronghold. First has a membership of over 1000, 6 full-time pastors and 22 elders. It is strongly active in church planting and in ministries amongst the poor. The senior pastor, Ludgero Moraes, was present at the FIEL conference in 1997 and has always urged us to live and work in BH. He is (for 8 years) General Secretary of the denomination, and has been a strong influence in a move to reduce liberal influence and reclaim the denomination for classical, evangelical, reformed Presbyterianism. For these reasons we felt that time spent with this church would be well spent.
In the event the visit was wonderful. We had cold feet beforehand - not least to be missing a sequence of Bank Holidays and working very hard. But the fellowship was golden. We hardly knew anyone on arrival: after three days we felt that we had a whole new raft of friends in the heart of Brazil. We have little doubt that further contacts will be fruitful in terms of strategic training opportunities - not least in the beautiful new seminary which we visited on our final day.
We don't generally accept invitations to preach without any additional, strategic, training element, but when Rodrigo Pena from Belo Horizonte phoned with this invitation in February Andrew couldn't say, "No". Not just because he is no good at saying, "No", but because this church is strategic in itself. Belo Horizonte is the third city in Brazil after São Paulo and Rio, and is a Presbyterian stronghold. First has a membership of over 1000, 6 full-time pastors and 22 elders. It is strongly active in church planting and in ministries amongst the poor. The senior pastor, Ludgero Moraes, was present at the FIEL conference in 1997 and has always urged us to live and work in BH. He is (for 8 years) General Secretary of the denomination, and has been a strong influence in a move to reduce liberal influence and reclaim the denomination for classical, evangelical, reformed Presbyterianism. For these reasons we felt that time spent with this church would be well spent.
In the event the visit was wonderful. We had cold feet beforehand - not least to be missing a sequence of Bank Holidays and working very hard. But the fellowship was golden. We hardly knew anyone on arrival: after three days we felt that we had a whole new raft of friends in the heart of Brazil. We have little doubt that further contacts will be fruitful in terms of strategic training opportunities - not least in the beautiful new seminary which we visited on our final day.
For the flight to Belo Horizonte, we had a long wait once again at Congonhas. This is a small airport, set amongst flast and office blocks, and is very busy since, as well as being a major airport for domestic connecting flights, it is also the most convenient for the centre of São Paulo.
Emerging from heavy cloud on the descent towards Belo Horizonte.
Retreat Centre of the First Presbyterian Church, Belo Horizonte. Scene of a very happy and very intense few days.
Rodrigo and Lívia. It was Rodrigo who, just a few weeks ago, invited Andrew to speak at the church's fisrt Family Easter Retreat. He is the Pastor responsible for the care of the teenagers in the church. Lívia is a music teacher. They are an exceptional team - absolutely excellent. We hope that a great new friendship with them will be fruitful over the long term.
Older youths - from left - Maurinho, Paloma, Timóteo, Larissa, Lívia
A bunch of younger youths - working round table from left - Vanessa, Thaís, Jonathas, Rafael, Larissa, Camila e Vitor
Pastor Ludgero Moraes, Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Belo Horizonte and General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil, showing that he has the full support of the young people in his church.
Charley, Pastor of the older youth, and Vladimir
Our old friends César and Renata and their twins Gabriel and Davi. The last time we saw them was the weekend Renata found out she was pregnant. (In Brazil pregancy is made public immediately, and without respect of persons - on one occasion a friend told our daughter Rebecca that she thought she was pregnant before she had even informed her husband of the fact.)
A baby gecko in our bedroom - on left next to Andrew's Bible, on right, on Cora's spongebag.
Children, prior to going out for their teaching.
Rafael - "Baby" - one of several official church clowns
Monday, March 28, 2005
Identity Cards
Praise the Lord with us! After many pounds spent, many documents produced and many worries along the way, a five year pilgrimage is over. We have our permanent identity cards, dated until 26 July 2013. We are, as we say here, happy of the life.
