McKinney Report

   Ever since Michel, who works at the China Taiwan restaurant in João Pessoa, came to Christ, we have tried several methods to share the Gospel with his co-workers. It is the city's most successful Chinese/Japanese restaurant and has around 120 workers, not counting the new restaurant in Campina Grande.     We started a church meeting earlier on Sundays close to their work, and several visited. We tried visiting their homes and families, most living in the interior city Esperança. We tried afternoon lunch break Bible Studies, but these restaurant people are pretty sleepy on their break.     Then we did something that doesn't work well with my biological clock: we started a Bible Study at midnight. Amazing: this is the time of day that these people are most alive and ready to do something after clocking out from work.     The restaurant would close, and we would study the Bible on the front sidewalk, not advisable in a city listed as the 3rd most violent i

by Jeremy Newlin   I want to start out by thanking God for His protection every time I travel.  As I visit the church in Patos, some would look at my car and exclaim: You came in that?! And then when I get ready to leave, they say: You’re going back in that?!  I have made the trip nine times in this car, but people still show surprise when they see it. Anyway, that is just a side note.  The real story begins here.  Every month an evangelist goes to Patos to teach intensive Bible courses to the brethren there and from other cities.  I make the trip just about every month because I am coordinating the Seara program, and it is also a good opportunity for me to visit with the majority of the workers from the interior without having to travel to each city.  This month, Raniere Menezes taught "The Life of Christ, According to the Gospel of Mark".  The course is 15 hours (Thursday night 7 - 10 p.m., Friday night 7 - 10 p.m., Saturday 2 - 10 p.m. and Sunday - Sunday sch

         One of the speakers at the Congresso was Enio “Mel” Latorre. He and his wife Marly have a home in Bauru, Sao Paulo, but his mission is to travel the country, preparing church workers with solid Bible knowledge to better prepare them to spread the Gospel. Their trip started at the beginning of 2014, and they haven’t been home yet. They taught in Salvador, Maceio, Recife, then they taught an intensive course in Patos, PB, and are now in Joao Pessoa. Mel taught a weekend course about church unity and cooperation to several workers from here and the interior. Then he taught from Monday to Saturday, the Pentateuch in the mornings and 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus in the evenings.       On Saturday afternoon and night, Marly taught the women about developing successful relationships in the church and in the home, based on principles from the Bible, especially 2 Peter. Every day from 4 to 7am, Mel is immersed in Bible study. He is 71 years old, has been studying the Bib

          The Congresso Cristão is an annual conference that has played an important part in the strengthening of the church in the Northeast of Brazil. Started in 1987, when we lived in Recife, at a time when congregations were small and isolated, the Congresso gave us a sense of being part of something much bigger than ourselves, and it was always encouraging. Today, because of the internet and several other events throughout the year, isolation is not a big factor to combat, but this event is still a great moment for congregations to renew ties, to share problems, to pray together, and to be exhorted through biblical teaching.          This year’s Congresso was in Maceió (about a 6 hour drive south of us), and João Pessoa took four cars. We had over 270 participants together from Thursday to Sunday, representing approximately 25 congregations. Many more people wanted to come, but the camp limited the number. The theme was Work Out Your Salvation, Philippians 2:12.  The l

This is the year of the "Cup", the "World Cup". There will be no school on the days that is playing. Businesses will close for the games; everything will be different for a little over a month. The first time I came to , the world cup was being played in the . I had no idea what the world cup was. I had never seen a soccer game. I watched the final between and to crown the first ever four-time champion, won. Now, 20 years later, is looking for its sixth title and for the first time in 64 years the games will be played in . There is a lot of excitement building up around the games , and the entire country will be turned upside down. There will probably be protests, strikes , and a lot of other unpleasa ntries happening while the games are being played. Most of the reason for these will be because the government set a budget to spend a little over $1 billion and have already spent over $4 billion on the stadiums, while health care and other are

I traveled to Patos a couple of weeks ago to study 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon with the church. We talked about elders, deacons, evangelists, taking care of the needs of others. We defined a good conscience and piety, which is the word in Portuguese used for godliness. They had a lot of questions and a few ideas from denominations, which needed to be corrected. W e learned from the teachings of the apostle Paul to Timothy the best way to counteract false teachings. In summary , we must exhort men to exercise their role in the family, women to fulfill their role in the family, children and grandchildren to take care of their parents in need . I n other words, structure the families to live the way God always intended , and the church will serve God in this fallen w orld of broken families. Some really good news: whil e in Patos, a brother, who had been losing the battle with sin, came back to Christ. Please pray: that God may strengthen in his new resolv

David and I have been traveling to Campina Grande to work more closely with the team. We want to ask for your prayers for the work in Campina Grande. Please pray: that God may open hearts of people who are searching for His truth; that God may continue to give the team courage to reach out to the lost around them; that God may help the members of the church to grow in their faith in His Word.

Guess what I was invited to teach at the Northeastern Christian Conference? You guessed it, Finances! I taught on the Biblical model of giving; the motives, the purpose and the grace of giving from various passages. I also gave an introduction to Dave Ramsey's material on Financial Peace. His material gives people a step-by-step method to organize and control your personal finances so that you are able to give like you want to give. Most people that I have taught have had difficulty understanding what the Bible teaches about giving. Most people that I have taught have also had difficulty managing their personal finances, so this course is very much needed in the church in Brazil. The church is beginning to support missionaries and they want and need a better understanding on giving. After the classes at the Conference, I was invited to teach the finance course at several different congregations throughout Brazil. Dates are still being set-up. My hope for beginning t

Hey all, Thank you for your patience.  I know it has been a while since you received news from me.  Things have been busy and it has been hard to find a time to sit down to write. Thank you for your love, prayers and support, Jeremy, Monica, Nicholas, and Dylan ..................................................................... When I first came to Brazil , I participated in a carnaval camp. I enjoyed spending time with the Christians, playing games and praising God together. I confess that I did not understand the importance of such a camp until years later. After spending years in and seeing Christians struggling with tempta tions and sins during this five- day party , I now see how important it is for the church to be together, away from the noise and temptations of the world. Some of us from will be going to Cajazeiras to participate in their carnaval camp. I will be teaching, the others participating , and all of us will be enjoying time in pu