Brazil Bulletin Online

January 2006

Issue 1

Soon after the Alliance opened the Brazil field in 1961 the Brazil Bulletin was born, with its first edition published in 1966. Now with this first online edition, the venerable Bulletin is embarking on a new electronic existence. Looking back over the many back issues of the Brazil Bulletin, it was interesting to us to see how things have changed in Brazil through the years. But one thing that has not changed is our desire as a mission to establish new churches. For this reason, it is only fitting that the first online edition of the Brazil Bulletin focus on church planting. This issue focuses on one of two new church plants that have begun in 2005; one in beautiful Rio de Janeiro, and the other in the northern zone of mammoth Sao Paulo. We also are celebrating in this issue a church plant that has come full-circle with the calling of a Brazilian senior pastor--the Vila Madalena Church.

To make a successful transition from ink to bytes, we need your feedback. Will you please write with your comments? We are particularly interested in knowing how many individuals or churches will printing these online publications for distribution. We have attempted to make this first edition as "printer friendly" as possible for you.

Doug and Helen White, with their children Rachel and Caleb are church planting in Rio de Janeiro

Church planting in Rio de Janeiro
Author: Helen White
In late February of 2005, while exploring ministry possibilities for the Alliance in Rio de Janeiro, missionary Doug White heard a clear call from God to take the transforming love and power of Jesus Christ to "Barra da Tijuca"--a neighborhood in Brazil's second largest city.

God confirmed this call through field leadership and in June the Whites left Sao Paulo, their home of 17 years, to establish themselves in "the Barra."

The immediate challenge is how to reach people living in closed condominiums, part of Rio’s apparently unapproachable professional class. God is opening doors as people like you pray. Here are some of the unique ways we are seeing Him lay the foundation for the new work in the Barra:

Alexander and Susan are a Colombian couple who invited the Alliance to consider church planting in their neighborhood in Rio.

Helen met Jandira while walking on the beach boardwalk, just two blocks from the Whites' home. Other neighbors received chocolate chip cookies. Teresa said, "Oh this is a dream come true. I’ve always seen in American movies the neighbor bringing something to another neighbor. Thanks so much for the cookies!" Even the penguin swimming in the water at the Barra’s beautiful beach opened up conversations with neighbors. In all of these situations many neighbors have been very quick to share their telephone numbers. Pray that the Whites will be courageous in making the most of every one of these opportunities (Eph. 5:16).

Doug is currently preparing materials to use the Myers-Briggs Personality Indicator with businesses, individuals in transition and even couples to create contacts. Helen is considering offering cooking classes featuring classic American cooking that many of these professionals have experienced in their trips abroad.

Caleb White, 16 years old and a junior in high school, is living with a family in Sao Paulo in order to continue in the same missionary kids' school. He takes the bus to Rio every other weekend. Rachel White, 14, has transitioned very well into the relatively new International Christian School right in the Barra. The Whites oldest son, Aaron, is in his second year at Toccoa Falls College and studying Communications.

The Brazil mission leadership team believes that God has opened this door and we invite you to join us in expectant prayer for the Whites' ministry in Rio de Janeiro. For specific updates and prayer requests, visit their page on our mission website.

Transitions
Tim Bubna, Field Director
As you access our website to be informed and to pray, perhaps you notice the absence of an individual or family, and wonder about their current status or whereabouts. Some of our team members (we don´t say “former team members” – the B team has lifelong membership only) have followed the Lord´s call to other ministries, and we would like to update you on them.

Dave & Sue Manske departed in December 2003 for Appleton, Wisconsin to serve the Western Great Lakes district, directing church planting and missions mobilization.

Marshall & Teresa Erickson left in July 2004 for a pastorate in Hamlet, Nebraska. Their daughter Kiersten has a health situation that did not permit them to remain in Brazil.

Dave & Judy Jones left in December 2004 to pastor in Delaware, leaving the FATELA program well established in Sao Paulo.

Ruthie Strubbe left the mission office in December of 2004, and is currently working in South Carolina.

If you want to get updated on these colleagues, their addresses are:

Currently on home assignment are Mike & Ruth Davis, and Jeff & Jo Kiel. Both couples should return to Brazil mid year 2006. Alex & Julie Zell have been in the US since December, but have asked to extend their time in the homeland, as Alex is pursuing further studies. Barbara Bradshaw left for home assignment in May, and also will stay for an extended period; she is living in Florida and involved in a children´s ministry there. Prayer requests for these colleagues, as well as current email addresses, are on the website.

A Successful Transition
Authors: Mike and Ruth Davis
Missionaries who do Bible translating can measure their progress at the end of a day, a month or a year. Some days they may translate only a couple verses. Maybe in a month they may translate a couple chapters. Maybe in a year they will translate a couple of books of the Bible. Whatever they do they are able to measure their progress.

For those of us missionaries who call ourselves church planters the measuring system is more complicated. You make contacts. You see people receive Christ. You see people be baptized and become members. Maybe you acquire a building.

These are all good things, but a critical element for measuring progress in church planting is the day when we can turn the pastoral leadership of the church over to a national pastor. This is a celebratory time and signifies that most of the above items have taken place.

This past term we wanted to be involved with a new church plant. However, a couple of months before heading back to Brazil we received a call from our field director asking if we would go and pastor the Vila Madalena Alliance Church with the goal of seeing a Brazilian pastor take over leadership during our term. We said yes, and began working for the first time in this church that was already 7 years old and had always had missionary leadership.

Two years went by and though we had several possible candidates, none of them were right at the moment, too young, inexperienced or pending family situations that needed care. Many doors closed.

One of our colleagues mentioned a young Brazilian pastor who was finishing up his Masters work in an evangelical seminary in Germany. He also was credentialed by the Alliance. Mike began to correspond with him and sound him out about his plans after returning to Brazil. He seemed open to whatever the Lord had for him. He agreed to come to our Christmas banquet as the guest speaker and to candidate even though he is a gaucho – from the southern part of Brazil, where everyone fears São Paulo, the big city.

Vila Madalena had never supported a full-time pastor. They were paying over $2,000 a month in rent for their building, plus a part time minister of music and a church secretary. We had a congregational meeting to get a pulse on the congregation’s thoughts, because it would mean a considerable investment to bring Pastor Kurt and his family (wife and 2 small girls) to São Paulo. However, our treasurer was most supportive – reminding us that God had been completely faithful in the past, never letting us end a month in the red. We prayed and the congregation voted to extend a call. Two months later Pastor Kurt accepted and moved to São Paulo. What about the finances? The church has still not ended a month in the red. WE STEPPED OUT IN FAITH!!!!

In January of this year (2005) Pastor Kurt assumed the role of head pastor and Mike became his assistant. Essentially we have worked ourselves out of a job. Now we are praying about returning to São Paulo, Brazil in the coming year and planting another church, perhaps in one of the many gated communities of the city.