Praise the Lord with us! After many pounds spent, many documents produced and many worries along the way, a five year pilgrimage is over. We have our permanent identity cards, dated until 26 July 2013. We are, as we say here, happy of the life.
The Santa Catarina Federal Police Headquarters, Florianópolis. After so many visits to this building - and its predecessor, a scruffy affair in the backstreets of Estreito - we are delighted to not be going back until 2013.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
IBE students 21 March 2005
The seated students are the Monday Mark group. Some only come for Mark, but are more than replaced for Hermeneutics on Tuesdays by the First Years who are mainly those standing in this photo.
Autumn temperatures are still in the 30s, yet many people have coughs and colds and ‘flu. The hot, humid weather, makes for a very heavy atmosphere. The south of Brazil has seriously lacked rain for some time now, and there is talk of drought conditions. Some harvests are being affected.
In Santa Catarina 4 people have died, and 14 are seriously ill in hospital, from Chagas disease, (www.who.int/tdr/diseases/chagas/diseaseinfo.htm) an infection picked up from a parasitic beetle, generally from sleeping on contaminated mud floors. Unusually, the Health Authorities have traced the source this to contaminated “Caldo de Cana” – sugar cane juice, and all sugar cane production and marketing has been prohibited, affecting the livelihoods of many people. Since the disease can either cause acute symptoms or be symptomless for many years while the parasite works away in the body, all those who have drunk sugar cane juice since 1st February are being advised to have (free) blood tests to check whether they are infected, so there are hundreds of people queuing at the Health Centres.
For ourselves, the bad news is that we have had loads of administration to think about. (1) Accounts for 2004 had to be completed and submitted. (2) Changes in accounting requirements in Brazil, and arrangements for paying our support allowances, are requiring us to consider whether we really need to open new bank accounts in three different countries in order to ensure that we are complying with all the regulations. (3) As our ministry trips have increased, so has the time required to work out the best deals, arrange payment, and avoid cash-flow problems. (4) Finally, the need to update our computers is urgent. For efficient studying, preparation, teaching and presentation purposes, and maintaining contact with people, we need to invest in the best tools for the job, within our budget. These issues are a constant pressure while we try to get on with the real work. So please pray for patience, wisdom, and resolution to them.
And now for the good news……
Our visit to Cabo Frio was an enormous joy, as we hope the pictures indicate. Thank you for praying! The little Reformed Bible Church there is a breath of fresh air – still in contact with its Assemblies of God roots, but moving in a new direction with tremendous firmness, humility and grace. A far deeper friendship with the Pastor, Elienai, his wife Meiri and their three lovely sons was a great element of the week, but fellowship with many others was also tremendous. A small but keen number came to the various preaching and workshop moments from a number of church backgrounds – various types of Assemblies of God as well as Baptist, Presbyterian and Methodist. Cabo Frio (at least this part) is poor, but the people at the IBR are rich in grace. For us one of the biggest lessons, in a neighbourhood where perhaps 40% would claim to be evangelicals, is the tremendous battle against legalism. From a UK perspective it seems to strange to be in a church that calls itself “Bible Reformed” and yet which is seen by its neighbours as dangerously liberal, having gone far from the faith. Yet this is the case. Some of the ladies now sometimes wear trousers.
Church continues to progress. Our Friday evening meetings at 8pm for reading, prayer and discussion are a joy to us all. Snacks and drinks fuel the fellowship, and it is rare nowadays for people to leave before 11-11.30pm. We are now preparing a statement of “Who we are” and “What we Believe” and looking for a fixed place to meet on Sundays, in order that others might come to hear the Word. We are currently doing a little series in Acts 8, 9 and 10, and planning to begin Romans after Easter Sunday. We study the passage together, then Andrew prepares a sermon and Cora prepares a lesson for the children, who are now being taught separately. The idea is for parents and children to have the same teaching in order to be able to talk about it together at home. On Easter Sunday we are going to spend the day together, starting with breakfast and finishing late afternoon, so that some of us can go to a meeting of a new Presbyterian group in the evening. (See below.) One of Andrew’s students Renatoand his wife Neia are now meeting with us, with a view to coming into the work – an apprenticeship designed to give ministry experience and help us with continuity issues. Also an old friend from our visit to Belem in 1998, Ronaldo, is now living just up the road (50 miles!) in Balneário Camboriu and wants to be with us regularly, as he seeks to grow in ministering God’s word.
