The Birth of Two New Churches

Two days of celebration marked the baptisms and communion of new believers and birthed two new churches in two different towns a few hours outside of Belem, Brazil last weekend. Wayne & Ellen have been working with a number of lay leaders to evangelize in a number of interior towns. This past weekend we witnessed the fruit of this labor. A group of twenty adults and children traveled from the Marituba, Nova Uniao church led by Pastor Nonato to be a part of the celebrations. They have worked and prayed with Luis and Katia and Satuca in Peri-Meri and Val and Neti, Evaldo and Neci and Luis and Fatima in Capitao Poco over about the last two years to evangelise in these towns.

In Peri-Meri four new believers were baptised in the cool waters of a stream under the hot noon amazon sun. Some others who had expressed an interest hung by the edge of the stream, watching to find out what this was about. Afterwards several said they now want to be baptised.

After a celebration lunch of stewed chicken,
beans, rice and macaroni for about forty people and a time of rest, they along with some others gathered under the trees of Luiz's father's home to join in taking their first communion. As Luis, who has a servants heart, washed his father's feet for the first time, their faces glowed. No longer will these feet go to find crabs, but to spread the gospel he told his father as he finished. Indeed his father has already begun to help evangelise a near by town. Vatapa, a thickened mixture of shrimp, a special palm oil and spices was served for the fellowship meal.

At the end of the service, as Nonato spoke of the beginnings of the Grace Brethren church in Germany, under a tree and without a building Wayne linked each one together with another, arm in arm, others stood and joined in till ten people stood together to become the new church of Peri-Meri. Nonato challenged them as a body of baptised believers, the new church of Peri-Meri, to be bound together in love.

The next day in Capitao Poco, a group of six stood together at a shaded stream to be baptised. Over 25 came from the town to watch. Each testimony recalled something different that God had done to bring them to him. For Dona Raimundo, in her 70's it was seeing how Neci, who sometimes came with her husband, was different and wanting what she had. For another it was being able to buy a Bible and read it that made the difference. Although baptised over 40 years ago, he said it really ment nothing to him since he did not know the words of God. For another it was a hunger for God and to know the word. Colinho, Rosa and their daughter Marta were also baptised with Marta expressing the change she saw in her father brought her to Christ. Here as in Peri-Meri, others who have been studying the Bible expressed an interest in being baptised after seeing the people here baptised. After a cool dip in the water, churrasco (a type of grilled beef) for lunch and a nap in our hammocks we shared communion together.

Again as the time of communion ended Nonato challenged seven who stood and linked together arm in arm to be bound in love, to share fellowship together, to share the word and to grow.

For both our car and the van who carried the visitors from Marituba, the celebration continued for several hours as we sang songs of worship and praise most of the way home.