Project Brasil is a non-denominational evangelical ministry. We are here to be servants in the kingdom of God; our objective is to work with all churches and Christians who share our commitment to the Word of God, our passion for evangelism, and our vision for meeting the needs of the poor, as mandated in the gospels and in the book of Acts. This includes the churches we partner with in Brasil, as well as the churches who support us in our work.

BAY COMMUNITY CHURCH, MIAMI. Project Brasil's sponsoring church is Bay Community Church, located in Miami, Florida. Bay Community is a 5 year old Baptist congregation that is committed to making a difference not only in their community, but throughout the world. Shortly after launching Project Brasil, Steve was invited to speak at BCC. This began a friendship between Pastor John Churchill and Steve. As the two realized their shared commitment to evangelism and ministry to the disadvantaged, a partnership was developed. Steve was commissioned by BCC in January 2008 to serve in Brasil; Project Brasil operates under the direction of the BCC leadership team.

OTHER CHURCHES IN PARTNERSHIP

Christ Church, Orlando

Journey Church, Anaheim Hills, CA

First United Methodist Church, Beebe, AR

First United Methodist Church, Lutz, FL

First Assembly of God, Wenatchee, WA

University Baptist Church, Charlottesville, VA

Town Square Vineyard, Memphis TN

Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Milan

Fellowship Church, Plano, TX

When Steve arrived in Brasil in 2004, one of the first people he met was Ricardo Lisboa. Ricardo was finishing his seminary and preparing to enter the ministry.

He had been leading a small Bible study in Morro Azul for some months, but the possibility of starting a church there was not financially feasible.

Project Brasil partnered with the Igreja Metodista de Catete to plant a church in the Morro Azul community. We rented a building and Steve and Ricardo worked together to get the church started, visiting people in the community, painting the building, planning worship services.

In the past three years Ricardo has continued to lovingly serve this congregation which has grown from a handful to an average attendance of about 50 people. Steve continues to be involved in this ministry, preaching on occasion and leading worship; he considers Morro Azul his home church.

The Morro Azul church has services Sunday nights and Wednesday nights, and other activities during the week. One Sunday a month we serve breakfast for the community; many children attend this special event. Ricardo also leads a home Bible study each week. After three years of wear and tear, we are able to do some remodeling to our building again this April, adding a new floor and painting the interior and exterior.

We have also sponsored Christmas parties for the children of Morro Azul as well as special one day events offering free haircuts, legal advice, help with putting together a resume, games for the children, and other services.

Morro Azul Igreja Metodista is the only church in the Morro Azul community. In three years we have become a fixture here; our commitment to this community is established. To view a video of the early days of this project, including our work on the building and our first services and first classes, visit this page.

Last year Steve was invited to preach in the Primeira Igreja Batista de Vila Alianca (First Baptist Church of Vila Alianca, a neighborhood in the barra of Bangu). A friendship developed between Steve and Pastor Luiz which ultimately led to a partnership between this church and Project Brasil.

Bangu is a community in the West Zone of Rio;
the West Zone is much poorer than the South Zone with beautiful beaches and five star hotels. There are no hotels here, no tourist attractions, no tourists. (People often stare when they hear Steve and Waniston, his translator, speaking in English -- Americans aren't seen here often.) A quarter of a million people live in Bangu; more than 50,000 live in the favela located near the church. This is one of our primary areas of outreach.

In the four years since Pastor Luiz began serving this congregation, Primeira Igreja Batista has grown from less than 100 in attendance to more than 300 each Sunday. 

Primeira Igreja Batista is evangelistic in its outreach and is also committed to providing social services to the communities and favelas nearby. They have offered classes for handcrafts (as a job skill) and cosmetology, as well as building a new library. Recently the church added an associate pastor to oversee its ministries to the community.

Primeira Igreja Batista is a strong congregation with many volunteers eager to serve. But they are in a poor community and lack financial resources. Project Brasil's involvement has been to fund certain ministries and work with the church in developing new ones. Project Brasil pays a part-time youth pastor who holds football (soccer) classes each afternoon; more than 100 children in the community participate. We also offer a free lunch each Friday, serving 150 people. We also opened a computer center and offer English courses.

Primeira Igreja Batista offers what Americans would call a blended service -- each Sunday we sing hymns accompanied by an organ (often American hymns translated into Portuguese, such as Victory in Jesus, Near the Cross, and Blessed Assurance), and we have a time of "louvor" led by a band.

Steve frequently preaches here; his sermons are translated by Waniston, one of the members of the church who is earning his master's degree in linguistics.

Primeira Igreja Batista also is involved in a rehab center that houses about 30 former trafficants and street people. We conduct worship services there one Sunday each month and support this work financially.

In April Project Brasil began building a health clinic on the church property. This clinic will be completed during the summer months of 2008. We will be able to provide free and low-cost medical care to hundreds of people each month. The church and Project Brasil are working together to develop this ministry.