November Newsletter from Calvary Chapel Rio

Hi Friends,

We, here at Calvary Chapel Rio, consider it pure joy to share with you the work that God is doing in our church! If we shared with you every time that the Lord has blessed us or answered our prayers, this newsletter would never end. So, in the interest of being concise, we have resolved in merely highlighting the praiseworthy events of September and we bring your attention to the most immediate needs and prayer requests of our church body. We hope you are encouraged by this newsletter as it is a testimony to our living God who is rich in mercies. Therefore, we do not doubt that the Lord God Almighty hears us when we call upon Him.  Furthermore, we invite you dear friend to partner with us in continuous prayer for the Bible tells us:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God´s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

James 5:16

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

Baptism

Sunday, September 23rd, marked a joyous occasion for our growing church as we witnessed five members publicly confess their new life in Christ through baptism. The church gathered at Post 6 in Copacabana Beach bright and early to see our dear friends: Marco, Luizinho, Wellington, Marcos, and Angela be baptized by Pastor Álexandre.

What pure joy we all shared to see these five people, one-by-one, walk out into the ocean, submerge, and finally re-emerge in proclamation to their new identity in Christ.

All who gathered that beautiful Sunday morning were privileged to witness first-hand the fruit of the great work the Lord is doing through the body of our church. So rejoice with us as we praise our good and faithful Father who has heard and answered our prayers. Please continue to lift our members up in prayer so that we may continue to receive the blessing of spiritual growth and maturity as God continues to do a work here at Calvary Chapel Rio de Janeiro. All praise, glory, and honor to our gracious Lord Jesus Christ!

Missionaries

Praise God for His faithfulness to inundate our church with the presence of missionaries!!! Aside from our visiting Kenyan missionary, Pastor Moris, we have been abundantly blessed by a diverse group of five young missionary women sent to us from the U.S. (among whom included one native Bulgarian, one native Japanese, two Japanese-Americans, and one Korean-American).

Although their stay with us was a total of three days, they managed to participate in our Women´s Tea Party, lead Sunday worship, and devote their Monday evening to our ministry in Xerém.

Ministering to Children in Xerém

That Monday evening was assuredly an unforgettable one for the needy children in Xerém. As a church, we normally serve in Xerém every other Saturday. However, considering the great need that exists in this community and the rare opportunity these children have to meet an outgoing group of diverse missionaries, we went ahead and held a special event.

That night was complete with worship, and thanks to the missionaries – song and dance (in Japanese), along with a lesson in origami making angel hearts with wings. This tremendous blessing would not have been possible without the obedience of those who respond to the Lord´s call of service (whether that be in the form of missionary work, donation, or prayer). On behalf of the Xerém Team and the children that are served in this ministry, we thank those who have labored and contributed to the Lord´s work in this community. We also praise God for hearing our prayers and meeting our needs. Please continue to lift up the Xerém ministry in prayer and join us as we place our faith and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ – the source of living water to the thirsty hearts of these little ones. The following letter was written by Marco, our brother in Christ, explaining how he has come to completely surrender his life to the Lord. May your spirits be lifted and faith be renewed in the LordJesus Christ as you read the following testimony :

Hey Pastor Jason,

I’m sorry to be writing you so late, but I have been so busy in my new walk with God. Maybe you don’t remember me. During your last visit to Rio, you spoke at Calvary Chapel. That was my first time in the church, and we talked briefly. I knew about the church through a church flyer that Russell had given me on the street, and on an extremely diffi cult day, I decided to visit. Not very long before, I had made a lot of bad decisions that ended up costing me everything I had, including my friends and my old religion. In the end, this led me to become part of a Satanic sect, where I became familiar with evil in its truest form. It was through this sect that I regained much of what I had lost, but at a high price. 

Finally, after a time, I resolved to come back to God – because if the evil that I had come to know really existed, then so did goodness. This decision caused me to lose everything again. It was during this time that I came to Calvary because of a simple flyer Russell had given to me on the street. The day he gave me the flyer, I was ready to kill myself, because I was no longer hearing the Holy Spirit inside of me, and was suffering many attacks from evil forces each week. It was then that, hearing the word of the Lord that night you spoke, I once again felt the Holy Spirit by my side, and I had to hold back the tears. It was through you and your words that night, I came to Jesus again. I was sure that God had never abandoned me like I had thought. He used you Pastor Jason, to bring me back! You and Russell.

Now I’m part of the body of Calvary Chapel Rio de Janeiro, serving the church and seeking every day to be a different man in Jesus Christ. Sometimes it’s kind of hard living this new life, because I’ve always been a guy that only seeks money, power, and pleasure; but through the simple chores I do in the church, fellowship with the brothers of Calvary Chapel, and the Bible, I have found the true meaning of the word humility.

It doesn’t matter anymore if I get back everything I lost. What matters now is that I have found a better way. The only way that leads me to my true home: God’s heart!

That’s the reason I’m writing this long email. I’m writing to say thank you, Pastor Jason! Every day I thank God for using you and Russell.

There is another reason I’m writing this email: I hope it helps encourage you in your journey with Jesus, giving you the assurance that you are on the right path. I ask God that He give you strength, wisdom and courage to keep going. One more time, thank you for everything.

Your brother in Christ,

Marco Wayne

Lastly, we ask that you continue to lift up our pastor, Alexandre, and his wife, Lilian, in prayer. Please pray specifi cally that the Lord would always be strengthening and enriching them spiritually, that God would keep them safe from the enemy, and that He would empower their lives so that they can be used for the furthering of His kingdom.