One amazing and wonderful piece of news is that, through a change of mind, of concepts and theology of leadership, our old friend Marival, who was part of the eldership at Igreja Batista Vida Nova, has asked forgiveness for his part in the injustices of two years ago and we are now fully and wonderfully reconciled! Praise God with us! Pray for more similar evidences of God’s hand!
IBE (Baptist Seminary). Andrew is teaching Mark’s Gospel on Monday nights (3 hours) and Hermeneutics on Tuesday nights (3 hours). There are nearly 30 students attending each night, including (particularly with Mark) some who are coming especially for that one course. We are very pleased that a wide range of churches in the city are represented, from Lutheran to Mennonite, and from Reformed Baptist to Neo-Pentecostal. One of the students is kindly recording the Mark course onto MP3 so that it can have a wider distribution. The Hermeneutics is hard work and stretching Andrew to the limit; please pray for him to persevere in preparation each week. Pray for both courses to glorify Christ and have long term impact on the students, and on the churches they represent.
At the Director’s unexpected request, Cora is now teaching Greek (!!) on Thursday nights to a small group of students. This Semester will be a trial run, with her lessons being monitored, and will also count as a Professional Placement in her BA (Theology) distance learning course with ETCW, Bryntirion. The first lesson was a struggle trying to communicate Greek in Portuguese, but the second went better, with some good rapport building up. Feedback from the students (most of whom she already knew) has been positive.
ETCW Studies. This semester Cora is doing 3 modules: Islam, Church Growth and Contextualisation, and The Bible: Inspiration and Authority. Please pray for stamina to study in the heat, and good health in order to concentrate well on the great material in the modules.
Presbyterian congregation. Last year about 20 people left a Presbyterian church in a nearby district, in order to focus on the ministry of the Word, without the ‘showy’ kind of music which is normal here, and with a leadership seeking to avoid being authoritarian, a common problem in Brazil. We met with one of the leaders for lunch and liked what we heard, particularly the fact that they also have a concern for the students at the Federal University, and are looking for ways to evangelise into the local community. They have been recognized as a new congregation by the local Presbytery, and have grown to about 40, meeting in a house in Trindade, the district next to ours (Córrego Grande). We are looking at ways to link up with this group for fellowship and mutual support, and are planning to visit them on Easter Sunday evening.
Bible Baptist Church, Forquilhinhas – We met briefly with Pastor Fernando (who came with us to the First Reformed Baptist Congress last June) and his wife, Iselda this Monday. They were looking well, and reported that their church has stabilized after a time of unsettledness and that the work in their district is growing. Fernando is teaching through Hebrews in the Bible Baptist Seminary, and is expecting reactions. Please pray that these will be of a positive kind, with students seeing the glory of Christ in the new covenant for themselves.
And finally, two ministry trips are coming up:
23-26 March. Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, where Andrew will be speaking at the First Presbyterian Church Easter Retreat.
30 March – 6 April. Boa Vista, capital city of Roraima state, at the northern tip of Brazil, for a week’s teaching, celebrating the anniversary of the First Presbyterian Church, with an element of training on expository ministry, open to teachers and preachers from all churches.
As we spend time remembering over Easter that the crucified Lord arose from the dead, let us rejoice and be thankful that it is he of whom all the Scriptures speak, and it is our task and privilege to communicate that, as we have opportunity, so that men and women may feel their hearts burning as Christ opens the Scriptures to them (Luke 24:32).
