Myers Park
From January 20 through February 10, 2010 we will be teaching four lessons in the Academy Class at Mers Park Presbyterian Church on “Biblical Foundations for Mission”. You can download a copy of these lessons here by clicking on the image above…
The following is from 2007:
We just received a wonderful visit from folks from Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina: Bob Breed (Pastor of Mission), Tom Mann, Marc Brinks and Enrique Sanches. Also, Rob Weingartner, Executive Director of the Outreach Foundation, accompanied the group with good advice and encouragement along the way. We all stayed at SESC Ecological Vacation Colony to attend the first Northern and Northeastern Missionary Consultation for the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil. Nearly all the denomination’s key leaders attended, including the current moderator, Rev. Assir Pereira, the Stated Clerk, Rev. Gerson Correia de Lacerda, and the current head of the Mission Board, Rev. Mário Sérgio de Góis. Marta and I are especially thankful for the careful and thoughtful manner the group examined the possibilities of new partnerships in Brazil, holding high the principle of partnership.
Below we will post some pictures and we invite participants to include their own comments, impressions and “testimonies”…
On Wednesday, after a few hours of early morning rest and lunch just a few (!) blocks away, the group visited with national church leaders in São Paulo for orientation and conversation.
From left to right, following Bob Breed, present were Elder Arnold Herman Ferle, President of the Eduardo Carlos Pereira Foundation which supports all the denomination’s theological and mission training schools; Rev. Aury Vieira Reinaldet, General Treasurer; Rev. Jonas Furtado do Nascimento, Director of the Secretarait for Christian Education and Coordenador of the denomination’s mission personnel; Rev. Assir Pereira, President of the General Assembly; Rev. Tim Carriker translating; Rev. Gerson Correia de Lacerda, Stated Clerk; and an unidentified church administrator
From right to left: Elder Enrique Sanchez; Rev. Mário Sérgio Góis, Director of the Secretariat of Evangelism
and the rest…from left to right: Rev. Rob Weingartner, Executive Director of the Outreach Foundation, Elder Tom Mann from MPPC and Elder Marc Brinks, also from MPPC
The group received a gift from Rev. Assir.
And finally, all together for a group photo.
On Thursday we began the consultation in Fortaleza with lunch and an informal conversation with Mário Sérgio, Director of the Secretariat for Evangelism of the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil.
On the left: a chapel; on the right: an auditorium where we met.
That same Thursday afternoon, the group then preceded to visit an educational and social program among the poor at the Pirambu Independent Presbyterian Congregation (when there is not yet a Session or Board of Deacons, or sometimes when a community does not have the economic means to support a pastor, it is called a “congregation”).
Then off we went to briefly visit two other churches, The Colônia Independent Presbyterian Church, and the Independent Presbyterian Church of Barra do Ceará.
On Friday morning, Rob Weingartner shared his thoughts on emerging patterns of mission around the world at one of the first plenary sessions.
That afternoon, we visited Fortaleza Theological Seminary.
Classes at the seminary are held in what used to be a small mall.
Bob Breed and Rob Weingartner had to get their pictures taken at the seminary’s open garden area.
Last year, 2006, the seminary celebrated its 20th anniversary.
I think that was about the time we had a coconut water break with Tim and Marta, and seminarian Elias, who takes care of the congregation in Pirambu.
On Saturday, we set out on a fascinating journey to the town of Pentecost and a rural villa, called Cipó, a few hours drive from Fortaleza (including a pretty bumpy dirt road).
There we found another educational social project that beats most everything we saw during the visit to Fortaleza. The project began when a Presbyterian elder and university professor in Fortaleza, on a visit to his home town in the rural interior, rediscovered his childhood friends with little education and consequentially, limited resources to make a better life. He made a commitment to visit these seven friends on the weekends (they are depicted in the wall drawing above as the original “seven”) to catch them up on their secondary education and get them ready for their college entrance exams. When some succeeded, they decided not to remain in the big city, but return also to their roots and do the same as the elder. This created a snowball effect that over the last 7 years has resulted in some 25 extension centers with over 2,000 students. The students arrive by foot or bus and spend all their weekends for 6 months to two years studying together and teaching each other. Through the process they grow not only in their social and intellectual awareness, but they learn too that faith is incarnated through sacrificial and loving demonstrations of solidarity with those in need. Wow, were we impressed!
