McKinney Report

          Sometimes people study the Bible for the sake of it. But since studying the Bible can be hard work, it is sometimes harder to get kids to do it. Though we shy away from competition, making Bible study a game is a great way to create young scholars. This past Saturday we held Brazil's XI Bible Bowl on the books Daniel and Jonah. Seven churches sent fourteen teams to compete in Recife.           The big winners again this year were from the Boa Viagem church. I think some of them memorized the whole book because they would get cranky if the question wasn't worded exactly like the text. João Pessoa had four teams competing, two came in third place in each division. Lucas McKinney had the third best score of the younger ones.           This is the second year I have directed Bible Bowl since Daniel Palk left, and I have plans for 2015 to make it bigger and better. Watching the kids getting excited about studying God's Word is worth all the hard work.

On a side note, I taught the finance class in in September. There were a total of 11 that began the course and 9 finished. I just pray that 1 or 2 will put the lessons into practice so that the church in will catch on and invest more in God's Kingdom. Please pray: that people will be more interested in investing in God's Kingdom and will therefore, manage their personal finances with more dedication; that the church in Brazil will begin to open its eyes to see the need for spending money on their spiritual family.

I traveled to Patos at the end of August to teach the book of James, and I intermingled the class with the finance class, talking about contentment and using some of Dave Ramsey's practical personal finance administrative tools. It had been two years since the last time I taught the finance class in Patos and it seems that only one couple is putting some of the teachings into practice. I went back to Patos on October 16th, traveling with Enio Latorre to visit and coordinate SEARA. This four year training program will end in August 2015. We will have a graduation and the students who went through the program will continue to teach and serve their respective congregations. They will also serve throughout the state as teachers. Please pray: that these men and women who are gaining this knowledge will continue to practice the knowledge that they have of God's Word; that a new SEARA class will be welcomed by the church in Cajazeiras with many members dedicating time and ener

The Grande Ceia (Great Supper) is a state-wide event for Paraíba. One hundred and twenty people attended this 18th Great Supper, almost every church in the state represented. This year's theme was "Family, God's Project". The lesson I was gave was supposed to start at 7:30 p.m. but our group arrived at 8:30 p.m. after the long 8 hour trip. After taking our things to our rooms and eating, I spoke at 10 p.m. Most everybody stayed awake so that was good. My lesson was on "Honoring God in Your Marriage". The main point was for everyone to look in the mirror and realize that they themselves are the problem in their marriage. If we can focus on learning to love and serve and stop pointing fingers, demanding that others serve us, things would be a lot more peaceful and simpler. Please pray: that husbands and wives can mature and begin serving one another and stop looking to be served.

Pastoreai is a workshop for families and congregations who desire to establish an eldership. Not many congregations in Brazil have elderships, only 2 churches in the Northeast, that I know of, have elders . Twenty-two people came, met, talked and discussed the role of elders: what they are, what they do, how they are not perfect, but how also they have the qualities needed to help each member grow in love and service. The previous workshop had 90 participants. The attendance was down this time because it coincided with the presidential election. I gave a lesson on Abraham. There was a round table session for the speakers to answer questions, and there was good food and fellowship. Please pray: that the men of the congregations in will produce elders who exemplify Christ in everything they do; that young men may desire to serve God in this capacity as well.

Brazil's number one sports program, Globo Esporte, did a special report on Passo Certo (Right Step). This is a testament to how the church's program is receiving recognition for its results. Though you may not understand what they are saying, click the link below and watch it. The commentator at the end congratulates Café and all those who support this program, and that, ladies and gentlemen, includes you. ATTENTION: jump to the 4m30s point on the video timeline. Globo Esporte: Passo Certo