New Planter Spotlight: Jeferson Carvalho Alvarenga
Jeferson Carvalho Alvarenga
How have you seen God working in your life?
God has been working in my life in a special way in recent years, teaching me to depend on Him in all areas and to trust even when it is not possible to understand. I have learned that the leader's first challenge is to be led by the Holy Spirit, and that our spiritual hearing is the most essential and critical skill in ministry. Finally, God has taught me that even though ministry has become so complex in recent decades, at its core is essentially love for God, for our flock, and for people who don't know Jesus.
How have you seen god working in your family?
In our family, we clearly see that God has used this time to deepen our marriage and strengthen our partnership in ministry. God has given us countless opportunities to work together over the past few years, especially in the early months of church planting. This was a wonderful experience that contributed in many ways to the maturation of our marriage and preparation for children.
How have you seen god working in your church?
Our church has received a large number of people who were away from Christian communion in recent years, for various reasons. These people have found hope and relief in the relational proposal of ourcommunity, which is strengthened through intense discipleship work and small groups. We see God healing people, integrating people and above all transforming lives, marriages and families through simple relationships centered on the Gospel.
church Name
Aquarius Presbyterian Church - IPAquarius
CHURCH WEBSITE
https://ipaquarius.com.br
church Email
ipaquariussjc@gmail.com
What is your church’s mission/Vision?
Our mission is expressed in the tripod of Spirituality, Community and Impact. Spirituality: Experiencing in the Triune God the answers to our searches and the hope for our struggles.Community: Invest heavily in being a welcoming, authentic and healing community.
Impact: Making an intentional impact on people and the city with the power of the Gospel. Our vision is to reach and impact Aquarius -- our neighborhood -- and region with the Gospel embodied in our lifestyle and proclaimed in our Message.
New Planter Spotlight: Reginaldo Launé Jr.
Reginaldo Launé Jr.
How have you seen God working in your life?
God has been working in my life for a long time. At a young age, he called me to be a musician in the church, an older deacon, and later a seminarian. For many years I lived in a maintenance ministry, believing that I was serving God properly. About five years ago, I was awakened for a different calling, to make the church a place of disciples of Jesus who serve their community. One book in particular, The Trellis and the Vine, was instrumental in this process. After that, the Wonderful and Good Lord led me to the Church Planters Training Center (CTPI), where I could do a post-graduate degree. During this period, Rev. Felipe Telles invited me to collaborate in the Roots Church. There again, the Lord raised people who saw in me the call as a church planter. We then began to write what would become the project for planting the church of Balneário Perequê. All in His time. All in His way. All for His glory.
How have you seen god working in your family?
My wife is finishing her doctorate at one of the most important public health institutions in the country, FIOCRUZ. We are in Rio de Janeiro, an important center for professional establishment, a cosmopolitan city with more than 6 million people and we are moving to a city with about 30 thousand people, without college or hospital. It's a very big turnaround, but she was never doubtful about my calling. On the contrary, she fully supports me and knows that she will also be an important part of this project. The call involves the whole family and if she was against it I couldn't go. She is excited and willing to be part of what God has to do through our lives, and is already in contact with people in the region to set up meetings in order to strengthen relationships thinking about the new church. When God acts, everything around us is transformed.
How have you seen god working in your church?
The Roots Church is a differential for those who know it. We have only 5 years of formation, but we have invested in planting new churches since the beginning, having the privilege of seeing some of them already organized and well established. However, this will be the first time that we will be in a project as a mother church, it is another kind of involvement. All of this was much talked in the council and approved by everyone. We understand that it is a privilege to be able to invest in the Kingdom of God, wherever He leads us. The idea has involved in such a strong way, that we decided to participate financially with an amount, but now that amount has almost doubled and there are other dreams of the church for the project. Everyone is excited about this window of opportunity that the Lord is opening for us.
church Name
Presbyterian Church in Balneário Perequê
church Email
reginaldolaune@gmail.com
What is your church’s mission/Vision?