In Santa Catarina 4 people have died, and 14 are seriously ill in hospital, from Chagas disease, (www.who.int/tdr/diseases/chagas/diseaseinfo.htm) an infection picked up from a parasitic beetle, generally from sleeping on contaminated mud floors. Unusually, the Health Authorities have traced the source this to contaminated “Caldo de Cana” – sugar cane juice, and all sugar cane production and marketing has been prohibited, affecting the livelihoods of many people. Since the disease can either cause acute symptoms or be symptomless for many years while the parasite works away in the body, all those who have drunk sugar cane juice since 1st February are being advised to have (free) blood tests to check whether they are infected, so there are hundreds of people queuing at the Health Centres.
For ourselves, the bad news is that we have had loads of administration to think about. (1) Accounts for 2004 had to be completed and submitted. (2) Changes in accounting requirements in Brazil, and arrangements for paying our support allowances, are requiring us to consider whether we really need to open new bank accounts in three different countries in order to ensure that we are complying with all the regulations. (3) As our ministry trips have increased, so has the time required to work out the best deals, arrange payment, and avoid cash-flow problems. (4) Finally, the need to update our computers is urgent. For efficient studying, preparation, teaching and presentation purposes, and maintaining contact with people, we need to invest in the best tools for the job, within our budget. These issues are a constant pressure while we try to get on with the real work. So please pray for patience, wisdom, and resolution to them.
And now for the good news……
Our visit to Cabo Frio was an enormous joy, as we hope the pictures indicate. Thank you for praying! The little Reformed Bible Church there is a breath of fresh air – still in contact with its Assemblies of God roots, but moving in a new direction with tremendous firmness, humility and grace. A far deeper friendship with the Pastor, Elienai, his wife Meiri and their three lovely sons was a great element of the week, but fellowship with many others was also tremendous. A small but keen number came to the various preaching and workshop moments from a number of church backgrounds – various types of Assemblies of God as well as Baptist, Presbyterian and Methodist. Cabo Frio (at least this part) is poor, but the people at the IBR are rich in grace. For us one of the biggest lessons, in a neighbourhood where perhaps 40% would claim to be evangelicals, is the tremendous battle against legalism. From a UK perspective it seems to strange to be in a church that calls itself “Bible Reformed” and yet which is seen by its neighbours as dangerously liberal, having gone far from the faith. Yet this is the case. Some of the ladies now sometimes wear trousers.
Church continues to progress. Our Friday evening meetings at 8pm for reading, prayer and discussion are a joy to us all. Snacks and drinks fuel the fellowship, and it is rare nowadays for people to leave before 11-11.30pm. We are now preparing a statement of “Who we are” and “What we Believe” and looking for a fixed place to meet on Sundays, in order that others might come to hear the Word. We are currently doing a little series in Acts 8, 9 and 10, and planning to begin Romans after Easter Sunday. We study the passage together, then Andrew prepares a sermon and Cora prepares a lesson for the children, who are now being taught separately. The idea is for parents and children to have the same teaching in order to be able to talk about it together at home. On Easter Sunday we are going to spend the day together, starting with breakfast and finishing late afternoon, so that some of us can go to a meeting of a new Presbyterian group in the evening. (See below.) One of Andrew’s students Renatoand his wife Neia are now meeting with us, with a view to coming into the work – an apprenticeship designed to give ministry experience and help us with continuity issues. Also an old friend from our visit to Belem in 1998, Ronaldo, is now living just up the road (50 miles!) in Balneário Camboriu and wants to be with us regularly, as he seeks to grow in ministering God’s word.
One amazing and wonderful piece of news is that, through a change of mind, of concepts and theology of leadership, our old friend Marival, who was part of the eldership at Igreja Batista Vida Nova, has asked forgiveness for his part in the injustices of two years ago and we are now fully and wonderfully reconciled! Praise God with us! Pray for more similar evidences of God’s hand!
