Growth 

Once again, we want to thank you for your prayers and support! The Lord has been very faithful in supporting and guiding us in the mission He called us to! Thank you for partnering with that calling.

We continue to see the Lord work in subtle but significant ways in this new church plant in Palmas. During the last two months, we have started to receive a number of visitors. That first started on Sunday, July 28 when we had 9 visitors representing 5 families. During worship, they just kept appearing. Since then, we have had several visitors over the weeks. Sunday, September 22^nd, we had a family visit for the second time. We’ve had other visitors along the way, but this recent activity has been cold contacts via our social media activity, suggesting we are having some success in communicating the Kingdom in an accessible and relevant way.

Though visitors are important, we know the process of finding a church that aligns with a family’s present needs is a bit of a process. We also know that our current phase as a group is not for everyone. For example, we don’t have an active children’s, youth, or young adult ministry. Even so, our group has been noticeably encouraged, as if they are excited that the group that has become relevant to them is also generating interest among others. 

Please, pray that God will direct the right people towards us, and that we will have the discernment to receive and care for them well.

Transitions

In general, we have been transitioning to a more traditional service setting and format, verses our original home group style. This has been gradual based on the size and needs of our group. A big change was moving from Wednesday to Sunday in April. Now with the constant expectation of visitors, we have moved from our living room to our veranda which allows us to set up chairs in a more traditional congregational style with the preacher now standing, and in front. This change was necessary to allow us to receive visitors more discretely as they come in at various points during the service.

This flux of visitors brings additional confirmation to our sense that we need to find a more commercial setting soon. This has intensified our search for an adequate space to rent. Subtly, these developments have encouraged our existing members and given rise to opportunities for them to take active ownership in the group. We have seen them subtly and naturally seeking to engage and receive visitors and actively express interest and ideas about a future facility. This is all very organic and exciting. The Kingdom is at work!

Outreach

Finally, we recently did our first outreach event as church. We wanted to engage the public in a relevant and natural way. During Father’s Day (in August here) weekend we set up a table at the waterfront park and gently engaged folks while handing out thermal cups to all the fathers and briefly praying for them. The gesture was well received and it was exciting to see our group members present and participating, each one in their own way. 

On a personal note

Recently, we were overjoyed to have our kids come to Brazil for a week of vacation with us at a beach in the State of Pará.  The boys were excited to have their wives enjoy the same beach they experienced during their years in Brazil.  It was a refreshing week of relaxation, conversation, walks together, games, and sand castle building.  Incidentally, their visit occurred during our 20th anniversary of service in Brazil. We feel honored that the family took some vacation time and travel to spend with us.  We also feel honored that God chose us to be a part of what He is doing in Brazil.

Prayer

Please continue praying that God will connect us with key people and give us direction as we seek to guide this group and form a community of Christ followers.

Pray for God’s provision and discernment as we seek a new meeting space for the church.

Blessings in Christ,

Keith and Marsha Wilson

In Summary 

We’ve previously noted that church planting is slow, this is especially true with a small team. So we’re not at all surprised that things are developing slowly with the Palmas church plant. Even so, things are moving forward, and we are very excited and full of expectation.

We continue pressing in through various strategies, trying to connect with people in the community. We are also encouraged as we see members of our group engaging and identifying more and more with this small church group.

Since our last update some anticipated changes have been initiated and yet other changes have presented themselves. Considered jointly, these developments give us the sense that bigger things are on the horizon. 

We thank you for all your support and ask that you continue praying with us. You are an essential part of what God is doing in Northern Brazil, and we thank you!

Some Developments

First, our friend and church planter, Abilene, has finally moved from Southern Brazil to Palmas to be part of our team. It’s been only a month or so now, but she’s already proven to be an asset to our team helping us take our worship to a new level, bringing a new perspective, and increasing our relational footprint. Our team has just gotten 50% bigger!

Secondly, since April we have been meeting on Sundays rather than Wednesdays.  The whole group was in favor of this change and it marks a subtle but fundamental shift in the level of commitment and the identity of the group. More and more our meetings are taking on the format of a regular structured church service. For our friends who are more leery of church, their continued presence and participation is a significant declaration that the group is relevant and a safe place for the unchurched.

Thirdly, though we have not yet outgrown our space with the regular attendees, we would not have room if all the periodic participants showed up on the same Sunday. So we’re at the point where we need to start looking for a commercial building, before our house rental ends in March 2025. This shift would also provide a better environment for a regular church service format. 

Fourthly, we’ve been praying about when this next step should happen, so we find it interesting that we were just able to sell our Pacjá house this month, allowing us to consider buying something in Palmas. Regardless of the house sale, we would need to move as we only rented this big house to accommodate the church.  Rental of a church facility and selling our house are not necessarily directly related events, but we feel encouraged about the timing and see it as confirmation of what we have already been sensing regarding the next steps for the church. The sale also removes one more anchor as we try to fully invest our attention and resources in Palmas.

In the context of slow, subtle progress, jointly, these changes affirm our sense that God is establishing something significant here in Palmas. Each change represents something we could not possibly do on our own, and the proximity of their timing suggests God is working consistent with the vision He has given us for Palmas.

An expansion of our leadership team, growing commitment by group members, and the promise of a more visible, adequate, and culturally relevant meeting context, collectively are signs that growth and new opportunities are around the corner. All this aligns with what we sense God has been confirming in our hearts for some time now.

Please pray with us as we seek wisdom and discernment concerning a house and the rental of a church facility, as well as what the next steps should be for this group.

Prayer

Please continue praying that God will connect us with key people and give us direction as we seek to guide this group and form a community of Christ followers.

Blessings in Christ,

Keith and Marsha Wilson