Cell Group Conference 2012

 Here are a some photos I just got my hands on from last year's cell group conference. Cell groups are what the Igreja da Paz calls its home Bible study groups, or mid-week home meetings. Members are encouraged to be an active part in their local cell. Why "cell"? Well, biologically speaking, cells multiply, and that of course is the objective of our cell groups: multiplication. As cells multiply they spread geografically throughout the city.

Conference festivities involved everyone even remotely involved in a home group.

 Cell leaders must be discipled, active members of the fellowship. Many of them are on the worship team or involved in other voluntary ministries.

 Overseeing pastors from Macapá came to encourage and offer insights to the cell group dynamic.

 Our loving pastor's wife, Roseth, arrived in a yellow wig, encouraging a spirit of fellowship and fun.

This conference is held roughly once a year to integrate the many new local leaders and share experiences from other Paz churches in our region.

The Conference was Terrific!

Three evenings of great worship, ministry and artistic presentations...Wow. Hats off to all the church staff and members who gave of themselves, their resources and their time to host this wonderful event.

We had a large ministry group from our mother church in Macapá (the capital of the neighboring state of Amapá) helping us with worship, including the provision of heavy sound equipment and lighting. Carlos Rilmar, a well-known name in Brazilian brega and forro music from far-away Fortaleza provided an enthusiatic presentation of Christian renditions of popular rhythms each night. The worship team from Macapá was truly out of this world (somewhere in heavenly places!). The sheer quality of the music, heard even long distances from the gymnasium attracted city residents.

Although we didn't have all the turnout we were hoping for, those who went were deeply touched, and the size of the crowd grew each evening, Sunday being the largest. The presence of the Lord was there!

I'm working on getting some photos posted, so keep an eye out for those. Also we have accounts of healings and salvations, and I'll post those as soon as I get the details.

Congratulations, Igreja da Paz, on the great organization and execution of this unique and worthwhile event!

1st Annual Church Conference

We ask for your prayers as the church gears up for its first annual city-wide conference. The conference is to be held from August 31st to September 2nd. The location chosen for the event is a public school gymnasium, which happens to be the largest place in town.

During preparations, there has been resistence from some other churches and local businesses, although others have caught the vision and decided to join hands in the effort. Since this is our first conference, it will set a precedent for future years, so please pray that all arrangements and activities be executed in a way that glorifies the Lord and encourages camaraderie. Since our city is small, everyone will be aware of the event, which raises our sense of responsibility and need for preparedness.

There will be special participation from a music artist who has a powerful testimony in Brazilian music circles. During the three nights, the emphasis will be evangelism, and we are believing God for a hundred conversions.

For now, the church is working hard on worship and dance practices. Join with us in intercession!

July 2012 Update

 God is good and things are moving forward! Here's some great news of what God is doing through Igreja da Paz in Monte Dourado.

As you may recall, a year ago we were praying for equipment for the worship team. Well, as you can see in the picture (left), God has blessed the church with musical equipment and musicians to lead us in worship.

Since the beginning of the year, a group of members has been developing the ministry of worshipful dance. At almost every Sunday service, the dancers acompany worship songs in a way that inspires us all to let our hearts move freely in worship.

It is common for us to spend 30-40 minutes worshipping God through songs and spontaneous prayer at the main Sunday service. We have seen God do some major healing work during this portion of the service.

The church is blessed by periodic visits from base pastors, like Pastor Luis (in photo) from Macapá who conduct conferences and edify the local leadership. In the last year we had conferences on the topics of finances and family, as well as two significant spiritual retreats.

The church has grown from one home group with a handful of believers to about half a dozen groups, operating in Monte Dourado and three nearby communities. We are uncertain as to how many people come regularly to services, but it's probably around 100. When we have events, it's "standing room only" in our renovated warehouse church. There is a childrens ministry during the service on Sunday as well as a youth service on Saturday nights.

We continue to rely on your prayers, insight and financial assistance for the ministry. For more information, feel free to get in touch with us at the email adress above.

Heidi & Railson

Family Update Feb 2012

I have a little time to write right now because I'm at the Kaolin factory where the internet is cooperative. I'm just waiting for a driver to be available to take me home, which is about 30 minutes over a very muddy potholey road. (Rainy season began in December, so this is winter here. It's nice to have some cooler weather and be able to save on the power bill--less air conditioning.)

Tim & Sarah are doing well. They sure are sweet kids. Naturally, they bicker at times, but I think that's part of it. They are slowly learning how to be more diplomatic with one another. They both act like very confident first children (although Tim is two and a half years older), which I suppose is the reason for the competetiveness. Sarah loves being in the kitchen, on her bike, playing with Polly dolls, playing Wii (fantastic Christmas present--thanks family!), and watching TV shows. Tim loves constructing things in the garage, doing experiments with old electronic parts (we have spent a fortune in batteries), playing Wii, riding his bike and playing with best friend, Luiz. We go to the pool a few times a week, but time is limited since we can't go when the sun is overhead (sunburns develop fast). The new school year just started and the kids are relatively happy to be back in school. They like their teachers and classmates. Tim likes math best and Sarah likes science. She can tell you all about tektonic plates, earthquakes and volcanoes.

I am back to teaching English, which is a little more fun now since I'm more comfortable with the role. My Portuguese is pretty good, now, too, which gives confidence at my jobs. My job as nutritionist at the kaolin factory is really great, but the hours are too few. I am hoping that they will increase the hours so that I can delve into some health and wellness projects. Some days I teach English at the factory and then go straight to the health office to see a few patients. We have the same types of chronic problems here associated with nutritional issues as there (in the USA): diabetes, elevated cholesterol and triglycerides, and weight problems. Alcohol is also an issue with a lot of people, often leading to liver problems, so I counsel patients on all that kind of stuff. It has been a real challenge to get the Portuguese up to par, but now I have some thorough nutrition texts in Portuguese, so that helps with the technical language.

The church is doing well, although we have some concerns with it. We have found it difficult to get involved in more than a supportive role because of what we might call religiosity issues. Some of the experiences and fresh ideas we bring aren't always easy for others to embrace (isn't that life!). So rather than ruffling feathers, we'll keep to lighter involvement for now. Being together is more important that being "right." Since there isn't a Sunday school for the kids' age we do church at home once or twice a month, too, which has been edifying and bonding.

Pray for us--for direction, for wisdom.