A Look Back: The Cariri Baptist Seminary at Fifty

Recently a friend sent me a video that was taken in 1996 on the occasions of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Cariri Baptist Seminary. The reason he sent it was because, while watching it he noticed yours truly, then a 23-year-old short-term missionary playing trumpet as background for a choir. Here is the video (in two parts). I’ll post each part and provide some commentary.

Part 1:

As the camera pans over the crowd in this picture I am transported almost three decades to that time. I see friends with whom I still maintain contact, friends who I haven’t talked to in years, and friends who are now in glory. There are young people who are now in ministry, and people who were in ministry then who are not now, for diverse reasons.

At about the four-minute mark there is a group shot of people who graduated from the Seminary in the ’70s. In the top row is Pastor Francisco Bezerra (see picture below), who I didn’t know at the time, but who would play a very large role in my life in the future. Besides attending the anniversary celebration, he was also bringing a new seminary student who had enrolled that semester, a young lady named Itacyara.

At about the eight-minute mark there is a choral presentation from the First Baptist Church in Juazeiro do Norte. That’s a much younger, much thinner me playing trumpet in the background.

Part 2:

The second clip features, among others, pioneer missionaries Tom Willson and Harold Reiner, both of whom are in glory now, but with continuing fruit here in Brazil.

These are partial clips. If I find the rest I’ll be sure to post them here.

____________________

Did you enjoy this post? Consider making a donation to our ministry in Brazil.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that clicking on these Amazon links and making purchases is one way you can help our work.

And be sure to read the action-packed adventures of Missionary Max: Missionary Max and the Jungle Princess and Missionary Max and the Lost City.