Saturday, July 29, 2006
Encontros da Fé Reformada
The long awaited trip to Fortalez and São Luis came round at last. The overall theme was Sanctification: A Biblical Imperative. Andrew had to deal with Preaching and Sanctification. The other main speaker at both the conferences was Conrad Mbewe from Lusaka, Zambia. Other speakers only did one conference: Paulo Brasil and Valdeci Santos in Fortaleza, and Hermistem Lopes and Mauro Meister in São Luis. Valdeci and Mauro interpreted Conrad's expositions from Romans 6.
Our total flights added up to around 4100 miles as the crow flies. The section between São Luis and Belem was probably a further 3-400 miles by car over rough roads. It took 20 hours.
Part 1:Fortaleza
The first leg of the Encontro da Fé Reformada was in Fortaleza.
Fortaleza is a modern city, well-run, and with a solid economy based on tourism. The sea is always warm, the sun nearly always shines, the humidity level is lowish, making the heat bearable, and their are BIG beaches. The conference put us up in a hotel near the beach; from the balcony we took the photos of the people walking on the beach at dawn, a hat-seller chatting with a sunglasses man, and another hotel going up across the street.
A bit of local biology.
Pastor Ilmar, of the Renascença Presbyterian Church, São Luis. Ilmar is short, quiet, unassuming, steady, focussed and strong. He gets things done, and yet has no interest in the limelight when they are done. We have never seen a pastor here spend so little time at the microphone in a conference. He was the stimulating force behind the two Encontros in the North-East. We met at the Encontro in Manaus several years ago, when he first spoke of plans to do something similar in his region, and, sure enough, he saw the thing through.
Pastor Ilmar with the preaching team: Valdeci, Paulo, Conrad, Andrew
Various people at the conference: preachers in action: book table.
Pastor Ilmar with Edinildo and Jónatas, the two local pastors who organized the event.
The ever humorous Pastor Edinildo.
Views of the conference, one morning and on the final evening.
The long awaited trip to Fortalez and São Luis came round at last. The overall theme was Sanctification: A Biblical Imperative. Andrew had to deal with Preaching and Sanctification. The other main speaker at both the conferences was Conrad Mbewe from Lusaka, Zambia. Other speakers only did one conference: Paulo Brasil and Valdeci Santos in Fortaleza, and Hermistem Lopes and Mauro Meister in São Luis. Valdeci and Mauro interpreted Conrad's expositions from Romans 6.
Our total flights added up to around 4100 miles as the crow flies. The section between São Luis and Belem was probably a further 3-400 miles by car over rough roads. It took 20 hours.
Part 1:Fortaleza
The first leg of the Encontro da Fé Reformada was in Fortaleza.
Fortaleza is a modern city, well-run, and with a solid economy based on tourism. The sea is always warm, the sun nearly always shines, the humidity level is lowish, making the heat bearable, and their are BIG beaches. The conference put us up in a hotel near the beach; from the balcony we took the photos of the people walking on the beach at dawn, a hat-seller chatting with a sunglasses man, and another hotel going up across the street.
A bit of local biology.
Pastor Ilmar, of the Renascença Presbyterian Church, São Luis. Ilmar is short, quiet, unassuming, steady, focussed and strong. He gets things done, and yet has no interest in the limelight when they are done. We have never seen a pastor here spend so little time at the microphone in a conference. He was the stimulating force behind the two Encontros in the North-East. We met at the Encontro in Manaus several years ago, when he first spoke of plans to do something similar in his region, and, sure enough, he saw the thing through.
Pastor Ilmar with the preaching team: Valdeci, Paulo, Conrad, Andrew
Various people at the conference: preachers in action: book table.
Pastor Ilmar with Edinildo and Jónatas, the two local pastors who organized the event.
The ever humorous Pastor Edinildo.
Views of the conference, one morning and on the final evening.
Part 2: São Luis
The flight from Fortaleza to São Luis.
The one hour flight passes over the city of Fortaleza - almost our last sight being the breakwater where we had been for a walk on our first day. We also had a good view of the Lençois Maranhenses - the Sheets of Maranhão - one of the largest areas of sea-side sand dunes in the world, covering an area far larger than London. On the way in, the coast and then the island on which São Luis is built come into view.
