New Members of the Ebenézer Family
Church Plant

New Members of the Ebenézer Family

This month it was our privilege to welcome seven new members into the Ebenezer Regular Baptist Church: four by transferral, and three by baptism. The new members being interviewed by the Ebenezer church family. Brenno being baptized. Sara being baptized. Adliane being baptized. There are two more people going through our baptismal classes, with baptisms…

Brazil | Church Plant

Happy New Year (…bear with me here)

Still playing “catch up” with long overdue posts. Here are a few pics from the New Years event the Ebenezer congregation held at the farm of one of our members. The ladies, gathering at the kitchen. Abreu and Rickson Delcy showing the piglet to the kids. Mikey and the piglet, who I affectionately called “bacon”….

Church Plant

“Te Amamos, Deus”

Two weeks ago we were treated to a special number by some of the children at Ebenézer. Here, finally, is the video: ***If you open the post on one page, you can see the whole thing*** The Astonishing Adventures of Missionary Max, Parts 1, 2 and 3 are now available for Kindle and Nook!

Ebenezer: First Sunday
Church Plant

Ebenezer: First Sunday

This past Sunday marked our first ever service at the Ebenezer Regular Baptist Congregation. The name “Ebenezer” was chosen due to it’s meaning (hitherto hath the Lord helped us). The fact that it is the Brazilian title of my all-time-favorite hymn (Come Thou Fount) may have also entered into the considerations. Whatever the case, the…

Sadness and Hope
Church Plant | Writings

Sadness and Hope

The following are excerpts from our most recent prayer letter. You can read the whole thing here. The past month and a half has been for us–without a doubt–the most difficult of our ministry since we arrived in Brazil. Our walk through the valley began on April 2nd, when our beloved co-worker Francisco Bezerra was…

Missionary Conference in the Sertão
Church Plant

Missionary Conference in the Sertão

Yesterday Pastor Francisco and I returned, safe and sound, from a whirlwind tour of the states of Piaui, Pernambuco, Bahia, and Ceará. The occasion was the annual conference of MAB, the Baptist Auxiliary Mission here in NE Brazil. Pastor Francisco is a MAB missionary, and I am on the advisory board. This year’s conference was…

The Showdown on Ze Bom Bom Hill
Brazil | Church Plant

The Showdown on Ze Bom Bom Hill

Behind our Kerigma congregation stretches a sizable neighborhood called “Coroadinho”. It is known as a hotbed of crime and violence. Within this neighborhood–and within sight of our church–is a hill named after a colorful figure from Coroadinho’s past known as “Ze Bom Bom”. If Coroadinho is a hurricane of crime, Ze Bom Bom hill is…

Juventude Kerigma
Church Plant

Juventude Kerigma

When we decided to dedicate our efforts to graduating the Kerigma church plant, one of the areas we observed where we could make the biggest impact was in the youth group. When we arrived, the congregation had various children’s ministries, but no real youth program. As a result, over the last five years many children…

Ministry Update: Kerigma VBS
Church Plant

Ministry Update: Kerigma VBS

What follows are some pictures of the VBS last week at the Kerigma congregation. The lovely and multi-talented Itacyara (aka The Brazilian Bombshell) was in charge of the event. She had been planning it–together with several ladies from our church–almost since our arrival two-and-a-half months previous. On the last day there were over 60 kids…