IBE (Baptist Seminary). Andrew is teaching Mark’s Gospel on Monday nights (3 hours) and Hermeneutics on Tuesday nights (3 hours). There are nearly 30 students attending each night, including (particularly with Mark) some who are coming especially for that one course. We are very pleased that a wide range of churches in the city are represented, from Lutheran to Mennonite, and from Reformed Baptist to Neo-Pentecostal. One of the students is kindly recording the Mark course onto MP3 so that it can have a wider distribution. The Hermeneutics is hard work and stretching Andrew to the limit; please pray for him to persevere in preparation each week. Pray for both courses to glorify Christ and have long term impact on the students, and on the churches they represent.
At the Director’s unexpected request, Cora is now teaching Greek (!!) on Thursday nights to a small group of students. This Semester will be a trial run, with her lessons being monitored, and will also count as a Professional Placement in her BA (Theology) distance learning course with ETCW, Bryntirion. The first lesson was a struggle trying to communicate Greek in Portuguese, but the second went better, with some good rapport building up. Feedback from the students (most of whom she already knew) has been positive.
ETCW Studies. This semester Cora is doing 3 modules: Islam, Church Growth and Contextualisation, and The Bible: Inspiration and Authority. Please pray for stamina to study in the heat, and good health in order to concentrate well on the great material in the modules.
Presbyterian congregation. Last year about 20 people left a Presbyterian church in a nearby district, in order to focus on the ministry of the Word, without the ‘showy’ kind of music which is normal here, and with a leadership seeking to avoid being authoritarian, a common problem in Brazil. We met with one of the leaders for lunch and liked what we heard, particularly the fact that they also have a concern for the students at the Federal University, and are looking for ways to evangelise into the local community. They have been recognized as a new congregation by the local Presbytery, and have grown to about 40, meeting in a house in Trindade, the district next to ours (Córrego Grande). We are looking at ways to link up with this group for fellowship and mutual support, and are planning to visit them on Easter Sunday evening.
Bible Baptist Church, Forquilhinhas – We met briefly with Pastor Fernando (who came with us to the First Reformed Baptist Congress last June) and his wife, Iselda this Monday. They were looking well, and reported that their church has stabilized after a time of unsettledness and that the work in their district is growing. Fernando is teaching through Hebrews in the Bible Baptist Seminary, and is expecting reactions. Please pray that these will be of a positive kind, with students seeing the glory of Christ in the new covenant for themselves.
And finally, two ministry trips are coming up:
23-26 March. Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, where Andrew will be speaking at the First Presbyterian Church Easter Retreat.
30 March – 6 April. Boa Vista, capital city of Roraima state, at the northern tip of Brazil, for a week’s teaching, celebrating the anniversary of the First Presbyterian Church, with an element of training on expository ministry, open to teachers and preachers from all churches.
As we spend time remembering over Easter that the crucified Lord arose from the dead, let us rejoice and be thankful that it is he of whom all the Scriptures speak, and it is our task and privilege to communicate that, as we have opportunity, so that men and women may feel their hearts burning as Christ opens the Scriptures to them (Luke 24:32).
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Cabo Frio
A lady from the church had vacated her home for the week, and it was prepared as our base during our stay. The photo shows the sight that greeted us on arrival at the little flat - a table spread and fridge stocked with such love and attention to detail that we nearly cried.
A lady from the church had vacated her home for the week, and it was prepared as our base during our stay. The photo shows the sight that greeted us on arrival at the little flat - a table spread and fridge stocked with such love and attention to detail that we nearly cried.
The wrecked bridge over the Rio São João. It collapsed soon after construction, and has become the symbol of the district.
Tiles 1. The old, colonial houses in Barra de São João, the other side of the river from Cabo Frio, are decorated with the typical tiles of the period, imported from Portugal, and generally in blue and white.