The flight from Fortaleza to São Luis.
The one hour flight passes over the city of Fortaleza - almost our last sight being the breakwater where we had been for a walk on our first day. We also had a good view of the Lençois Maranhenses - the Sheets of Maranhão - one of the largest areas of sea-side sand dunes in the world, covering an area far larger than London. On the way in, the coast and then the island on which São Luis is built come into view.
São Luis, Maranhão
Clockwise from top:
the view out to sea from the old town:
the lagoon, a can of Jesus Guaraná - a very pink experience:
lights at night on one of the outlying beaches:
new block of flats under construction, in the rain.
Guaraná Jesus is an institution in Maranhão. The recipe was invented by a local man whose name was Jesus. He took the basic Guaraná of all of Brazil, a fizzy, light brown concoction, sometimes flavoured with a little real guaraná fruit from the Amazon, swapped the caramel colouring for a luminous pink, and added a bit of cinnamon or clove or both. Interesting. Despite some apparently machiavelian efforts by a well-known, North American, manufacturer of a sickly brown fizzy substance to overturn the sickly pink substance, Jesus remains the local champion. Speak not against it in São Luis.
In portuguese, a common way to offer a drink or food is to say, "Do you accept a Coke?" or whatever. "Do you accept Jesus?" is thus a common question in São Luis, giving rise to strange conversations, especially amongst reformed preachers and theologians. Conrad Mbewe likes Jesus very much.
One of the things that makes São Luis very photogenic is that the sun sets in the sea. Andrew, quite frankly, went mad with his camera.
The Lion Palace, São Luis.
We stayed in a flat near the church where the conference was held, the home of Antônio Fernando and Raquel, and their son, the adorable Miguel. It was good to be with a family, and we were extremely well looked after. Thank you all!
Clockwise from top:
the view out to sea from the old town:
the lagoon, a can of Jesus Guaraná - a very pink experience:
lights at night on one of the outlying beaches:
new block of flats under construction, in the rain.
Guaraná Jesus is an institution in Maranhão. The recipe was invented by a local man whose name was Jesus. He took the basic Guaraná of all of Brazil, a fizzy, light brown concoction, sometimes flavoured with a little real guaraná fruit from the Amazon, swapped the caramel colouring for a luminous pink, and added a bit of cinnamon or clove or both. Interesting. Despite some apparently machiavelian efforts by a well-known, North American, manufacturer of a sickly brown fizzy substance to overturn the sickly pink substance, Jesus remains the local champion. Speak not against it in São Luis.
In portuguese, a common way to offer a drink or food is to say, "Do you accept a Coke?" or whatever. "Do you accept Jesus?" is thus a common question in São Luis, giving rise to strange conversations, especially amongst reformed preachers and theologians. Conrad Mbewe likes Jesus very much.
One of the things that makes São Luis very photogenic is that the sun sets in the sea. Andrew, quite frankly, went mad with his camera.
The Lion Palace, São Luis.
We stayed in a flat near the church where the conference was held, the home of Antônio Fernando and Raquel, and their son, the adorable Miguel. It was good to be with a family, and we were extremely well looked after. Thank you all!
The Encontro da Fé Reformada, São Luis
The conference went well, not least for the chance to tune up the material that had already been preached in Fortaleza. Good fellowship, and Conrad's ministry was at its best.
At both Encontros Conrad opened up Romans 6:1-14 – “The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus in our Sanctification.” What was striking was the degree to which he reorganized his material between the two conferences. His preaching was good in Fortaleza, but was extraordinary in São Luis. We felt that his simple, profound and startling explanation of the final verses of the passage was one of the most joy-provoking, life-challenging things we have heard in ages. We were not alone. Given that the preaching is in English, with Portuguese interpretation, we can heartily recommend these expositions to anyone in either language.
Mauro Meister gave some clear papers on “The Law and Sanctification”, and interpreted for Conrad. He has grown as an interpreter in the time we have known him: tremendously sure-footed. Hermistem was to speak on “Sanctification in the life of the pastor”: unfortunately after the excellent treatment of the theme by Valdeci in Fortaleza, his talks seemed rather formless and void.