To be a church that preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ, communicating in an intentional and contextualized way to the culture of its region, to reconcile people with God and transforming them into disciples of Jesus, creating in their surroundings a change in the quality of life in all its aspects, bringing the love, peace, hope and justice that only the Holy Spirit of God can generate.
The Launé Family
New Planter Spotlight: Garet Halbert
Garet Halbert
How have you seen God working in your life?
I was 19 years old when God radically saved me from my sin. I was the stereotypical college athlete, who only cared about baseball, girls, and parties. During my freshmen year in college, I struggled with an injury to my pitching arm and the setback devastated me. So, I went deeper into immoral living but this didn’t solve my problems. In my despair, I began to attend a Bible Study on campus. Initially, I would try to keep God’s commandments but I was failing at putting my sin to death. I was still enslaved to pornography and indulging in immoral relationships. However, in October of 2012, I began to understand that salvation is more than just being freed from a future in Hell. Salvation is freedom from sin’s penalty (hell), sin’s power (bondage to sin), and, yes, one-day, freedom from sin’s presence in heaven! I finally saw that redemption is ultimately about my sin against my Creator. And to make redemption possible, Jesus lived the obedient, sinless life that we were supposed to live, but did not, so that He could die the death our sins deserved on the cross. Then, He raised from the dead three days later to offer this freeing salvation to all who repent and believe in Him! I received that glorious salvation through faith then.
Now, God continues to work that powerful salvation in me and calls me to spend my life for others to know Christ and experience His full and freeing redemption.
How have you seen god working in your family?
God has been uniting our family for the gospel mission. In our marriage, Heidi and I began to sense a calling to church plant back in 2018, but we wanted to grow as believers and leaders and seek the affirmation of our church and trusted mentors. During this time of preparation, COVID broke out. Any notions that living on mission would be easy went out the window! Heidi and I had moved from Missouri to New England during the pandemic and it was incredibly isolating. But God began to birth a resolve and commitment to the mission in Heidi and me through this challenging season. We are clear that our calling is to work together to reach the lost and build up believers in Manchester, CT. With our children: God has given us four extroverted girls who see church planting as an adventure and mission that our family is giving our lives for. They are in it just as much as we are! Our daughters love to engage people, spend evenings with other families, and pray with us for the lost. My daughters often ask who has daddy shared the Gospel with so that they can be praying for them! We have been intentional in our preparation to church plant and God has been working in our family to unite us for the hard but incredible season we are in.
How have you seen god working in your church?
We are in the initial stages of church planting but we can see that God is working. My two main focuses are: reaching the lost with the Gospel and recruiting believers for the mission. Our passion for the lost began back in 2018. Heidi and I became burdened for those who do not have a gospel-preaching church near them to hear the word of Christ and experience the family of believers. That burden drove us to leave our amazing church in Missouri to move to Manchester, CT in June 2023 so that the lost can experience what we’ve experienced in the local church. By God’s grace, we are creating relationships and are having evangelistic Bible studies with some who’ve never read the Bible before! In addition to reaching the lost, Heidi and I recognize that we cannot do this alone. So, we are seeking to recruit believers to live on mission with us. The essence of our challenge to fellow brothers and sisters is to join us in the burden God gave us back in 2018. To be sent out from their amazing church to live on a mission for those who haven’t got to experience what we’ve experienced in the local church. God is working to rally other believers, and we look forward with anticipation to the group God gathers together as we seek to launch Sunday morning services in the fall of 2024!
church Name
Christ Redemption Church
church Email
garethalbert03@gmail.com
What is your church’s mission/Vision?
Mission: To plant a Christ-centered church in Manchester, CT through the preaching of the gospel from all of Scripture for the salvation of sinners and the glory of God that will then plant more churches in Greater Hartford and beyond.
Vision: Our vision is to see God display His power by saving sinners and sanctifying saints through the faithful preaching of the gospel by all of the members to His eternal glory.
The Halbert Family
New Planter Spotlight: Herbert Nogueira
Herbert Nogueira
How have you seen God working in your life?