On the way back to the consultation we stopped for grilled fish (pargo = red snapper?) on the beach. Yep, it is really that beautiful!
We made it back just in time Saturday for Bob Breed to share what Myers Park Presbyterian Church is doing around the world. This was surely an inspiration for Brazilian participants.
That evening (still Saturday, but way into the morning of Sunday) the group just couldn’t resist watching some authentic Brazilian rural dances (forró = pronounced “fau -hau” sort-of)
Sunday morning all gathered for a closing celebration and the Lord’s Supper. About 130 attended this first North & Northeast (Brazil) Mission Consultation
Paulo César, Director of Fortaleza Theological Seminary’s Mission Center (left) and Gerson Correia Lacerda, Stated Clerk of the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil (right) attended the conference.
A great attendance for a first consultation.
Bob Breed, Enrique Sanchez (back row), Tom Mann, Rob Weingartner (back row), and Marc Brinks made a great team.
Praise Team.
Praise Team again!
Marc Brinks and Rob Weingartner, Executive Director of the Outreach Foundation, share some thoughts at the conference.
Mário Sérgio de Góis, Director of the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil’s Secretariat for Evangelism, chats with Enrique Sanchez.
Celebration of the Lord’s Supper finalized the consultation.
Rob Weingartner gathers with Brazilian church leaders to celebrate the Lord’s Supper to close the conference.
Communion
Bob Breed takes communion on the final day.
At the end, a final picture, debriefing and off we all went….
Following is a song that touched Enrique. It was written by a Brazilian Presbyterian pastor, the brother of Marta’s pastor growing up, who married us in Campinas in 1978.
What am I doing?
by João Dias de AraujoWhat am I doing if I am a Christian,
If Christ has given me his pardon?
There are so many poor with no home, with no bread,
There are so many lives without salvation.
But Christ came to redeem us
To the whole person without division;
Not just the soul to save,
But also the body to raise.There is so much hunger in my country,
So many people who are unhappy,
So little children who are going to die,
So many old people to perish.
Millions don’t know how to write,
Millions of eyes don’t know how to read:
In darkness they live without perceiving
That they are slaves to somebody else.What am I doing if I am a Christian,
If Christ has given me his pardon?
There are so many poor people with no home, with no bread,
There are so many lives without salvation.
To the powerful I am going to preach,
To the rich I am going to proclaim,
That injustice is against God
And vile misery is an insult to heaven.
3 responses so far
Tim Carriker is mission co-worker of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), assigned as missiological consultant and theological educator to the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil. Here you can find more information
In retrospect, why was this such a good short term mission trip? Here’s my initial take:
FIRST and foremost, emphasis was placed on building relationships before undertaking plans for projects. In this process, the group met on the first day with top denominational leaders to listen and learn about the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil’s history, ethos and commitment to mission. All this takes time and practically requires a “preliminary” trip, before assuming any formal commitments.
SECOND, the group scored high on the two key characteristics of cross-cultural witness: flexibility and patience, not only with their Brazilian partners but with me as well, no longer entirely American in outlook and habits (measure of time and distance)! But you should have seen the look on Tom’s face, when after 2 days of travel, he entered his room at the conference center, and saw two low mattresses about 10 inches high from the floor!
THIRD, they mixed constantly with Brazilian partners, shared the same accommodations and meals (which were pretty nice), small but crucial first steps in incarnational ministry.
FOURTH, they were broad in their reflections on possible ways to further a relationship: projects they could support in Brazil under the direction of Brazilian national leadership, projects and ministries in the U.S. where Brazilian partners could participate, and joint ministries with other partners around the world.
I’ll think of some more later. Perhaps some members of the group could add…
(By the way, Tom & Bob, send me your best pictures so I can post them here)
[...] given us a Most of them are in a case study format (and a bit long for me), but I really liked the section he recently added on Myers Park Presbyterian Church. As I was skimming over the pictures, I noticed a former pastor of mine, Bob Breed. Bob [...]
Really nice site. Hope to visit it again soon