At both conferences, Andrew dealt with the same themes, although, like Conrad, he re-jigged the material considerably between the two moments. He had three talks to deal with the theme, “Preaching and Sanctification.” The first, on Colossians 1 and 2, dealt with Paul’s handling of a church where false paths and promises for a deeper life were on offer: he taught the Christ-centred word, with all his strength. The second talk was a historical paper, on Luther and Sanctification. How did Luther deal with the prevailing confusion of his day with regard to good works, and especially so with some of the antinomian tendencies that arose in the wake of his rediscovery of justification? He taught the word systematically. Finally, in 1 Peter 1 and 2, we looked at a passage which is in itself a call to sanctification, but includes the sublime section of 1:23 – 2:3 on the nature of the Word as a basis for our pursuit of holiness.
Conference evening congregation.
The conference went well, not least for the chance to tune up the material that had already been preached in Fortaleza. Good fellowship, and Conrad's ministry was at its best.
At both Encontros Conrad opened up Romans 6:1-14 – “The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus in our Sanctification.” What was striking was the degree to which he reorganized his material between the two conferences. His preaching was good in Fortaleza, but was extraordinary in São Luis. We felt that his simple, profound and startling explanation of the final verses of the passage was one of the most joy-provoking, life-challenging things we have heard in ages. We were not alone. Given that the preaching is in English, with Portuguese interpretation, we can heartily recommend these expositions to anyone in either language.
Mauro Meister gave some clear papers on “The Law and Sanctification”, and interpreted for Conrad. He has grown as an interpreter in the time we have known him: tremendously sure-footed. Hermistem was to speak on “Sanctification in the life of the pastor”: unfortunately after the excellent treatment of the theme by Valdeci in Fortaleza, his talks seemed rather formless and void.
At both conferences, Andrew dealt with the same themes, although, like Conrad, he re-jigged the material considerably between the two moments. He had three talks to deal with the theme, “Preaching and Sanctification.” The first, on Colossians 1 and 2, dealt with Paul’s handling of a church where false paths and promises for a deeper life were on offer: he taught the Christ-centred word, with all his strength. The second talk was a historical paper, on Luther and Sanctification. How did Luther deal with the prevailing confusion of his day with regard to good works, and especially so with some of the antinomian tendencies that arose in the wake of his rediscovery of justification? He taught the word systematically. Finally, in 1 Peter 1 and 2, we looked at a passage which is in itself a call to sanctification, but includes the sublime section of 1:23 – 2:3 on the nature of the Word as a basis for our pursuit of holiness.
Conference evening congregation.
Bequimão AICEB church
Andrew preached here on Sunday night, 9 July. Pastor Franky and his fiancé, Mirla, are at top left. A great guy: another good new contact.
The twin boys with their parents in the centre top photo are delightful. I asked their names: John Wesley and Russell Shedd. (Russell Shedd is the best known and loved Bible teacher in Brazil, a conservative baptist of great godliness and commitment to the Bible.)
Andrew preached here on Sunday night, 9 July. Pastor Franky and his fiancé, Mirla, are at top left. A great guy: another good new contact.
The twin boys with their parents in the centre top photo are delightful. I asked their names: John Wesley and Russell Shedd. (Russell Shedd is the best known and loved Bible teacher in Brazil, a conservative baptist of great godliness and commitment to the Bible.)
A bit of tourism...
In the town centre by day.
One of the nicest parts of the trip was simply hanging out with Conrad. The friendship gets better every time. Top left: Conrad, Raquel, Cora.
The largest collection of colonial houses in Brazil has the typical tiles of the period, imported from Portugal.
People in São Luis - Cora with Raquel, our hostess, at top right.
São Luis is one of the most musical cities in Brazil - being known especially for reggae. The old town at night pulsates with Latin and Carribean rhythms.
In the town centre by day.
One of the nicest parts of the trip was simply hanging out with Conrad. The friendship gets better every time. Top left: Conrad, Raquel, Cora.
The largest collection of colonial houses in Brazil has the typical tiles of the period, imported from Portugal.
People in São Luis - Cora with Raquel, our hostess, at top right.
São Luis is one of the most musical cities in Brazil - being known especially for reggae. The old town at night pulsates with Latin and Carribean rhythms.
Projeto ‘Fora das Ruas’
One of the best things about being in São Luis was being able to see Mez and Miriam McConnell and the work they are doing. They joined UFM on the same day as we did, back in 1998, and we have been good friends ever since those frightening interviews!