With grace and kindness, in these 24 years since I was baptized, God has caused me to grow and mature in Jesus Christ, making me more patient, loving, and forgiving. I have also experienced joy and strength in life that sustain me. God has blessed me with a wife who is a sign of His grace, a loving and hardworking faith community, intellectual, physical, and emotional capacity to navigate life and relationships.
In recent years, there has been an increased awareness of God's love in my life and in those around me. Despite my shortcomings, God has granted me success.
How have you seen god working in your family?
My wife, Lidiane, and I have been married for seven years. During this time, we have grown, matured, and forgiven each other (and will continue to do so), creating a life partnership resulting from the Holy Spirit's work in our lives. Our personal time with God has been crucial in reconnecting with each other and sincere and loving conversations. We take care of one another, resulting in a good and happy marriage. Because of Christ, we have become more patient and loving towards each other. Together, we have built many things in our family, ministry, and with friends, for the glory of God and our well-being.
How have you seen god working in your church?
I learned to love the church from an early age, getting involved in work, serving, giving, and spending time with dear people. I began the process of pastoral ministry at the age of 17, a result of my calling and love for the church. Throughout these 16 years of pastoral ministry, I have seen God's favor upon the churches I've had the privilege to shepherd and now, more specifically, at VIVA LEBLON. One of the wealthiest, challenging, and less evangelized neighborhoods in Brazil. People are drawing near, families are being built up, and our group is growing. Since we started in February 2023, I have witnessed God's hand renewing lives through the transformative power of the Gospel. God has been good!
church Name
Igreja Viva Leblon
church Email
igrejavivaleblon@gmail.com
church Website
https://www.instagram.com/igrejavivaleblon/
What is your church’s mission/Vision?
Leblon is one of the most secularized regions in the country, characterized by a high human development index. At the same time, there is a significant lack of gospel-centered, contemporary churches capable of engaging with the dynamics and uniqueness of this area. I love Leblon. It's not just the place where I am planting a church; it's also where I live. VIVA is a Reformed Christian church that believes in the transformative power of the gospel to renew both life and society. Our four emphases are: experience, beauty, fellowship, and excellence. Our goal is to reach an audience that values intellectual and cultural life. For us, success is reflected in a growing, mature, and diverse community. We aim to build a thriving church with many small groups, a robust theological education, sermons that establish strong cultural connections, and celebrations deeply rooted in Rio de Janeiro's culture. In five years, we aspire to have a congregation of 150 people, which is remarkable for Leblon, a neighborhood characterized by its small, discreet, and subtle nature. To achieve these goals, we are constructing a spiritual (non-religious), updated (dialogical), and organic (with a professional organization) church. We believe in living life as a gift and loving God and people through service, as a demonstration of our love for the divine and the world.
The Nogueira Family
New Planter Spotlight: Efrain Garcia
Efrain Garcia
How have you seen God working in your life?
I believe that the maximum expression of God's work in my life can be seen through the Salvation that he gave me in Christ. But even after that I can see how God has been transforming my heart by changing my character and being able to fulfill the call that he has given me.
How have you seen god working in your family?
The work of God in my family, can be seen through the restoration of our personal relationships and being able to have better communication between us, but above all, God has made it possible to help one another to know Christ more.
How have you seen god working in your church?
As I start this new church plant, I can see firsthand the way in which God works in the lives of the seekers and nonbelievers. I have seen people who have been in church for a long time but who don’t understand the gospel. I also get to see new believers growing in the knowledge of Christ and can witness how the good news of the Gospel transforms them. It is wonderful to see God at work!
church Name
Comunidad Zona Oriente
church Email
efragarcas14@gmail.com
What is your church’s mission/Vision?
Mission: To be a church that shares the gospel with the people around it, but also to work for the well-being of the eastern part of the metropolitan area of Mexico City, through serving it with the gifts that God has provided us. For this we seek to train and find ways to partner with individuals, churches, and different ministries that are already working for the good of the city.
Vision: We want to be a church that reflects the hope we can find in the gospel, using the gifts that God has provided to each person, so that we can see a transformation in people’s lives, and in the culture of the community that surrounds us. We also long to see future church plants that are gospel-centered and mindful of the nonbeliever so that we can exalt our God in all areas of life.