Mez and Miriam’s project has a base in the bairro J Lima, an “invaded” neighbourhood where people have been living for fifteen years without the area being recognised by the local government. Roads are poor; there are no “normal” facilities, and very little work. At night, the area is dangerous. Mez and Miriam’s involvement started with a burden for street kids, but the work is now really a church plant, with regular meetings, and a wide-ranging ministry including adult-literacy and training in basic ways to make a living. Work is underway to build a home for children with the gravest problems.
For those who are interested, please see something of the history and vision for this work on Mez and Miriam´s blog, here.
Mez and Miriam McConnell, Keziah and Lydia
A tree in the grounds of the project whose name escapes me but whose flowers are unforgettable.
Flowers on the roof of the building that may one day be the library. (I think.)
The excellent site that Mez and Miriam have as a base for the project: in estate agentese, it "has possibilities".
Junior, the leader of the street kids work, and his daughter.
Roads and buildings in the immediate area around the project. The wattle and daub style thatched mud huts are more common in Maranhão than in any other state.
The heart of the work: Miriam leads a Bible Study for women.
British team led by Pete Nye (UFM Worldwide) helping build the new home block.
Women's jewelry class: note the time of prayer before the class begins. Not all who come are believers
Neighbouring family. The day we visited, a film crew had come over to make up a video about the work. As well as filming activies on the site, Mez took them around the local streets, and did a short interview with this lady, about the effect of the project in her life and in the life of her family. Three of her children are seen here.
Lads from the project: volleyball in and immediately after the rain.
One of the best things about being in São Luis was being able to see Mez and Miriam McConnell and the work they are doing. They joined UFM on the same day as we did, back in 1998, and we have been good friends ever since those frightening interviews!
Mez and Miriam’s project has a base in the bairro J Lima, an “invaded” neighbourhood where people have been living for fifteen years without the area being recognised by the local government. Roads are poor; there are no “normal” facilities, and very little work. At night, the area is dangerous. Mez and Miriam’s involvement started with a burden for street kids, but the work is now really a church plant, with regular meetings, and a wide-ranging ministry including adult-literacy and training in basic ways to make a living. Work is underway to build a home for children with the gravest problems.
For those who are interested, please see something of the history and vision for this work on Mez and Miriam´s blog, here.
Mez and Miriam McConnell, Keziah and Lydia
A tree in the grounds of the project whose name escapes me but whose flowers are unforgettable.
Flowers on the roof of the building that may one day be the library. (I think.)
The excellent site that Mez and Miriam have as a base for the project: in estate agentese, it "has possibilities".
Junior, the leader of the street kids work, and his daughter.
Roads and buildings in the immediate area around the project. The wattle and daub style thatched mud huts are more common in Maranhão than in any other state.
The heart of the work: Miriam leads a Bible Study for women.
British team led by Pete Nye (UFM Worldwide) helping build the new home block.
Women's jewelry class: note the time of prayer before the class begins. Not all who come are believers
Neighbouring family. The day we visited, a film crew had come over to make up a video about the work. As well as filming activies on the site, Mez took them around the local streets, and did a short interview with this lady, about the effect of the project in her life and in the life of her family. Three of her children are seen here.
Lads from the project: volleyball in and immediately after the rain.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Part 3: Belem
Images of the journey from São Luis to Belem.
A distance comparable to London to Inverness, but across some pretty difficult roads. Graham drove all the way: 20 hours. Six of us were crammed into his wagon, though the A/C made it more than bearable. Good fellowship, and for us southern softies, a bit of an adventure.
So much of the North is bicycle country. Most of these shots were taken in one town - Miranda do Norte - on our journey to Belem.
Graham Nash at our lunch break on the journey. Graham works in a similar ministry to ourselves: teaching at an evening Bible school, the IBN, with an emphasis on Biblical Exposition. He has been in Brazil for three years, getting really thrown in at the deep end with the IBN, leading it after only six months. He came over to the conference in São Luis with three others from Belem, and was thus able to give us a lift back in his capacious car.
Belem - Bethlehem - the great city at the mouth of the Amazon. With one road in and out, but a lot of river to play with, Belem is big, packed with people, vibrant, exciting, disturbing, hot, often sticky, and elegant in a rather decadent way. We had a not very good time here in 1998: 2006 more than made up for it.
Graham and Tina Nash's home.
Images of the journey from São Luis to Belem.
A distance comparable to London to Inverness, but across some pretty difficult roads. Graham drove all the way: 20 hours. Six of us were crammed into his wagon, though the A/C made it more than bearable. Good fellowship, and for us southern softies, a bit of an adventure.
So much of the North is bicycle country. Most of these shots were taken in one town - Miranda do Norte - on our journey to Belem.
Graham Nash at our lunch break on the journey. Graham works in a similar ministry to ourselves: teaching at an evening Bible school, the IBN, with an emphasis on Biblical Exposition. He has been in Brazil for three years, getting really thrown in at the deep end with the IBN, leading it after only six months. He came over to the conference in São Luis with three others from Belem, and was thus able to give us a lift back in his capacious car.
Belem - Bethlehem - the great city at the mouth of the Amazon. With one road in and out, but a lot of river to play with, Belem is big, packed with people, vibrant, exciting, disturbing, hot, often sticky, and elegant in a rather decadent way. We had a not very good time here in 1998: 2006 more than made up for it.
Graham and Tina Nash's home.
A bit of tourism in the town centre:
around the famous Ver-o-peso (see/check the weight) market
When we were in Belem in 1998, there was an attempted robbery of one member of our group right here in the centre. Together with other negative factors in that visit, it left us, and especially some members of the family, with a very bad set of memories of Belem. It was important to go back to the Ver-o-peso and get it right!
In the Ver-o-peso itself - purely a fish market.
Having brought fish to the market, there is time for a shipboard haircut. Do vultures eat human hair?
Other products in the markets around the Ver-o-peso. The hanging bottles are potions associated with spiritism - Candomblé. Viagra Natural speaks for itself.
Banho cheiroso. A mix of all kinds of attractive herbs and spices, which can bring sucess in your business deals. We were not fully aware of this propensity when we chose the name for our blog. Should we abandon the name, or cast the demons out of blogspot?
A genuine charlatan. This man, just outside the market, is selling a remedy that cures everything. Even while with a customer, he maintains his patter through the microphone. We did not buy.
around the famous Ver-o-peso (see/check the weight) market
When we were in Belem in 1998, there was an attempted robbery of one member of our group right here in the centre. Together with other negative factors in that visit, it left us, and especially some members of the family, with a very bad set of memories of Belem. It was important to go back to the Ver-o-peso and get it right!
In the Ver-o-peso itself - purely a fish market.
Having brought fish to the market, there is time for a shipboard haircut. Do vultures eat human hair?
Other products in the markets around the Ver-o-peso. The hanging bottles are potions associated with spiritism - Candomblé. Viagra Natural speaks for itself.
Banho cheiroso. A mix of all kinds of attractive herbs and spices, which can bring sucess in your business deals. We were not fully aware of this propensity when we chose the name for our blog. Should we abandon the name, or cast the demons out of blogspot?
A genuine charlatan. This man, just outside the market, is selling a remedy that cures everything. Even while with a customer, he maintains his patter through the microphone. We did not buy.
Ministry on Old Testament Narratives with the IBN
Our ministry goal in going to Belem was to work with Graham Nash, doing a workshop and a sequence of preaching meetings focussed on Old Testament narratives. One purpose of this was simply to boost the Bible School Ministry, especially putting it more on the map with the Presbyterians, who are our main contacts in most parts of the country, and who already knew Andrew from our visit in 1998.
The event was organised as an intensive morning on the nuts and bolts of understanding narrative, and three evening preaching rallies at which Andrew spoke.
Training Day on Old Testament Narratives, Marambaia Presbyterian Church, Belem. Graham led an excellent morning of studies, while Andrew took photos.
The evening congregation at the Marambaia Presbyterian church. Andrew opened up three OT narratives: Josiah (2 Chron 23) David and Goliath (1 Sam 17) and Wrestling Jacob (Gen 32). The Presbyterians that we know in Belem have a delightful simplicity, doctrinal rigour and emotional warmth combined in their meetings. It is not hard to teach and preach among them!
These four men and a number of others who came to the evening sessions were part of the group from Belem which Andrew met at the FIEL conference in 1997, and again when he preached at the Central Presbyterian Chuch in Belem in 1998. In 1997, their four day bus journey was spoiled by an armed robbery en route: of the four here all were robbed, one being badly beaten and another arriving in the South East with absolutely nothing - his suitcase gone. Their warmth and enthusiasm at the time made a big impression, and the renewal of fellowship was a delight. Especially given that we can now communicate without an interpreter!
Our ministry goal in going to Belem was to work with Graham Nash, doing a workshop and a sequence of preaching meetings focussed on Old Testament narratives. One purpose of this was simply to boost the Bible School Ministry, especially putting it more on the map with the Presbyterians, who are our main contacts in most parts of the country, and who already knew Andrew from our visit in 1998.
The event was organised as an intensive morning on the nuts and bolts of understanding narrative, and three evening preaching rallies at which Andrew spoke.
Training Day on Old Testament Narratives, Marambaia Presbyterian Church, Belem. Graham led an excellent morning of studies, while Andrew took photos.
The evening congregation at the Marambaia Presbyterian church. Andrew opened up three OT narratives: Josiah (2 Chron 23) David and Goliath (1 Sam 17) and Wrestling Jacob (Gen 32). The Presbyterians that we know in Belem have a delightful simplicity, doctrinal rigour and emotional warmth combined in their meetings. It is not hard to teach and preach among them!
These four men and a number of others who came to the evening sessions were part of the group from Belem which Andrew met at the FIEL conference in 1997, and again when he preached at the Central Presbyterian Chuch in Belem in 1998. In 1997, their four day bus journey was spoiled by an armed robbery en route: of the four here all were robbed, one being badly beaten and another arriving in the South East with absolutely nothing - his suitcase gone. Their warmth and enthusiasm at the time made a big impression, and the renewal of fellowship was a delight. Especially given that we can now communicate without an interpreter!
UFMers in Belem
It was good to see other UFM colleagues, involved in work with street kids. Clockwise: Shirley: Lynne and Kelly: Danny and Sheila with Stephanie and Lucas: Cora and Maureen. Living so far away, we have only seen one of these colleagues before in Brazil: Lynne McLeavy, in 1998.
The Nash Family
At the end of the marathon, Belem meant ministry opportunities, moments with other colleagues, sightseeing, exotic fruits and foods, and a chance to bury some ghosts from the past, amongst other things. But simply the best bit was time with the Nash family: Graham and Tina, missionaries from Chessington Evangelical Church, also with UFM Worldwide, with their three girls Chloe, Shona and Anna. Long talks, craziness, the joy of being with colleagues who tick the same way theologically and culturally: God really blessed us through this family. Thank you for having us, Nashes!
It was good to see other UFM colleagues, involved in work with street kids. Clockwise: Shirley: Lynne and Kelly: Danny and Sheila with Stephanie and Lucas: Cora and Maureen. Living so far away, we have only seen one of these colleagues before in Brazil: Lynne McLeavy, in 1998.
The Nash Family
At the end of the marathon, Belem meant ministry opportunities, moments with other colleagues, sightseeing, exotic fruits and foods, and a chance to bury some ghosts from the past, amongst other things. But simply the best bit was time with the Nash family: Graham and Tina, missionaries from Chessington Evangelical Church, also with UFM Worldwide, with their three girls Chloe, Shona and Anna. Long talks, craziness, the joy of being with colleagues who tick the same way theologically and culturally: God really blessed us through this family. Thank you for having us, Nashes!
The Amazon.
Leaving Belem by plane, the immediate stretches of water visible from the city itself, and which are certainly as wide as any river in Europe, are seen for what they are; narrow channels cutting between islands. The scale and majesty of the river defies the imagination. Marajó, the largest river island in the world, sits in the mouth, just above Belem. It is bigger than Switzerland. Macapá, the city on the other side of the river, is further from Belem than Manchester is from London.
Leaving Belem by plane, the immediate stretches of water visible from the city itself, and which are certainly as wide as any river in Europe, are seen for what they are; narrow channels cutting between islands. The scale and majesty of the river defies the imagination. Marajó, the largest river island in the world, sits in the mouth, just above Belem. It is bigger than Switzerland. Macapá, the city on the other side of the river, is further from Belem than Manchester is from London.
